Grain Mills - Your opinion?

[JohnnyO]

I've been using a corona grain mill for about a year and a half now. It's cheap, and gets the job done. Looking forward to upgrading at some point. Ran into some issues this past weekend. My hopper (an old "pretzel keg" that I removed the bottom from) almost fell off which would have spilled 3/4 of my grain on the basement floor. On top of that, the corded drill I'd been using decided to overheat and crap out. But I guess that wasn't the mill's fault.

I think that I've certainly gotten my money's worth out of the cheap corona mill, and then some.

 

[opiate82]

I have an MM2 and I am very happy with my purchase. I say this all the time around these forums but I'll repeat myself anyways; I think even if you get a good crush from you LHBS a mill is a worthwhile investment. It gives you another level of control over your process which helps in predictability and repeatability.

 

[stpug]

I have an MM2 and I am very happy with my purchase. I say this all the time around these forums but I'll repeat myself anyways; I think even if you get a good crush from you LHBS a mill is a worthwhile investment. It gives you another level of control over your process which helps in predictability and repeatability.

I wouldn't have agreed with you had I not bought my own mill, but now I definitely agree. I was content with my predictability before my mill; I am now ecstatic with my consistency and efficiency. Is it absolutely necessary? No, but it does help. Plus, now I can have inventory on hand and come up with recipes based on what I have on hand and never leave the house

 

[Puddlethumper]

This has turned out to be a great thread. I hope that anyone who is interested in buying a mill will find this thread and read all the comments.

 

[masskrug]

Crankenstein 2 roller. I've used it for 10 - 12 batches at 20 - 26lbs each with 0 issues. I'd buy it again, no question. I drive it with an 18 volt Dewalt cordless drill on it's lowest speed/highest torque setting.

+1. I have the 2A, run it with my old Ryobi cordless.

 

[ajf]

JSP Maltmill. I've ground 800+ pounds of grain so far and never had a problem.

-a.

 

[Puddlethumper]

JSP Maltmill. I've ground 800+ pounds of grain so far and never had a problem.

-a.

Which model do you have?

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

recently upgraded from a corona mill to a cereal killer, loving the cereal killer.

 

[Puddlethumper]

+1. I have the 2A, run it with my old Ryobi cordless.

The Crankandstein setup looks kind of off-beat but practical. It appears a person can get a decent mill and still stay well under 2 bills. I like it.

 

[stevedasleeve]

I had the barley crusher for a few years, problems started year 2 and I eventually switched to a MM3. Liked that much much better but adjusting the gap was a real pain. Sold it and went to a MM2. 10 or so batches later I think it is the best compromise. I have the 2" rollers. I'd probably go for the 1.5" rollers if I were to do this over - my drill gets a bit hot if I mill 10 gallons worth! Still I am quite happy FWIW and YMMV & WTF etc.

Steve da sleeve

 

[Puddlethumper]

now I can have inventory on hand and come up with recipes based on what I have on hand and never leave the house

Great point. I'm also liking the idea of less than half the cost for a pound of base malt. It looks like this purchase will pay for itself after about a dozen 5 gal. batches. Add to that the convenience that you mentioned and the decision to get a mill is starting to look like a no-brainer.

 

[ajf]

I got the non-adjustable one. Same model as in the HBS. I tried a brew milled with their mill first, and got my normal 85% efficiency, so I decided that was good enough.

-a.

 

[Puddlethumper]

I got the non-adjustable one. Same model as in the HBS. I tried a brew milled with their mill first, and got my normal 85% efficiency, so I decided that was good enough.

-a.

Thanks.

 

[killian]

My barley crusher sh!t the bed recently, thumbs down

 

[OleBrewing]

I am using the MM2 and can't say anything bad about it. Some say the set screws to lock your gap can loosen on you but I haven't noticed it. I do check the gap at every crush. I thought about buying a hopper but saved money and built my own. The mill is under-mounted on particle shelf board with a slot cut in by a jig saw. The hopper is made out of left over underlayment from a house project. Drill a hole or slot in the bucket for the mill shaft and in business. I wasn't going for pretty but got it all done in an hour or so. 12 pounds of grain fits easily. Simple easy and essentially free since I had the materials. A formed steel hopper is nice but if I can save money to buy more malt to make more beer all the better. Oh the gap is not set for milling in the photos.

 

[Aonghus]

I have a Schmidling A (with hardened rollers) and it seems to work pretty good. It will work either powered by hand or with a drill. No issues to date and it is nice to be able to buy 55LB sacks of grain and mill them when needed. I have not used any other mills and so have no opinion of them; this one I like.

 

[insanim8er]

I have a barley crusher and would suggest you stay clear. It's an ok machine and works fine, but the customer service you receive is horrendous. And you Will need customer service because the rollers don't last long.

If I were to do it over, I'd get a Monster mill. I may end up getting one at some point and sell this barley crusher.

 

[Puddlethumper]

I am using the MM2 and can't say anything bad about it.
I wasn't going for pretty but got it all done in an hour or so. 12 pounds of grain fits easily. Simple easy and essentially free since I had the materials. .

Thanks for the comment. I like your hopper. Looks like something I might have built and I may just steal your idea!

Cheers!

 

[choirjon]

I have brewed countless gallons...(and even won a regional contest) with my lowly and inexpensive Corona Mill. My buddy hooked it to a discarded furnace motor, and I cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon water bottle for a HUGE hopper. I love it.



YMMV


Jon

 

[Yourrealdad]

So I was in the same boat you were in a month ago. I went with a Barley Crusher for two reasons. The first is I didn't have a lot of extra money floating around and the second is that every homebrew shop around me uses a Barley Crusher at their store to crush customer's grains. This is at 3 different independent shops. I asked them how it held up and non of them had any complaints. I figured that if a homebrew store is using them and probably crushing more grain than I ever will then it will probably work out.

That being said I normally buy the best you can in the hopes it will work the best.

My personal experience is that the barley crusher went through 12# with a dewalt cordless with no problems and fits perfectly on a bucket.

 

[scarnera]

I have the MM3 and love it.....now.

The only problem I had as you may have read in previous reviews on this forum was it came with bits and pieces of SS all over the rollers. No problem, took it apart cleaned it off, put back together and had a horrible time with the gap. Turns out I had SS shavings inside the threads where gap is adjusted. Once again took it apart cleaned it out and all is well.

The newer version eliminated the thumb screws to adjust the gap and appears much easier to set as well. As luck would have it I was probably one of the last to get the older model shipped to me.

Hopefully they have also eliminated any issues with SS shavings as well.

Despite all this I have been extremely happy with it. Efficiency in the 80's as well.

 

[b-boy]

Barley Crusher w/ small hopper. I use an old corded electric drill to power it. Works great.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I have brewed countless gallons...(and even won a regional contest) with my lowly and inexpensive Corona Mill. My buddy hooked it to a discarded furnace motor, and I cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon water bottle for a HUGE hopper. I love it.
YMMV
Jon

Another more than satisfied Corona Mill user here. If I thought an "upgrade", or a more expensive roller mill could save labor, grind better or faster, or make better beer I would have already bought one. I brew in a finished basement, and the Corona mill mounted inside a bucket makes zero mess, which is a priority for me.

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I had a Barley Crusher for about 5 years, which finally gave up the ghost recently-ish (it had been sort of cranky for the past year/year and a half). So I bought myself a new MM2 2.0 which I'm absolutely loving! (I also just attached it to a motor, which was a fun project)

 

[kh54s10]

Best bang for the buck = generic Corona style mill. Especially if you ask for it as a gift. I have been using mine for 2 years without problems. I did get a stronger drill from Harbor Freight. It was $31. The smaller drills have a hard time not overheating with a big grainbill.

If I did make a change I would probably go big and get a Monster Mill.

 

[beernutz]

Since you asked...
I've owned the non-adjustable, fixed-roller model of the Schmidling MaltMill since 1997 which is stock except that I've added a bigger hopper (picture in imageshack album linked in sig). I'd guess it has crushed close to a ton of grain over its lifetime for me and never given me any reason to regret my purchase in the 17 years I've owned it.

I owned a Corona for a few years before I bought the MaltMill but wasn't satisfied with its crush or its ease of use so I sold it.

 

[KTRyan]

I've used 3 mill since I stated brewing:

JSP Maltmill model P - My first mill 10 years ago. Fixed 11" inch rollers, milled grain nicely but has a small cheaply designed hopper. I used it for almost a decade, rollers and drive shaft developed some rust. All and all it was a great mill for a beginner.

Barley Crusher - The gent I do about half of my brews with went with the barley crusher w/ 15# hopper. Again great mill, does it job, adjustable, nice big hopper. After using the fixed roller mill for so long I almost wished that the barley crusher wasn't adjustable, we found ourselves making several small adjustments before each brew.

Monster Mill MM2 2.0 - My personal current mill, hugely satisfied. I chose this specific mill because of the following features; Largest factory hopper available, 39#. Optional Stainless Steel roller, never need to worry about rust. Great adjustment knobs, with two bolts that lock your adjustment in place, its much more secure then other mills I've used and seen.

What ever mill you choose I strongly recommend a spider coupling set if you plan on powering it with a drill, it will greatly increase the longevity of your mill.

 

[Puddlethumper]

I've used 3 mill since I stated brewing:

What ever mill you choose I strongly recommend a spider coupling set if you plan on powering it with a drill, it will greatly increase the longevity of your mill.

Great post and thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I ordered a MM2-2.0 with hardened rollers, hopper, base and lube. I hope I like it! I will report back in a few weeks after I use it. I need to finish building the rest of my new setup before I can brew again.

 

[stevedasleeve]

I ordered a MM2-2.0 with hardened rollers, hopper, base and lube. I hope I like it! I will report back in a few weeks after I use it. I need to finish building the rest of my new setup before I can brew again.

That's what I have, a good mill. Good riddance BC you made my brew day much more irritating for far too long, hello MM2 easy, reliable and .. um easy and reliable.

Cheers!