First Crush with Monster Mill

[DrunkleJon]

spray evenly with a small amount of water. It allows the husks to be more pliable and not shred. It allows a tighter crush with better filtration.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I condition every brew day. It is cheap insurance against a stuck sparge. I spray the grains with a water bottle set on mist as I pour the grains into another bucket then let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I find that the hulls retain their integrity and the grain bed filters better. I set my Barley Crusher to .035 and get great efficiency and have (knock on wood) never had a stuck sparge.

 

[drunkenmonk]

Never be afraid of throw lots of power at the problem. I've got a 1 HP motor and gear reducer and never a stuck roller.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/motorized-monster-mill-build-373083/

 

[logdrum]

Now That's a Monster Mill

 

[Mashinations]

I condition every brew day. It is cheap insurance against a stuck sparge. I spray the grains with a water bottle set on mist as I pour the grains into another bucket then let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I find that the hulls retain their integrity and the grain bed filters better. I set my Barley Crusher to .035 and get great efficiency and have (knock on wood) never had a stuck sparge.

Just to be a contrarian - how do you know conditioning the grain is insurance against a stuck sparge if you've never had a stuck sparge? Clearly every system is different and sparging techniques will impact the risk of a stuck sparge but I crush at .03, don't condition, fly sparge and have NEVER had a stuck sparge. My wort run-off to the BK is also crystal clear. I say do whatever works for you but IMO pre-spraying the grain prior to milling is unnecessary.

 

[Darwin18]

Tightening the thumbscrews with an adjustable wrench about 1/2 turn beyond hand tight really helped me out last week. No issues with the gap adjusting during use. Got great efficiency as well!

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Just to be a contrarian - how do you know conditioning the grain is insurance against a stuck sparge if you've never had a stuck sparge? Clearly every system is different and sparging techniques will impact the risk of a stuck sparge but I crush at .03, don't condition, fly sparge and have NEVER had a stuck sparge. My wort run-off to the BK is also crystal clear. I say do whatever works for you but IMO pre-spraying the grain prior to milling is unnecessary.

Very true! I should have said I have never had a stuck sparge SINCE I started conditioning. The one time I did was an incredibly frustrating brew day and led me to these forums and to the malt conditioning info. I have walked the line since and had a couple of super slow run offs, but never completely stuck.

When I compare the integrity of the hulls between a conditioned and unconditioned crush there appears to be a significant difference. You are correct--this is merely anecdotal without controlled experimentation using identical grain bill, equipment, etc. that pushes a system to a stuck sparge with the only variable being grain conditioning. I don't care enough to conduct such an experiment! And my results would not generalize to your system. I will continue the practice as it does not cost me anything but a couple of minutes of my time and I continue to encourage others to do so, especially newer brewers who are having difficulty dialing in their crush and their systems.

And bonus points for contrarian...I often think that should somehow be worked into the name of this forum! We all have our different info, opinions, and experiences which is what makes this such a useful place.

 

[mabrungard]

+1 on Mashinations' contention that you wouldn't know for sure without more trials to better assess the effects of conditioning.

I can say that after conditioning, it appears that my husks are much more intact while the kernels are very well crushed (some flour). I think that conditioning is a good idea if you have the time.

 

[MNDan]

I will create a separate thread for this shortly, but I just received my newly-redesigned adjustable side plates for my MM 2 2.0, and the new design is going to blow your mind! It looks to truly address every concern I had with the mill and turns it into the finest mill on the market IMHO!

More to come - I'll take some pics this weekend and do a writeup.

dan

To solve the thumbscrew problem, replace the two screws with 1/4-20 by 1.25 or longer bolts that are fully threaded. I replaced mine with hex bolts.

Be careful removing the thumbscrews and replacing with bolts - I had a problem where the ends of the thumbscrews had deformed against the adjustment knobs, so that when I removed them they trashed the threads on the way out. If I were buying a MM today, I wouldn't even use the thumb screws. Go out and get the hex bolts so that you can start with a good screw that never has to be fully removed once you start using it, since I think the ends of the screws are always going to get deformed against the hardened knob.

My two cents...

 

[mabrungard]

I saw the new MM design in Philly last month. It is definitely a step in the right direction. I expect it to be far better than the old thumbscrew design.

 

[jammin]

Anyone have a pic of the new design? You jerks got me all curious

 

[MNDan]

I'll try to get some pics up soon...

 

[shivalotus]

Figures there is a new design right after I buy one.

 

[brewkinger]

figures there is a new design right after i buy one.

+1

 

[revansCAAD8]

I'll try to get some pics up soon...

Please do!

 

[Matt3989]

I bought one of the new ones when I was at NHC, I'll try to remember to take pics when I get home from work today

 

[glenlivet]

Just used my MM-2 for the first time yesterday. After reading this thread i set the gap to .039 and had a great crush. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

[revansCAAD8]

I bought one of the new ones when I was at NHC, I'll try to remember to take pics when I get home from work today

Pics???

 

[Matt3989]

 

[revansCAAD8]

Thx for the pics. So, no thumbscrews at all huh? Guess that means no retrofitting older units?

Robert

 

[Matt3989]

Nope, don't think you'll be able to switch over older units.

Not exactly on the current topic, but do you guys change the gap for when you crush wheat versus barley? Wheat being smaller and harder than barley...

 

[brewkinger]

Nope, don't think you'll be able to switch over older units.

There is actually another recent thread (I think MNDan) that pertained to this and there was mention of an email from Fred (owner of Monster Mill) that discussed upgrades for current mill owners at cost.
When the parts are available, current owners can ship the end plates back and Fred will make the upgrades OR current owners can get the upgraded pieces and make the modification themselves (involves drilling a hole or two).

I am wondering if this is an upgrade for ALL Monster Mills or just the 2.0 models.

I have the MM2 and quite frankly after replacing the thumb screws with hardened steel hex screws, I have absolutely NO problems with my gap opening up.

 

[Mashinations]

Nope, don't think you'll be able to switch over older units.

Not exactly on the current topic, but do you guys change the gap for when you crush wheat versus barley? Wheat being smaller and harder than barley...

I crush everything at .03. I set my mill once when I set it up and periodically check it to see if it's moved (never has). I also co-mingle my grains when crushing. I don't make a lot of wheat beers but do use rye quite a bit, which like wheat is harder and smaller.

 

[BigRedHopHead]

Nope, don't think you'll be able to switch over older units.

Not exactly on the current topic, but do you guys change the gap for when you crush wheat versus barley? Wheat being smaller and harder than barley...

I don't change the gap for wheat, but I do run wheat through twice. I make a fair amount of wheat beers and find it easier just to mill it twice vs change the gap.

 

[one-L]

I am wondering if this is an upgrade for ALL Monster Mills or just the 2.0 models.

I have the MM2 and quite frankly after replacing the thumb screws with hardened steel hex screws, I have absolutely NO problems with my gap opening up.

According to Fred, just the 2.0 models, as they have been seeing the most problems with the 2 inch rollers. You got any pics of what you used to replace the thumbscrews? I pulled the trigger yesterday on the MM2 after exchanging several emails with Fred and while I thought about the 2.0, he told me it was pretty much serious overkill "unless you were running a brewshop or small micro". I like bling and all, but figure I can use the money saved for some bulk grain (and if I decide I HAVE to move up somewhere down the line, I'm sure I won't have much trouble getting rid of this one).

 

[Matt3989]

I don't change the gap for wheat, but I do run wheat through twice. I make a fair amount of wheat beers and find it easier just to mill it twice vs change the gap.

Thanks, that's a good idea.