Grain mill or Pump?

[joe_brewer]

Adding to my growing list of brewing equipment, any advice on which to get first?

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I'll vote mill, if only because having one (and a bunch of grain) means that I can brew without making a trip to my lhbs, every single time. Don't get me wrong they're great people, but I'm busy.

Or you could go corona mill and little tan pump and have some money left over for a sixer.

 

[beergolf]

Grain Mill. Get a good one and your efficiency will always be consistent.

 

[Murphys_Law]

Mill if you plan on buying in bulk. Otherwise a push.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Mill. Buy in bulk the money you save put towards a pump. In the mean time use a spoon. Simple works

 

[pinchegil]

Mill, it is standalone (however a harbour freight drill is a nice add on) and can save you money and time. A pump without "additional parts" is kind of useless and those parts can get pricey and does nothing to save money

 

[Bensiff]

Will a mill save you money on your grains, sure. How much, depends on how much you brew and how much of a priority saving a little money is to your brewing plan. Do you have a LHBS or are you ordering grain? If you do have one, ask them what their grain mill is and if they adjust the gap on it. If they have a good grain mill they do not adjust the gap on, then you can rely on them for a good consistent crush. In that situation, I would go pump first as a pump is your breweries workhouse. They save you labor, make the brewery safer, and allow you to process better. That is a lot more functionality than a grain mill, especially if you have a free to use quality grain mill down the street.

 

[jerbrew]

Pump. Once you get it integrated well in your system brews days are as easy as flipping a switch and sipping on a home brew.

 

[Floatzel]

grain mill. It crushes the endosperm which crumbles and separates from the husk. Yeah, there's a tear to let the insides out, but for the most part the husk is intact.

 

[Brewer_Ben]

I would say mill, one of the best investments I have made so far. Get a good quality if you do though.

 

[PADave]

I would say mill, because I have never even considered a pump. Been wanting to get a mill now for a while, so I can buy bulk and have ingredients on hand for a few brews without having to worry about using crushed grains before they go bad. Also so I can have a consistent crush every brew. Problem solved, ordered one two days ago.

 

[kh54s10]

Or you could get both. I have been using a Corona style mill for about 5 years. My efficiency is consistent. I buy grains in bulk so I save quite a bit of money. On brew day I can choose a recipe and go to the grain and mill it up. I don't have to plan ahead and get what I need online or take a trip to the LHBS. The savings on not spending big $$ on a mill could go to the pump. Or with some time the savings on buying grain in bulk could go to the pump.

I also do not have a pump and don't plan on having one until I go electric. I built a 3 tier sculpture and plumbed water to the HLT. All the water just goes downhill. The heaviest thing that I have to lift is the filled fermenter. Next is the spent grain in the mash tun which is dumped in the compost pile.

 

[glugglug]

Mill, like the majority is saying. I like buying base malt in bulk. I believe it's just over half price. You will stay consistent with efficiency for the most part. Yeah, I still have to go to lhbs for yeast, hops, specialty grains, but the final bill doesn't hurt as much. The pump is more of a luxury. I use one to move hot water to hlt on a gravity system, a little scary without pump, and also to whirlpool, which really helps when chilling. But less of a "need" than mill. Granted, you don't need either, but both are great to have. Plan on incorporating both as soon as you can and you won't be disappointed.

 

[Turkeyshot]

Mill is the way to go. You can buy grains in bulk and mill them when you are ready to use them.

 

[Bensiff]

I'm shocked so many people have so little faith in their LHBS's mill. Once upon a time they were not so hot; but, that was back when they were using stuff like coffee mills because there weren't small purpose built grain mills on the market. But, then again, most folks who are responding sound like they are just beginning and have very little equipment and or experience with said equipment. Nothing wrong with that mind you. But, from my experience, for many years I have been running multiple pumps and a powered 3 roller mill...I'd give up the mill before giving up my pumps knowing my LHBS's mill is perfectly fine.

 

[day_trippr]

Statistically speaking, extrapolating from a single data source to cover the entire world is not likely to provide an accurate average characterization.

On point: My lhbs doesn't change their mill gap when switching from 2 row to red wheat.
Does that mean every lhbs is the same? Hopefully, no.

In any case, how an lhbs handles their mill is hardly the only factor in deciding the net benefit of owning your own.
Aside from the epically bad yield from that wheat thing, my reasons are mostly for day-of-brew freshness and grain cost.

Besides, I'm a total techno-dweeb and had to build my own mill just out of GP's...

Cheers!

 

[ImNoExpert]

I'm shocked so many people have so little faith in their LHBS's mill. Once upon a time they were not so hot; but, that was back when they were using stuff like coffee mills because there weren't small purpose built grain mills on the market. But, then again, most folks who are responding sound like they are just beginning and have very little equipment and or experience with said equipment. Nothing wrong with that mind you. But, from my experience, for many years I have been running multiple pumps and a powered 3 roller mill...I'd give up the mill before giving up my pumps knowing my LHBS's mill is perfectly fine.

My LHBS is great, but their mill gap was set just a tad too wide for me. Once I got my mill my efficiency went noticeably up. Not that great efficiency is the goal, but it is something that I like.

That, and the ability to change the gap for what I'm grinding makes it the one to go with.

I have a pump too, but I got it when I changed my process and system. It would be very difficult to brew on my system without it, but that was by design.

 

[dallasdb]

Maybe a little background info would make the suggestions better.

What's your setup that you are brewing on now?

Without background info I'd vote pump.

Even when I buy in bulk I take my grains to the LHBS and mill them as needed.

Or pump and corona mill for now. You can use it as is or there are easy ways to mod a corona mill to make it a more consistent crush.

 

[UndeadFred]

My pump is my favorite toy.

Having said that a mill is more useful. Go for the mill first. You are then in control of the grind, and you are then unlimited to buy in bulk.

[Disclosure: I BIAB and use a Corona mill. If you BIAB the Corona mill is good enough.. if you use a grain bed, then get a roller mill]

 

[markstache]

Mill if you will be buying bulk grains. Pump otherwise.

As others have said, the mill will probably be a cheaper purchase as you will probably want to get stainless disconnects for the pump (highly recommended). The additional fittings can cost almost as much as the pump itself.

 

[Teromous]

It depends on whether you are looking for a quicker brewday or self-sufficiency, and if you will have enough to get a plate chiller any time soon.

A plate chiller, pump, and quick disconnects will all make your brewday shorter. A grain mill will make you less dependent on the store to crush your grains and allow you to buy in bulk.

I would rather have my plate chiller and pump than my mill.

 

[Bensiff]

Statistically speaking, extrapolating from a single data source to cover the entire world is not likely to provide an accurate average characterization.

On point: My lhbs doesn't change their mill gap when switching from 2 row to red wheat.
Does that mean every lhbs is the same? Hopefully, no.

In any case, how an lhbs handles their mill is hardly the only factor in deciding the net benefit of owning your own.
Aside from the epically bad yield from that wheat thing, my reasons are mostly for day-of-brew freshness and grain cost.

Besides, I'm a total techno-dweeb and had to build my own mill just out of GP's...

Cheers!

I have tons of brew shops where I live, so not a single data point. I'd put more weight on the grain mill if there was a long drive or mail order involved in getting grain due to the freshness issue. But, the small gains in having a good crush aren't worth the benefits of a pump such as easily getting a proper vorlauf, regulating transfer rates, running a herms or rims, not relying putting scolding hot water at a high elevation to gravity feed or even more dangerous, lifting heavy scolding hot liquids. Far more functions that improve safety, quality, and ease and speed of the brew day.

But, there are pro's and con's to everything as evidenced by the countless "what should I buy next" threads and endless debate that go with them, which are often filled by those who do not have the experience to have developed their own opinion and instead are repeating what others often say. I try to stay out of expressing inexperienced opinion as that is how things like the belief of needing to secondary ran rampant for a very long time. And, in turn, hope what I share of my opinion on this threads topic gives the OP some other thoughts not considered.