How to crush the grains

[BrewingWisdom]

Hi there
How do you guys crush the grains after malting them?
Do you have a mill at home?

 

[hotbeer]

Do you have a mill at home?

Many do. Or a friend that doesn't mind footing the bill for wear and tear on their mill.

For very small batches with just 2 to 3 pounds of malt to grind, an old burr type coffee grinder with a hand crank will work. For larger amounts of grain, you'll be better served with a two roller mill which can be had for 100 bucks or less and if you want premium, a three roller mill. Most can be motorized, many with just a drill motor.

 

[DBhomebrew]

For very small batches with just 2 to 3 pounds of malt to grind, an old burr type coffee grinder with a hand crank will work. For larger amounts of grain, you'll be better served with a two roller mill which can be had for 100 bucks or less and if you want premium, a three roller mill. Most can be motorized, many with just a drill motor.

And between the two, a Corona mill. ~$25

I do 4-6lbs easy. Up to ~13lbs for my very infrequent imperial batches. Hand cranking that much is a bit of a workout, but more than doable.

 

[bobeer]

I bought a cereal killer mill, maybe 8 or so years ago, for about $60 and I still have it. 5 lb hopper and Worth every penny!

 

[Elric]

And between the two, a Corona mill. ~$25

I do 4-6lbs easy. Up to ~13lbs for my very infrequent imperial batches. Hand cranking that much is a bit of a workout, but more than doable.

Or if you want to stay cheap with a corona mill just buy a bolt to swap for the hand crank and use your drill with it. With a drill on the corona you can mill as easily as someone with a much more expensive roller mill.

 

[GoodTruble]

I and many others vouch for the cereal killer.

It's around $90-100. But you can often catch on a sale for a bit less (AIH is having 13% off sale right now)

https://www.homebrewing.org/Cereal-Killer-Grain-Mill_p_2310.html

 

[bracconiere]

How do you guys crush the grains after malting them?

most people don't malt their own....after i deculm my malt, i use a JSP Malt Mill with a bucket as a hopper to grind the 20+lbs of malt, with a cheap speed lockable drill permanently attached to it....

i'm not being judgemental, but a lot of people just ferment malt sweetener.....

but yes the grain needs to be "crushed" some how....

 

[BrewingWisdom]

most people don't malt their own....after i deculm my malt, i use a JSP Malt Mill with a bucket as a hopper to grind the 20+lbs of malt, with a cheap speed lockable drill permanently attached to it....

i'm not being judgemental, but a lot of people just ferment malt sweetener.....

but yes the grain needs to be "crushed" some how....

I will take my malt to a nearby small mill and he will do it for me.

 

[bracconiere]

I will take my malt to a nearby small mill and he will do it for me.

can i ask your aproximate location? sounds like you're in a dry small place?

 

[BrewingWisdom]

can i ask your aproximate location? sounds like you're in a dry small place?

Yes it's dry like a desert mostly lol but with paying extra cash and taking more risk it's easily available.
I am from Pakistan. Read my introduction thread to know where I am coming from.

 

[camonick]

Yes it's dry like a desert mostly lol but with paying extra cash and taking more risk it's easily available.
I am from Pakistan. Read my introduction thread to know where I am coming from.

I’ve read several of your posts including your introductory post, and until just now, you’ve never disclosed your location. Without knowing that, it’s sometimes difficult for the forum to offer relevant advice. The members here are predominately from the United States with others from various other countries. Without offering a little background or a hint on why you’re asking certain questions in each post, it’s hard for us to understand your situation, and most people aren’t going to take the time to search for your introductory post. You can add a generic location to your profile under your account settings.

 

[bracconiere]

i'm not sure but like a corona mill, maybe a burr grinder? set to the loosest setting?

https://shopsy.pk/coffee-grinders
i assume you've got the deculming and kilning down? really just need a box fan, and oven......

i've seen people 'rough up' pasta rollers to make grain mills also....

 

[BrewingWisdom]

i'm not sure but like a corona mill, maybe a burr grinder? set to the loosest setting?

https://shopsy.pk/coffee-grinders
i assume you've got the deculming and kilning down? really just need a box fan, and oven......

i've seen people 'rough up' pasta rollers to make grain mills also....

Are coffee grinders good and strong enough to crush wheat and barley?

 

[bracconiere]

Are coffee grinders good and strong enough to crush wheat and barley?

they can crush coffee beans coarsely?

 

[BrewingWisdom]

they can crush coffee beans coarsely?

Yea we need to grind malted wheat and barley coarsely. But are coffee beans as hard as wheat and barley?
I've got the oven and after kilning or drying deculming is easy.

 

[bracconiere]

Yea we need to grind malted wheat and barley coarsely. But are coffee beans as hard as wheat and barley?
I've got the oven and after kilning or drying deculming is easy.

i'd really think the problem with a coffee grinder would be the time filling the hopper.....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/pasta-roller-grain-mill.503196/
best i can do....

 

[BrewingWisdom]

they can crush coffee beans coarsely?

And as you can see in the video below the coffee grinder just turned it into a flour. Can we use that flour to make a wort or we need a grist like appearance?

 

[bracconiere]

And as you can see in the video below the coffee grinder just turned it into a flour. Can we use that flour to make a wort or we need a grist like appearance?

that's why i said 'burr' grinder at widest....she's trying to make flour.....

 

[BrewingWisdom]

that's why i said 'burr' grinder at widest....she's trying to make flour.....

Does all coffee grinders come with the "burr" wider setting options?
Sorry my questions maybe annoying to you . Actually in my life I've never used a coffee grinder before. We don't have a coffee culture here ,we drink tea with milk here three times a day.

 

[bracconiere]

Does all coffee grinders come with the "burr" wider setting options?
Sorry my questions maybe annoying to you . Actually in my life I've never used a coffee grinder before. We don't have a coffee culture here ,we drink tea with milk here three times a day.

no burr grinder coffee mills are special...can you get a meat grinder?

 

[GoodTruble]

It's not ideal, but you can use a rolling pin to crush grains.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

no burr grinder coffee mills are special...can you get a meat grinder?

I have one at home actually.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Does all coffee grinders come with the "burr" wider setting options?
Sorry my questions maybe annoying to you . Actually in my life I've never used a coffee grinder before. We don't have a coffee culture here ,we drink tea with milk here three times a day.

Yes, LOTS of tea there. But I've had a nescafe-style coffee in Islamabad (ok, at least it's hot and black, but doesn't require a bean grinder), and even an espresso in Karachi!

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Yes, LOTS of tea there. But I've had a nescafe-style coffee in Islamabad (ok, at least it's hot and black, but doesn't require a bean grinder), and even an espresso in Karachi!

Yes we have coffee present but it's still far away from mainstream.
Where are you from and when and for what purpose you visited those cities?

 

[lumpher]

Back when I started we just scattered the grains on a big rock and bashed them with a club... lol... seriously, a coffee grinder most likely will not hold up to the grains very well. Once you crack beans, they break apart very easily. Grains not so much.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Yes we have coffee present but it's still far away from mainstream.
Where are you from and when and for what purpose you visited those cities?

Energy business, Houston. My company actually drilled a well in western Pak just before 9/11, and then with another company I met with the Oil Minister in Islamabad and Sui Southern gas company in Karachi in mid 2000s for a prospective energy project. Loved my trips there, but am sorry I never made it up to the mountains. (Sorry for off-topic chit-chat, folks...!)

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Energy business, Houston. My company actually drilled a well in western Pak just before 9/11, and then with another company I met with the Oil Minister in Islamabad and Sui Southern gas company in Karachi in mid 2000s for a prospective energy project. Loved my trips there, but am sorry I never made it up to the mountains. (Sorry for off-topic chit-chat, folks...!)

I see you drilled a well in our baluchistan province. That province is full of gas and other valuable minerals.Recent a trillion dollar gold reserve is discovered there.
Yea our Northern hilly areas are extremely beautiful and unique . I am glad you enjoyed your trip .

 

[bracconiere]

if you can source something like this locally....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/384293660309?hash=item5979afe695:g:XvEAAOSw9kBg~KfA
the old phil mills worked good enough, just used one roller that crushed the grain grains an adjustable piece of sheet metal....

 

[bracconiere]

maybe get something like this, someone else would have to tell you how to use it to make your own knurled roller...

https://www.daraz.pk/products/7-pcs...a0e.searchlist.list.6.1a0718ea5VmtGy&search=1

 

[InspectorJon]

Hi there
How do you guys crush the grains after malting them?
Do you have a mill at home?

You seem unlikely to find a mill intended to crush barley for brewing in your local context. I would be looking for something used to crush wheat or other grain. Is bulgar or other coarsely crushed grain part of the local diet? Are there small household versions of those machines available? The corona mill is typically used to grind corn in Latin America and has been well adapted to crushing brewing grains. Maybe you have a local version of a small hand operated grain mill.