Reviews on Millar's Barley Mill?

[derChris]

Hi guys!

i am from germany, and i want to order the millars mill.

but where can i order it? amazon will not work for me.

chris

 

[aknetman]

I bought the Millars mill about 3 months ago, and got a little worried when I read some critical reviews before it showed up. But, this thing performs beautifully, and adjustment screws let you fine tune precisely. Nice mill.

 

[dhuggett]

I, too, have had my B3 for a few months and love it. No problems so far.

 

[Toga]

I have a b2 and have been quite happy with it. It spins easier than ANY of the 2 roller mills on the market. I recently had a chance to play with the newer b3 mill. I am going to sell my b2 to a friend who borrows it frequently and upgrade.

 

[ViperMan]

Just a quick update - I recently added a Harbor Freight 1/2" low-speed drill to my equipment list, and have now "powered" my Millars mill. I brewed a 5.5 gallon AG chocolate raisin recipe of my own this past weekend and according to Beersmith, hit 99.3% efficiency using a 10-gallon Igloo cooler.

At this point, I wouldn't even DREAM of replacing my Millars mill.

 

[azgael]

Just a quick update - I recently added a Harbor Freight 1/2" low-speed drill to my equipment list, and have now "powered" my Millars mill. I brewed a 5.5 gallon AG chocolate raisin recipe of my own this past weekend and according to Beersmith, hit 99.3% efficiency using a 10-gallon Igloo cooler.

At this point, I wouldn't even DREAM of replacing my Millars mill.

99.3% efficiency????
All you guys with efficiency above 90% should review your numbers, Its just makes me laugh!!

The mill works fine and even with wet milling, used several times and no rust!!

Regards

 

[ViperMan]

99.3% efficiency????

All you guys with efficiency above 90% should review your numbers, Its just makes me laugh!!



The mill works fine and even with wet milling, used several times and no rust!!



Regards

I did - several times. While I suspect there was a fluke in there somewhere, I haven't brewed a batch below 85 - which was a Dopplebock that I decoction-mashed - since I bought the mill.


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[Indytruks138]

I did - several times. While I suspect there was a fluke in there somewhere, I haven't brewed a batch below 85 - which was a Dopplebock that I decoction-mashed - since I bought the mill.


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At 99.3% efficiency you are extracting tannin flavors as you would have to collect runnings under 1.010 to get 99.3% of available sugars. I would assume it would take a huge sparge and long boil to actually get that high of efficiency.

 

[ViperMan]

I agree except for the "extracting tannin flavors" part - how would extra sparges extract tannins?

Still - how do you explain the math? I've read the three-part series on efficiency on HBT. My numbers are consistently higher than the chart in section 3. From what I can gather, the answer lies in my sparge step. I batch sparge (3 runnings total including the initial drain) and let each batch sit for 20-30 minutes.

Believe me - even I don't believe the 99% number, but I triple-checked my numbers. My final efficiency was 93% IIRC, with hop absorption. I left out some candi sugar just to keep from having to add a ton of water to dilute.

Anyways, buy a Millars Mill.


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[Markd27]

Wow, 95-99% batch sparging. Looks like we've found the magic mill, fellas.

 

[YNOT2K]

If you believe in 99% efficiency I have a bridge I can let you have for a steal.

 

[ShadyBrewer]

I have a Millars mill and love it. It's real easy to hand crank and gives me a great crush


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[psymonkey]

I've just stumbled on this thread - was looking to see if anyone had built a wooden base for the Millar's B2. I'm tired of the mess from not having one.

Anyway, I've had mine for about a year, probably used it 15 times or so. Mine is the B2, but it's been excellent. I have no complaints aside from the lack of a base - but it isn't as if that isn't obvious when ordering. I didn't realize it was that messy without one

I haven't had to deal with customer service, but it's nice to know they are responsive. There's enough bad-blood in this thread that I felt like I should note that mine has been perfect and WELL worth the $130 I spent. I'm not sure if it's as good as a monster or crankenstein, but I'm guessing the bang for the buck far exceeds those. Obviously, time will tell, but I see no signs of failure or degradation and my crush is vastly superior to what my LHBS was giving me, plus I've nearly recouped my investment in bulk grain .

 

[Rev2010]

Obviously, time will tell

I think that is the biggest factor with mills. I mean, we see hundreds of posts from people happy with virtually every mill sold out there - Cereal Killer, Barley Crusher, Monster Mill, Millard's, JSP, etc because they do indeed do a great job and the crush is almost always better than LHBS'. Problem is longevity though. I loved my Barley Crusher for the three years I used it, but it's basically useless now so I needed to buy another mill. I never heard back to my email to them about replacement rollers and wasn't going to sit around waiting so I ordered the MM2 since it's so highly rated. Looking back at the BC and doing the math I paid nearly $2.00 for its use on each batch, since I only got about 70 batches use out of it (approx 700lbs, a little under).

We also are far more likely to hear the glowing reviews from people that have only had their mill several months or a year or two and it seems some mills are fine for that length but hit the 3 year mark and we find many reporting their BC has crapped out. I found so many posts that read exactly like my experience. So, yeah I'm basically saying I think standing the test of time is, for me, now the most important factor.


Rev.

 

[psymonkey]

Yeah, I'd say that's definitely the most important factor. Still, if mine makes it th ough one more 50lb sack, I will be below what it would have cost to buy the grain at per lb costs I'd been paying for years. When I look at it like that, the mill was basically free, anything beyond that is a bonus. It's really one of the few homebrewery upgrades that actually pays for itself and can reduce long-term costs substantially. Will report back if/when it breaks

 

[The_Bishop]

I bought a cereal killer for my first mill. It's 7 months in, and I've milled a *lot* of grain through it. It still works flawlessly. I'm very happy, considering it's a $100 mill.

That being said, when I replace it, I'm doing so with at least a 2" roller mill. I'm of the belief that a 2" roller mill depends less on knurling and more on geometry for drawing the grain in, so knurling wear shouldn't be a huge issue.

 

[Toga]

I've just stumbled on this thread - was looking to see if anyone had built a wooden base for the Millar's B2. I'm tired of the mess from not having one.

Anyway, I've had mine for about a year, probably used it 15 times or so. Mine is the B2, but it's been excellent. I have no complaints aside from the lack of a base - but it isn't as if that isn't obvious when ordering. I didn't realize it was that messy without one

I haven't had to deal with customer service, but it's nice to know they are responsive. There's enough bad-blood in this thread that I felt like I should note that mine has been perfect and WELL worth the $130 I spent. I'm not sure if it's as good as a monster or crankenstein, but I'm guessing the bang for the buck far exceeds those. Obviously, time will tell, but I see no signs of failure or degradation and my crush is vastly superior to what my LHBS was giving me, plus I've nearly recouped my investment in bulk grain .

I did not build a wood stand however I did cut wood rails and mount mine to the rails n mount the rails on a bucket lid. Cut out the lid below the mill so the grain drops right in. Works like magic. Snap part of the lid on the bucket and attach drill. No mess n no slipping. I have had mine for 2 years and even after running 800+ pounds of grain through it it still crushes the same as it did the day I bought it. No wear on the knurled rollers and with the sealed bearings it turns as free as it did the first time. If it were a barley crusher it would be dead.

 

[jsprinceiii]

I also have the B3 model. Works like a champ!!
Have milled about 300#.

 

[mwawrzyniec]

So now that it's 2016 and the millars is $175 with shipping, would any one that owns this mill still recommend it?

 

[psymonkey]

So now that it's 2016 and the millars is $175 with shipping, would any one that owns this mill still recommend it?

It gets harder to recommend at the increased price point as bang for the buck was the deal-maker with this mill for me. I will say though that my B2 is still crushing very well and doesn't show any signs of roller-wear after probably 300 lbs of grain.

If I had to do it all over again I would definitely buy a mill with an included base. I ended up making my own as I was fed-up with the dust.

 

[mwawrzyniec]

That's kind of what I was thinking. As far as hardened stainless roller mill's go it seems to be the best priced the lowest. But reading this thread has made me concerned.

 

[Toga]

For a mill with hardened rollers you will not find a better mill for anywhere near the price of a b3. I have the b2 and bought it right after its release. I have run over a thousand pounds of grain through it and the rollers show no sign of wear. Over 4 years later I also have not had to change my roller adjustment after setting the gap initially. A couple friends I brew with purchased the b3 shortly after it became available a few years ago. Their mills have held up just as well has my b2.

 

[psymonkey]

For a mill with hardened rollers you will not find a better mill for anywhere near the price of a b3. I have the b2 and bought it right after its release. I have run over a thousand pounds of grain through it and the rollers show no sign of wear. Over 4 years later I also have not had to change my roller adjustment after setting the gap initially. A couple friends I brew with purchased the b3 shortly after it became available a few years ago. Their mills have held up just as well has my b2.

This is very satisfying to hear being a current owner of the B2. Mine too is in great shape and crushing beautifully. I did have an issue with losing my original gap setting, but I dug out the alan wrench and re-set it and it's been great ever since (once their customer support reminded me that the thumb screws aren't for locking in the gap). This reminds me - they were very responsive on contact, which is a plus!

 

[USMCYoder]

For the owners of the B2 or B3 models who built a base, can you upload some pictures on how you have it set up?

Just stumbled upon the MM while researching mills since I am going AG. Still doing some research, but interested in the MM for my mill, just thrown off by it not having a base.

 

[Toga]

I mounted mine to a food grade bucket lid. I cut a hole in the lid just wider and longer than the bottom of the mill, Placed a couple wood strips on the lid to reinforce it, drilled through the wood and lid to put bolts through, then bolted it down. I added some additional screws to keep the lid tight to the wood straps. The whole project took less than 5 minutes. It is kinda ghetto but works very well. The lid keeps the mess fully contained. I can try to take pics later if you want.

 

[mwawrzyniec]

I went ahead and ordered the B3. I'll let you guys know how long it takes to be shipped.

 

[psymonkey]

For the owners of the B2 or B3 models who built a base, can you upload some pictures on how you have it set up?

Just stumbled upon the MM while researching mills since I am going AG. Still doing some research, but interested in the MM for my mill, just thrown off by it not having a base.

Here are a few pics of my mill & base. This was the first time I'd ever used a jig saw and my cuts left a bit to be desired. Hence the masking tape. I also thought the piece of wood I had, which was a decorative cabinet panel was real wood, not laminated MDF. That made it a bit more unruly and I couldn't really sand it down as I'd intended.

I'm going to redo it at some point, and will use a proper piece of wood. Also, my big takeaway would be to mount the mill to the wood first, then trace around it. I'll then remove it, measure in about a 1/4" and cut on the inside of the line. Because I cut on the line, and didn't give myself a buffer I ended up busting out the edge when mounting the mill to the wood - a couple of washers fixed that, but hey - lesson's learned right?

 

[IslandLizard]

For the owners of the B2 or B3 models who built a base, can you upload some pictures on how you have it set up?

Just stumbled upon the MM while researching mills since I am going AG. Still doing some research, but interested in the MM for my mill, just thrown off by it not having a base.

When you order a hopper for a Monster Mill a baseboard is included. Now it is flimsy MDF and a bit small. It looks like it was made to fit the box it ships in... The hopper is fine.

I ended up making my own baseboard from 3/4" plywood, which is much larger and also mounts my Heavy Duty Low Speed HF drill, perfectly in line with the drive shaft.

 

[USMCYoder]

Definitely good to know. Thanks.

 

[jsprinceiii]

When you order a hopper for a MM a baseboard is included. Now it's flimsy MDF and a bit small. It looks like it was made to fit the box it ships in... The hopper is fine.

I ended up making my own baseboard from 3/4" plywood, which is much larger and also mounts my Heavy Duty Low Speed HF drill, perfectly in line with the drive shaft.

Unless this is something new, the Millar Mill does not ship with a baseboard.
I have an M3,have had for almost 2 years. Still works like the day I bought it.