MaltZilla: new grain mill from Kegland with DIAMOND encrusted rollers

[Wayne1]

Kegland just annouced availability, in Australia, of two new grain mills:

The Standard MaltZilla including 24 VDC motor with composite hubs with glass reinforced filled nylon hub.

https://www.kegland.com.au/maltzilla-with-12v-motor-the-diamond-mill.html

The Premium MaltZilla "The Premium MaltZilla is quite a bit heavier as we have to machine the rollers out of solid 70mm stainless steel bar stock and this means the price is higher"

https://www.kegland.com.au/maltzill...iamond-grain-mill-premium-diamond-rollers.htm

A 24VDC power supply is optional https://www.kegland.com.au/24v-dc-2...with-anderson-plug-high-amp-current-1698.html

At current exchange rates, this puts the standard MaltZilla with PS at around $165US. I guess we will see what it actually sells for when MoreBeer and Williams gets some in.

 

[day_trippr]

Fascinating! I wonder how those rollers would handle conditioned malt? Or if conditioning is even beneficial?
And does simply squishing a barley kernel break up the starch?

Both models appear to sport the same 24vdc 200 watt motor, btw...

Cheers!

 

[Wayne1]

Most, if not all, Pro Brewing mills are not knurled. I believe in his review of the SS Brewtech mill, DieBeery stated that conditioning is not needed.

KegLand is shipping these mills now in Oz. We just will have to wait for the reviews to come out.

 

[day_trippr]

"Pro" mills vary, some still use knurled mills, others use fluted mills, like the Brewtech.
Neither resembles a flat surface with a friction aid added...

Cheers!

 

[augiedoggy]

looks like thier answer to the ssbrewtech mill.. I dont see the rpm stated anywhere but suspect its slow. with that diameter roller I suspect the flutting is not as important but I do wonder if the coating on the rollers will "load up" like used sandpaper over time.

 

[Robert65]

[Best Crocodile Dundee voice] THAT'S a mill!

 

[Stand]

Ah, man I want one!

 

[Wayne1]

From Kegland forum on Aussie Home Brewer:


We have lots of photos showing various different test results. It's difficult to draw direct comparison between one mill and another as if you set the gap distance on one mill this doesnt necessarily give the best results in another mill. So the optimal gap will vary depending on the mill design and roller surface. With that said these test were done with similar gap setting.

When we varied the gap setting we got similar relative results to each other.

1. If you look at the glass on the left this is clearly not milled grain.
2. The middle glass is grain that has gone through a 3 roller grain mill
3. The glass on the right is the grain that has gone through the MaltZilla mill
This particular test we were measuring the volumetric difference in the grist. So more volume is generally considered to be better and this is probably due to the fact that the husks were more intact.

In terms of the amount of powder that was generated it was maybe slightly less in the MaltZilla but not a very big difference. All grains in both instances were fully cracked open. The 3 Roller Mill had many more of the grains and husk were fully chopped in half whereby the grist from the maltzill had the husk intact but the contents had been ejected from the husk.

If you look at the results below in the bags we did further testing with moisture added. We added 2% moisture (by weight) and in our testing this gave the best results in both instances and I would definitely recommend this practice for anyone milling their own grain. Adding moisture was done with a misting device while stirring the grain. Then we left the grain for about 6 hrs for the moisture to become even throughout the grist.

When wet milling and adding moisture I should say that most mills are also not particularly suited to this as the majority of rollers out there are made from steel and if you regularly add moisture to your grains then it's likely that steel rollers will develop rust on them unless you clean and oil them after each use but this is quite tedious. Both the Standard MaltZilla and Premium MaltZilla made from Diamond coated stainless for this reason.

As you can see from the results below we had the grist on the left with more favourable results whereby the husk was more intact and had not been "chopped" up as much by the knurling.

From out testing surface friction on a roller surface is far more effective at drawing grain and producing a good grist rather than aggressive knurling and also the diamonds have far longer lasting friction than the knurling that goes blunt over time.

Knurling for a long time has been the standard probably because knurling is a less expensive process and is quite easy to do and probably because we didn't know any better. For decades we have just made similar knurled rollers probably just because the first guy did it and nobody has thought to experiment with alternatives. It's definitely been enjoyable working on this project and challenging this long standing tradition of mill manufacture.

The long lasting surface friction developed by diamond coating is sufficient to eliminate the need for 3 roller mills and geared rollers.

 

[day_trippr]

Ok, so I was ok with the spiel until the discussion of conditioning: it isn't obvious these guys understand the actual purpose of conditioning malt before milling.

All we're trying to accomplish is to make the husks pliable enough to pass through the mill without fragmenting.
We're definitely not trying to change the physical characteristics of the endosperm as that's what leads to loading up rollers, and may actually make the kernels fragment less.
Waiting 6 hours after applying the spritz just makes a freakin' mess of things to no benefit.

Anyway... gonna have to wait until someone actually posts an independent review of this thing

Cheers!

 

[doug293cz]

looks like thier answer to the ssbrewtech mill.. I dont see the rpm stated anywhere but suspect its slow. with that diameter roller I suspect the flutting is not as important but I do wonder if the coating on the rollers will "load up" like used sandpaper over time.

Yes, the larger the roller (compared to the size of the feed stock) the less friction is required to pull the feed stock thru the rollers. Roll mills are used for crushing rock and gravel. The roll diameter is usually quite large compared to the feed stock diameter, and these mills have no fluting or knurling.

Brew on

 

[Stand]

So, when do we get these in the US?

My mill is pissing me off.

 

[Wayne1]

They are not even available in Australia, at this point.

I would think it won't be in US until late fall, if even then.

Check with MoreBeer. They are the US distributor.

 

[braindead]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001159258277.html?spm=2114.12010615.8148356.71.4e46328445UZKk

 

[Pkrd]

Busted mounting plate?

 

[SanPancho]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001159258277.html?spm=2114.12010615.8148356.71.4e46328445UZKk

cant/wont ship to US. damn.

 

[SanPancho]

anybody ever seen these guys? another chinese knock-off/off brand product, but if it works, it works. i just dont wanna be the guinea pig...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Electric-G...765092?hash=item1ced722524:g:FJwAAOSwk6Fe~Efh

 

[day_trippr]

I've seen an equivalent powered mill and the roller rpms were in the 40s.
That would be roughly one quarter the throughput of my current mill setup which rolls at 180 rpm...

Cheers!

 

[Keith81]

MoreBeer is now showing in stock in California. Price seems pretty good compared to other motorized mill options. If they include it on the 12 Deals of Christmas I might have to consider it, my Barley Crusher has been really frustrating me lately.

 

[passedpawn]

MoreBeer is now showing in stock in California. Price seems pretty good compared to other motorized mill options. If they include it on the 12 Deals of Christmas I might have to consider it, my Barley Crusher has been really frustrating me lately.

Me too. If it shows up on sale, please post here!

 

[augiedoggy]

MoreBeer is now showing in stock in California. Price seems pretty good compared to other motorized mill options. If they include it on the 12 Deals of Christmas I might have to consider it, my Barley Crusher has been really frustrating me lately.

Im sure this diamiod plated mill is great and all but honestly if a properly funtioning mill with longevity is what you want, You should be happier with anything but a barley crusher. Im still using a $150 3 roll mill at the brewpub for 2 years now this month and thousands of lbs of grain without issues. The BC is one of the poorest made homebrewing mills with soft rollers and bushings that wear fast.

 

[Keith81]

Im sure this diamiod plated mill is great and all but honestly if a properly funtioning mill with longevity is what you want, You should be happier with anything but a barley crusher. Im still using a $150 3 roll mill at the brewpub for 2 years now this month and thousands of lbs of grain without issues. The BC is one of the poorest made homebrewing mills with soft rollers and bushings that wear fast.

I got the Barley Crusher when I first started all grain, before I found the forum. I've gotten almost 5 years out of it but it's wearing out quickly. My goal is a motorized mill. I use a drill with the BC but i figured when i upgrade i may as well go for full convenience with a motor. I was thinking about the Cereal Killer powered with an All American Ale Works motor. What caught my attention with this mill is that it's the price and that it's practically plug and play rather than trying put on a plug and assembling it myself with my kindergarten level DIY skills.

 

[Keith81]

@passedpawn

DEAL12 at MoreBeer is showing that it works for 10% off each on the mill and power supply. I haven't tried to order yet, I'm typically not an early adopter of new products so I'm still mulling it over. Promo code is for today only.

 

[Vale71]

" The MaltZilla Diamond Mill is quite a different mill design and it’s the first in the world to use diamonds impregnated into the surface of the roller. These diamonds even after many tons of grain are processed through the mill will stay just as sharp as they were on day one. "

The real question is: will the diamonds stay "impregnated" to the surface of the roller after prolonged use? In the end it's the steel roller that takes all the structural workload. IMHO there is a high risk that this is only a marketing gimmick with no real advantages vis-a-vis durability.

 

[brewers droop]

Biggest pile of C##P i have ever purchased. Will not mill on any setting. Will only mill conditioned grain.
The answer i got from Kegland was, i am milling incorrectly? I have owned a mill for years, decided to upgrade to this instead of using my drill based maltcruncher, and after being told how to mill, i asked for a full refund. I sent them several videos, and just get fobbed off with i am not using correctly.