Milling Grains At Home

[twolvesmnfan]

So my first all-grain batch turned out to be a complete failure. Was able to keep my mash at the right temp and everything. Boiling the wort went great also and I didn't even spill anything when pouring into my fermenter. But it all went tumbling down when I took my OG reading. 1.022...uh oh!!! Not even close to the estimated 1.048. With a little swearing and then trying to figure out what went wrong it dawned on me. I was so damn excited to do all-grain for the first time, I used unmilled grains!!! Luckily this was only a 2.5 gallon batch. So I'm guessing I'm screwed but is their anything I might be able to do? Also, I've been looking at milling my own grains, how does this mill look? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tall-Cast-I...414?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ec6c2ae6

 

[imrook]

Well, you're not totally screwed. You can boil up 3lbs or so of liquid or dry malt extract, chill it and add to the fermenter and you'll have a regular gravity beer on your hands. It won't be the greatest beer ever, but at least you'll be using some of the grain and all of the hops. As for the mill, the general consensus is that the corona style mills don't work very well and you should get a roller type like barleycrusher or crank and stein. They cost more but work better.

 

[worksnorth]

Dude I'm so sorry about your first batch, but its a little bit funny too! I really don't think there's anything you can do to make this right. You may as well continue through the process, try and ferment it out, see what you come up with. May learn a few other things along the way. You could add some sugar to bump up the SG but it'll end up tasting not so good maybe?
In regards to the mill, you might look at a mill more specific to brewing, I'm not familiar with the one you linked but I know if you are milling ten or more lbs of grain that one is gonna wear you out!. Monster mills I hear are good and I use a Barley crusher. You can attach a drill motor to these which makes milling MUCH easier. They will be more expensive but they are well worth the money. Good luck! Press on! You'll do good!
Cheers

 

[kylevester]

I use a JSP Malt Mill and it's just fine. I get consistent crushes and efficiencies with it. My brother has a Barley Crusher and gets the same overall performance. The Monster Mill is another good choice.

The mill you linked to will work, however I suggest spending the cash to get one you can hook up to a drill or pulley system on a motor. The convenience is worth it to me.

 

[QuaffableQuips]

Yeah, if you're interested in salvaging it, boil up a few pounds of DME in some water, chill it, and add it to your 1.022 experiment. Worst thing that can happen is you'll be out a few bucks for the DME. Were I in your position, I'd probably be eager to move on, in which case I'd dump it and start with some milled grain.

Regarding the mill, if you can afford a fancy roller mill, then definitely go that route. But if you're just starting out in AG and want to mess around, it's worth mentioning that some HBT members have really made the most of those inexpensive Corona mills. Cue the obligatory link to Revvy's world famous Ugly Junk:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/

 

[twolvesmnfan]

Hmmm to try to salvage or not. Well I'm gonna have to sleep on it tonight but I have a feeling it is going down the drain. Money is tight right now so I won't be able to buy a nice mill so we'll see what happens. I'm not sure if my LHBS has a mill because it is more of a wine shop but I'll have to give them a call tomorrow. That ugly junk corona mill station looks tempting but I'm pretty sure the girlfriend would kill me if that was sitting anywhere in our apartment. She already gives me enough crap for using half the storage closet for fermenting and conditioning

 

[kylevester]

Well, just order your grains from Midwest Brewing Supplies down in Minneapolis and have them crush it. I bet if you order by Monday evening you'd get the stuff Friday. It's nice to support local businesses, but if they can't crush it then go elsewhere. Plus, Midwest is still local enough.

If you have some extract, go ahead and salvage it as noted above.

 

[amandabab]

Come to the dark side, join the ugly junk club.

 

[twolvesmnfan]

Well hopefully I have to make a trip down there soon because it's much much cheaper down there. With shipping I'd be paying 9 cents more per lb at the quantity I'm wanting to get. My LHBS better hope they have a mill!!

 

[twolvesmnfan]

Alright, another question. How long do you all believe I could store milled grain in a zip lock bag with most of the out of it (not vacuumed)? I live in Minnesota so my apartment is fairly dry this time of the year.

 

[kylevester]

Alright, another question. How long do you all believe I could store milled grain in a zip lock bag with most of the out of it (not vacuumed)? I live in Minnesota so my apartment is fairly dry this time of the year.

If you order it online, you'll get it in vacuum sealed packs and they're good for a decent amount of time. I've used upwards of 6 month old sealed grains and they've been fine, and I've seen many posts here where there weren't any big issues.

For milled grains in Ziploc, I'd estimate that you should use them within 2 months, but that's an educated guess and not science. You can get 5 lbs into a 1 gallon bag, unmilled, btw.

 

[RM-MN]

So my first all-grain batch turned out to be a complete failure. Was able to keep my mash at the right temp and everything. Boiling the wort went great also and I didn't even spill anything when pouring into my fermenter. But it all went tumbling down when I took my OG reading. 1.022...uh oh!!! Not even close to the estimated 1.048. With a little swearing and then trying to figure out what went wrong it dawned on me. I was so damn excited to do all-grain for the first time, I used unmilled grains!!! Luckily this was only a 2.5 gallon batch. So I'm guessing I'm screwed but is their anything I might be able to do? Also, I've been looking at milling my own grains, how does this mill look? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tall-Cast-I...414?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ec6c2ae6

John Palmer talks about using a mill like that in How to Brew, chapter 17. It isn't the best mill for using a traditional mash tun but it isn't $150 either. If you do go that route, read a bit about "conditioning malt", wetting the grain some which makes them "squish" instead of grinding them dry as it will make the milled grain form a better filter bed.

I use a mill that is identical to that as I do BIAB and I can use the fine grind without worrying about a stuck lauter or stuck sparge.

 

[wilserbrewer]

how does this mill look? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tall-Cast-I...414?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ec6c2ae6

Thats a corona type mill, lots of people use them and are pleased...cheaper from discount tommy linked below...search for the "ugly junk" thread, plenty to read there!

http://www.discounttommy.com/p-189-...er-for-wheat-grains-or-use-as-a-nut-mill.aspx

 

[twolvesmnfan]

Well I'm going to wait and see if the LHBS crushes, otherwise I think I'll go with the Corona style and condition the grains. I'll be doing 2.5 gallon batches so I'm not too worried about killing myself cranking the thing!

 

[boscobeans]

Alright, another question. How long do you all believe I could store milled grain in a zip lock bag with most of the out of it (not vacuumed)? I live in Minnesota so my apartment is fairly dry this time of the year.

Use a good quality zip lock and throw one of those hand warmer packs in it before you squeeze out the air. It will use up all the oxygen in the bag and you will even see the bag shrink. Store in a cool dark place it will last for months with no problem.

bosco

 

[signmastr]

I'm happy with my Corona Mill. Not as ugly as some, but works great for me!

 

[Skarekrough]

I'm happy with my Corona Mill. Not as ugly as some, but works great for me!

Yep. It's old and reliable. Sometimes it doesn't do the prettiest job and sometimes it takes some tweaking to get it there, but it does get you there.

I can usually tear through all my grains for a 5 gallon batch in about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the beer.

If I won the lottery I might go all out and get something nicer. But the Corona is working fine so it's hard to find any real fault with it.

 

[unionrdr]

I couldn't find a corona mill locally,& my grains had been in the bag in the fridge for a month. So on brew day,I broke out this old mini food processor. I put in 1/2C of grain at a time,pulsing 3 times for 3-4 seconds per pulse. Seems to have been a nice crush. With the 3.3lb of gold LME,I got an OG of 1.044 for 5 gallons. I'd say that's pretty good for my first one with mashing.

 

[twolvesmnfan]

Turns out my LHBS does have a mill so no grinding for me!! Maybe someday when I get out of my apartment and start brewing on a larger scale I'll get a nice one.

 

[Golddiggie]

Turns out my LHBS does have a mill so no grinding for me!! Maybe someday when I get out of my apartment and start brewing on a larger scale I'll get a nice one.

IMO/IME it has less to do with scale than control over your ingredients. For me, getting a mill made a lot of sense since I was buying grain in bulk (by the sack) and wanted to be able to brew whenever I wished to. Having to go to a store to mill grain wasn't an option (they wouldn't mill my grain for me). I used my mill at my brew-buddy's place for about 1-1/2 years before I moved to where I am now (from a one bedroom apartment to a 2/1.5 house, renting it). Now I really have the space to store things better AND be able to brew at home.

Having a QUALITY mill makes a huge difference. While there's plenty of people who love their ugly mill, I don't see it. I had a BC first (7# hopper) until I outgrew it (my batches required refilling the hopper at least one time). I now have a Monster MM2-2.0 mill with the hopper and extension. That gives me a 39# hopper capacity. I am thinking about motorizing the mill, instead of using my cordless drill to turn it, but that's a fairly low priority.

Moral of the story... Get a solid mill the first time, or you'll [eventually] be looking to replace it later. Spending a bit more now means you'll end up spending less in the long run (factoring in the replacement later).

BTW, I did read through the threads about setting up the ugly mill. IMO, far too much needed to be done to turn it into a decent barley crusher.

 

[twolvesmnfan]

When I do decide to buy a mill I'll probably go with a higher quality one. As of right now I'm only buying 10 lb bags so I'll just have them milled when I buy them because I'll use the 10lbs up before it goes bad.

 

[unionrdr]

I like the one midwest has already mounted on that curved piece of wood with a big hopper already on it. but it's also $169! Haveta wait till tax time for that. But it would be nice to have one I can set the lash on. It's about the same as setting the lash between blower rotors.

 

[junior]

+2 on the barley crusher, I use to order crushed grains from Midwest but wanted to have bulk grain on hand to brew when ever I wanted. Ordered the barley crusher and the first time I used the hand crank at factory settings, forgetaboutit, went out and bought a variable speed drill and used it for the second batch and it was a breeze. Don't even think about the Corona mill.

 

[phuff7129]

I was leaning toward the barley crusher and then I did some research on the Cereal Killer mill from Adventures in Home Brewing. $90 delivered to your door and it mows through 16 lbs of grain in less than 2 minutes. I am super pleased with mine.

 

[Golddiggie]

Beyond pleased/happy with my MM2-2.0 with the honking 2" diameter [hardened steel] rollers on it. Makes milling grain super-easy. Plus the 1/2" shaft is easier to adapt to use with a motor later. Of course, the 1/2" diameter shaft does mean you need a better drill to power it, but I already had a 1/2" chuck drill (DeWalt 18v cordless hammer drill )...

I have a batch coming up that will use about 29# of grain in it. I won't need to refill the hopper at all. I will need to use two buckets to catch the grain though. Well, unless I can find a larger bucket to mill into that is.

 

[barhoc11]

Not sure why people are downing on the Corona style mill but I love mine. Its setup to work with my drill so it chugs through grain like nothing. If you condition your grain, you can fine tune it exactly how you want it and it cost next to nothing to do. It has probably cost me $30 for everything (mill, bucket and pin to use my drill).

I think its a valid option and doesn't take up much space.

 

[Stauffbier]

I love my Corona mill! After using one I'd never spend big money on the high dollar mills.

 

[imrook]

I couldn't find a corona mill locally,& my grains had been in the bag in the fridge for a month. So on brew day,I broke out this old mini food processor. I put in 1/2C of grain at a time,pulsing 3 times for 3-4 seconds per pulse.

That reminds me of my very first all grain batch. I "crushed" my grains in a blender. I used paint strainer bags to separate the wort from the grains. I had no chiller, so I let the wort cool in the bucket overnight before pitching. To a died in the wool AG brewer it was a trainwreck. All my friends raved about that beer (BierMuncher's Cream of Three Crops BTW). Just goes to show that you don't need a ton of fancy or expensive gear to make good beer.

 

[Transamguy77]

I love my Corona mill! After using one I'd never spend big money on the high dollar mills.

+1 to this! I motorized mine and the last brew day we (had some brew buddies over) made 30 gallons of beer and my corona milled 80+ lbs of grain that night, and we had 70ish effiency, when I was BIAB I had a consistent 82%.

 

[RichBenn]

. As for the mill, the general consensus is that the corona style mills don't work very well

Not true. Many of us use these mills with great results, probably WAY more people than higher priced mills AND we get great efficiency.

Be careful about "general consensus". The numbers reporting success with this mill are staggering!