Grain Mills..... Best one, Why?

[shaky6]

I used a hand crank grist mill for years until I bought a Cereal Killer mill and put my drill on it. Awesome investment and my efficiency went up considerably.

 

[passedpawn]

Holy cow! Props to brewtech for making killer equipment and making it look good.

That's a 3D CAD drawing.

 

[day_trippr]

A prototype was displayed at homebrewcon...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/ss-brewtech-mill-prototype.652215/

Cheers!

 

[augiedoggy]

My vote is for the kegco 3 roller.. it has real bearings which make it superior to bushing roller mills 2 to 3 times its price.. same with cereal killer

 

[JohnSand]

What gap are you using for most of your grinds?

I'm not sure. The adjustment knobs are numbered, but I don't know the scale. I just tightened it until the grind looked good.

 

[NGD]

That's a 3D CAD drawing.

Its a design with aesthetics in mind. Something Brewtech seems to excel at compared to the competition. Hopefully it will have more than visual appeal when released.

 

[augiedoggy]

Years ago I bought a Barley Crusher Malt Mill. It's the only one I've purchased so I don't have a comparison. Still works perfectly.
I've read that the gap will slip on some of the cheaper ones.
I did eventually motorize it because I could never get a consistent RPM with the drill. (I'm puzzled why they still come with a hand crank)

The barley crusher IS the one to stay away from due to the rollers wearing out very quickly.
I'm sorry to inform you of this but be prepared to have this issue if you have one and use it on a regular basis.

OP its the one brand of mill I would avoid.

 

[dkeller12]

I love my Cereal Killer mill. It works great, hand crank or drill, and was a great price. They should go on sale around the holidays, so keep your eyes on it if that is what you want to get. Great effiency boost over Homebrew stores crush.

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Home Brew mobile app

 

[SEndorf]

The barley crusher IS the one to stay away from due to the rollers wearing out very quickly.
I'm sorry to inform you of this but be prepared to have this issue if you have one and use it on a regular basis.

OP its the one brand of mill I would avoid.

Where did you find this information? I have not been able to find any reviews or data indicating the rollers "wear out very quickly".
As mentioned, mine has worked well for several years. Consistent gap. No slippage.

 

[augiedoggy]

Where did you find this information? I have not been able to find any reviews or data indicating the rollers "wear out very quickly".
As mentioned, mine has worked well for several years. Consistent gap. No slippage.

google it also do a search here for "mill rollers stopped turning" or "mill issues" you will find 99% of the many many threads and reviews complaining of this as well as the horrible execution of the lifetime warranty are from the barley crusher mill.. sorry. the rollers are very soft and the bushings get contaminated with grain dust wearing them out.

heres some results from a quick google search.. there as many many more.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...ay-this-common-to-single-roller-mills.508830/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/barley-crusher-fail.585539/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/problem-with-a-barley-crusher.415699/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/barley-crusher-issue.134764/
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=6774.0
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/grain-mill-stopped-working.654248/
https://www.google.com/search?q=bar...IMKHTtQCoIQrQIoBDABegQIBBAM&biw=1920&bih=1064
There are literally like 4 google pages of results on this from homebrewtalk alone

http://forum.northernbrewer.com/t/barley-crusher-not-catching/3831
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=30893.0
http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=75729
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=22431.0

at least a superior replacement is only $99

 

[SEndorf]

Thanks Auggiedoggy
One of the great things about HBT is the collective experience of its members.
Apparently I just got lucky with this grain mill (for now).
For the OP (and others who are considering a mill) there is enough evidence to stay away from the Barley Crusher mill.

 

[lump42]

Years ago I bought a Barley Crusher Malt Mill. It's the only one I've purchased so I don't have a comparison. Still works perfectly.
I've read that the gap will slip on some of the cheaper ones.
I did eventually motorize it because I could never get a consistent RPM with the drill. (I'm puzzled why they still come with a hand crank)

I'm like you. I have a barley crusher I bought years ago without issues. I chose it over cereal killer because it claimed to be US made. I take the hopper off after each use and clean with a small nylon or brass brush. And I use my hand crank all the time. For small batches it never seemed worth the effort to go get the drill from the garage. Large batches, I use the drill.

 

[Jayjay1976]

If you want absolutely the finest crush, with time and money being no object, you need to hire a gang of Swiss watchmakers to crush each kernel one by one with tiny jeweler's pliers which have been calibrated for force and have rubberized jaws to prevent shredding the husk.
Yes it is a costly method but trust me, your grain bed will be pillowy and the wort will run off as smooth as buttah...

 

[augiedoggy]

I'm like you. I have a barley crusher I bought years ago without issues. I chose it over cereal killer because it claimed to be US made. I take the hopper off after each use and clean with a small nylon or brass brush. And I use my hand crank all the time. For small batches it never seemed worth the effort to go get the drill from the garage. Large batches, I use the drill.

the owner revealed they are "assembled in the us from US and foreign components" as far as I can tell american components were the rollers, screws and wooden base unfortunately (and these are the inferior soft metal rollers they replace over and over for those who keep sending it in for repair.) It really depends on how often you brew. My business partner Im opening a brewpub with, started off with a BC.. used it for about 2 years before it too started malfuntioning.. Dont take my word for it though, many more respected members here like @Yooper have commented on thier experiences with this mill.

I honestly hope it keeps working for you both for a long time but I'm pointing all this out mainly for others like the OP.

By comparision I have been using my less finicky cereal killer driven by a pulley driven motor for almost 5 years and have never once so much as had to clean anything. these things crush dried grain and should not have to be disassembled and cleaned often if designed and built correctly (and used in the proper enviroment)
Ive put many many sack of grain through it and the rollers look about as sharp as the 3 roller version I just bought from kegco.

The adjustment cams are the most troublesome thing about these mills since its easy to adjust them unevenly causing binding.. and that goes for all of these types of mill.

 

[Jayjay1976]

the owner revealed they are "assembled in the us from US and foriegn components" as far as I can tell american components were the rollers, screws and wooden base unfortunately (and these are the inferior soft metal rollers they replace over and over for those who keep sending it in for repair.)

"Made in USA" doesn't necessarily indicate superior quality, and what's worse it really doesn't mean anything to consumers anymore. There is a segment of the population willing to pay a premium for Made in USA but it is small and shrinking. Millennials and GenZ make up 50.4% of the US population, and to them a product's country of origin is far less relevant than design, color, price point, and consumer review ratings.

 

[augiedoggy]

"Made in USA" doesn't necessarily indicate superior quality, and what's worse it really doesn't mean anything to consumers anymore. There is a segment of the population willing to pay a premium for Made in USA but it is small and shrinking. Millennials and GenZ make up 50.4% of the US population, and to them a product's country of origin is far less relevant than design, color, price point, and consumer review ratings.

thats beacuse with todays rules and the industry that prays on this oldschool mindset, all one needs to do to sell a made in the usa item is do a small percentage of final assembly and retail packaging here..

((off topic))
this is a dead horse topic but many who WASTE good extra money paying for what they think will support thier fellow americans are buying nothing more than name brands that have been leased out or bought out or subcontracted to manufacture overseas... I see this soo often everyday at work..
Lets take General motors for example..I use to service equipment there. my employer changed our vehicles to totota camrys. the guard would not let me past the gate, throwing insults about not letting me in with my american made (by americans in american factories) POS non union car he only told me this after ingoring me while I was waiting at the gate for 15 minutes and I got out and went inside the guardhouse..... My buddy works at this plant... He also owns a toyota... but had to buy a POS chevy spark made in Korea by Deawoo (now owned by gm and were most of their compact cars are made before rebranding as many different makes and models to manipulate buyers.) he did this so he has a vehicle to drive to work...
This is the kind of crap thats wrong with or economy and way of thinking.
I see this very often with everything from car parts to electronic to clothes (levis jeans are a case in point shuttering all american jean factories years ago) yet thier marketing plays to the loyal ignorant american who believes what they see in marketing and on tv without question or research.

I see it over and over here too when people pay $50 for the same component from places like auberins , Thinking and telling others its a higher quality american part than the one on amazon for $12 shipped becuase it comes from an american company.

Monster mill is an american made mill. a3 roller mill with hopper and crank costs what $300=shipping?

a 3 roller kegco clone costs $150 shipped.. they look almost identical and if an engineer was to compare the two without knowing who or where they were made or cost, he would most likely pick the kegco because it has sealed ball bearing like one has to upgrade to the pro line of mills to get at monster mill and pay what $600 to get?
Why? because MM spends more on american salaries and marketing? it seems they also have to offer and inferior product at twice the cost and I cant help but see this and say something is not right? is it cost of materials?

These tarrifs will never hold long enough to have any impact.

My employer just announced they will be shuttering our last american manufacturing plant in the US this week and shipping the product from one of our global plants in Germany... One of the nails in the coffin was the cost of the raw materials (aluminum) has gone up 13% thanks to tarrifs... how is this helping us again? Apparently the tarrifs on the german made product if any arent an issue?

This kind of crap is just going to raise the cost of all the goods we buy and we will never live to see any benefit since it will just be changed again at some point when constituents desire down the road once different republicans and democrats who own stock in these american companies making foreign goods start realizing the losses to them... Once these prices hike they rarely come back down.. look at the fuel surcharges companies still charge that were implemented during fuel cost spikes long ago.. I just paid like $200 on such a fee for one pallet of grain. and dont get me started on the subsidizing of the farmers to keep them quiet.. how is that different from the kind of crap republicans call socialism when pitched by Dems?

Sorry Im getting off the soapbox now.. end rant!

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

The Captain Crush has a god awful reputation as well and on paper it looks like a nice mill but once you talk to those who own one the story becomes clear and that's a $300 mill

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I see it over and over here too when people pay $50 for the same component from places like auberins , Thinking and telling others its a higher quality american part than the one on amazon for $12 shipped becuase it comes from an american company.

If Auberins is American made then I'm Santa Claus.
Nobody over there speaks a lick of English. Guaranteed everything is coming from china. Mine lasted about 12 brew days (about 48 hours) and went haywire with zero compensation from Aubrins

 

[lump42]

the owner revealed they are "assembled in the us from US and foreign components" as far as I can tell american components were the rollers, screws and wooden base unfortunately (and these are the inferior soft metal rollers they replace over and over for those who keep sending it in for repair.) It really depends on how often you brew. My business partner Im opening a brewpub with, started off with a BC.. used it for about 2 years before it too started malfuntioning.. Dont take my word for it though, many more respected members here like @Yooper have commented on thier experiences with this mill.

I honestly hope it keeps working for you both for a long time but I'm pointing all this out mainly for others like the OP.

By comparision I have been using my less finicky cereal killer driven by a pulley driven motor for almost 5 years and have never once so much as had to clean anything. these things crush dried grain and should not have to be disassembled and cleaned often if designed and built correctly (and used in the proper enviroment)
Ive put many many sack of grain through it and the rollers look about as sharp as the 3 roller version I just bought from kegco.

The adjustment cams are the most troublesome thing about these mills since its easy to adjust them unevenly causing binding.. and that goes for all of these types of mill.

Sorry was not an endorsement for BC. Too many negative reports, that I didn't see before I bought mine. I believe when I bought my BC, the cereal killer had just come to market. I was only a few batches in and definitely fell for the 'made in us'. Northern Brewer (pre-ABI) listed it as a selling point. The base on mine isn't even wooden, it's MDF. If I was buying a mill today, I doubt I'd rebuy a BC. Most likely cereal killer, maltmuncher, keg co. I have to clean the rollers, because my basement tends to be humid, and grain stuck in the rollers will suck up humidity and start to rust the rollers.



As far as electronics from Auberins or other 'high' end brands, according to my uncles who did alot of industrial repair work with them, they are basically the same units from the same manufacturer. The differences come in the tolerances that the different brands require. Not all $12 PID will be crap, but will have a higher rate of them being that way.

 

[augiedoggy]

Sorry was not an endorsement for BC. Too many negative reports, that I didn't see before I bought mine. I believe when I bought my BC, the cereal killer had just come to market. I was only a few batches in and definitely fell for the 'made in us'. Northern Brewer (pre-ABI) listed it as a selling point. The base on mine isn't even wooden, it's MDF. If I was buying a mill today, I doubt I'd rebuy a BC. Most likely cereal killer, maltmuncher, keg co. I have to clean the rollers, because my basement tends to be humid, and grain stuck in the rollers will suck up humidity and start to rust the rollers.



As far as electronics from Auberins or other 'high' end brands, according to my uncles who did alot of industrial repair work with them, they are basically the same units from the same manufacturer. The differences come in the tolerances that the different brands require. Not all $12 PID will be crap, but will have a higher rate of them being that way.

The pids are different since they are one of the few things they design I myself have purchase them from auberins and had no problems but I also have had great luck with mypin brand pids as well as far as function and quality. I was referring to things like the ssrs and temp probes which are in fact just the same generic products marked up and sold for much more in some cases.

 

[burntchef]

Has anyone here ever used or know of anyone using the country living mill set coarse for grinding grain for beer? If not leaning toward a MM3
Eric

 

[Nebraskan]

I don't worry about O2 as the yeast clean up things nicely. Yeast are so proficient that even if you add some fresh fermenting wort at the end of your fermentation it REALLY clean up any diacetyl or other issues, especially with the idea of LODO. Ever seen a "Large" brewery like Bell's be too overworked over oxygenated crushed malt? St. Jame's Brewery (Dublin Ireland)? Yet their beers are top notch, and always in demand... them an others. Saw a British chemists explain on video why one does not worry about LODO making in beer. Since then, I sleep better at night, food tastes better, and life is good.... Relax, Don't Worry Have A Home Brew.

 

[hawkbox]

I use a Corona mill with a concrete drill attached to it.

 

[sikkingj]

I have successful used a JSP mill for about five years. I love it, but I must say it is a lot of dough for something used so infrequently.

 

[6Tap]

I have used this Morebeer mill for 1.5 years and it works awsome!
Dump +\- 25 lbs of grains in the hopper, flip the switch and then grab a beer and check the temp of the strike water...

 

[JohnSand]

Wow! That's beautiful!
But I think it's as large as my whole rig, and more expensive.

 

[Simphoto02]

When Millar eventually gets some buckets in stock I’m going to import one of those.

But the SS one looks awesome but I presume it will be 500 US or more?

Well I ordered one back on the 26th or 26th and got an email from him stating the bucket issue. Said he would ship it with his coffee instead of the bucket or give me 5 bucks off and ship it with out either. Asked him to hold the coffee and ship it without the bucket. traded emails back and forth and never heard another word. JUST got off the phone with him and "Oh sorry, it hasn't shipped yet."

Seams like a nice guy, just not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Supposed to be on the way. Updates to come.

 

[Simphoto02]

View attachment 596416
I have used this Morebeer mill for 1.5 years and it works awsome!
Dump +\- 25 lbs of grains in the hopper, flip the switch and then grab a beer and check the temp of the strike water...

That is gorgeous! But at almost 2 grand, I would think it would grow it first, them malt it THEN mill it. Too much for my needs.

 

[Aristoi]

Wow the Millars Mill looks solid! I think that is my next one. For those that have it, does it have bearings on the non drive roller? I cant tell from the website. Also the only nitpick I have is the graduation marks are too coarse. 0.01 to 0.25 to 0.45 over a quarter turn. I initially thought that was 0.025 and 0.045 but when I watched the video realized there was no zero when he said it opens up to almost a 1/2". I am sure this is great for some obscure applications but might be a pain to dial in the setpoint without a feeler gage. The quarter turn makes sense to not bind the roller but you will learn that once and not do it again. I would rather have the up to 0.45 adjustment over a full rev to have more fine tuning on the dials, or limited to 0.060 over a quarter turn.

 

[Epos7]

I've got one of the 2-roller Monster Mills. I tried the slotted version, but actually ended up having better luck with the hardened knurled rollers. The slotted version wouldn't let me achieve a fine enough crush for good efficiency. I built a table for it. Slide a bucket underneath and flip a switch. Nice and easy.