SS Brewtech's Mill

[MaxStout]

I just received an email promoting this, looks like it'll be available this fall. There's been some scuttlebutt around here re their new mill design, looks like someone will be able to actually get their hands on one soon. Hopefully, they will post a user review on HBT.

I like the idea of toolless gap adjustment and the high mass 4" dia. rollers. For $800 the mill will be out of reach for many home brewers, but I could see brew stores picking up on this. Be nice to go to the grain room and select the crush you want.

 

[El Nino]

It definitely looks cool. SS Brewtech has released a lot of quality equipment, so they would be a company I wouldn't hesitate to buy something even if it hasn't had many reviews on the web yet. $799 though, yeah I don't brew at a high enough volume to be spending that kind of dough on a grain mill

 

[deadwolfbones]

Looks great, but oof at the price.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I personally couldnt pay that much for what im assuming is a made in china mill. Design looks different for sure though. Cheers

 

[Konadog]

I like the idea of toolless gap adjustment and the high mass 4" dia. rollers. For $800 the mill will be out of reach for many home brewers, but I could see brew stores picking up on this. Be nice to go to the grain room and select the crush you want.

I like it to, but at that price I could get two Monster Mills (that I can't afford either).

 

[deadwolfbones]

I personally couldnt pay that much for what im assuming is a made in china mill. Design looks different for sure though. Cheers

Would you pay that much for, say, a Made in China MacBook? Lots of good stuff is made in China, as long as the oversight and fundamental design is good.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Unfortunately there are very few plug-and-play motorized mills out there (I can only think of one), and none that offer half of these features or an adjustable speed (180 RPM is faster than I'd like).

This looks to be a perfect mill, but out of the price range for most brewers.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Would you pay that much for, say, a Made in China MacBook? Lots of good stuff is made in China, as long as the oversight and fundamental design is good.

No I most definitely would not buy a MacBook. No doubt lots of good stuffs made in china. In my first hand experience grain mills aren't one of them. Ask anyone with a barley crusher that's past the honeymoon phase lol. Time will tell though. Cheers

 

[Smellyglove]

It looks ridiculously sexy. However. It seems strange that they haven't added anything to reduce the opening in the bottom of the funnel, like professional mills have. Unless I'm blind. But this way you can only mill at one "speed". Milling slower (by letting less grains fall down on the rollers, or just slower RPM) has always yielded a nicer grind for me, no matter which kind of mill.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

It looks ridiculously sexy. However. It seems strange that they haven't added anything to reduce the opening in the bottom of the funnel, like professional mills have. Unless I'm blind. But this way you can only mill at one "speed". Milling slower (by letting less grains fall down on the rollers, or just slower RPM) has always yielded a nicer grind for me, no matter which kind of mill.

Agreed. For that price, it need variable speed.
If it had that, I might actually consider it.

 

[cactusgarrett]

I saw someone give them **** about the price on their Facebook ad for that. Spike came right out and said they are targeting the nano-brewery market with this unit.

 

[mongoose33]

Yeah, pretty pricey for use at the homebrew level. The tool-less gap adjustment is very nice, and the higher capacity hopper as well. Cool-looking, that's for sure.

But the price sure is...well, high. I have a 3-roller Monster Mill driven by an All-American Aleworks motor. It's a beast. I have a little more than $500 into it, and can't imagine something much better (though the gap adjustment would be nice). That said, gap adjustment on the Monster Mill is also tool-less. There are thumbscrews and a set screw to set it in place.

 

[TallDan]

Yeah, pretty pricey for use at the homebrew level. The tool-less gap adjustment is very nice, and the higher capacity hopper as well. Cool-looking, that's for sure.

But the price sure is...well, high. I have a 3-roller Monster Mill driven by an All-American Aleworks motor. It's a beast. I have a little more than $500 into it, and can't imagine something much better (though the gap adjustment would be nice). That said, gap adjustment on the Monster Mill is also tool-less. There are thumbscrews and a set screw to set it in place.

A MM3 starts at $189. The hopper is $45. The AAW motor is currently on sale for $300. Then you'll need some lovejoy couplers (about $25?) and some wiring, a base and misc hardware (maybe another $20?). That's $580 plus some time spent assembling.

A fully assembled, all-in-one alternative with a 1 year warranty for ~$200 more seems to be in the ballpark. Particularly with their (yet to be proven) innovations (fluted rollers, differential speed). As with most of SSBT's products, I think it's priced about right. Not cheap, expensive enough for me to second guess it, but when I look closer, probably about right. It could end up being a dud, but it'll take us a couple years to find that out.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Particularly with their (yet to be proven) innovations (fluted rollers, differential speed).

FWIW, those aren't yet-to-be-proven innovations - those have been around for ages, just not at the small scale/homebrew level.

 

[TallDan]

FWIW, those aren't yet-to-be-proven innovations - those have been around for ages, just not at the small scale/homebrew level.

Yes. I guess what I was saying was that the additional value they may bring to a homebrewer is yet to be proven. If it makes it a better mill than anything else available for less than $2000, that makes the price look more reasonable.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Yes. I guess what I was saying was that the additional value they may bring to a homebrewer is yet to be proven. If it makes it a better mill than anything else available for less than $2000, that makes the price look more reasonable.

Yeah.
Honestly, if there was a reliable turn-key all-in-one motorized mill setup for $400 with variable speed, it would sell like hotcakes. I know I'd buy it.

 

[mongoose33]

A MM3 starts at $189. The hopper is $45. The AAW motor is currently on sale for $300. Then you'll need some lovejoy couplers (about $25?) and some wiring, a base and misc hardware (maybe another $20?). That's $580 plus some time spent assembling.

A fully assembled, all-in-one alternative with a 1 year warranty for ~$200 more seems to be in the ballpark. Particularly with their (yet to be proven) innovations (fluted rollers, differential speed). As with most of SSBT's products, I think it's priced about right. Not cheap, expensive enough for me to second guess it, but when I look closer, probably about right. It could end up being a dud, but it'll take us a couple years to find that out.

Prices have risen since I did mine. Especially the motor. And yet, the package is $312 and includes the motor, lovejoy connectors, power cord. It's not bad. Can't recall what shipping is, but it's not good.

If money were no object, or not that big a deal, the extra $200 is probably worth it. But the flip side is this: if you save $200, what else could you buy for brewing that wouldn't have been otherwise possible? Kettle? RIMS?

Ah, well, we'll see what happens. Looks like a great mill nonetheless.

 

[TallDan]

Yeah.
Honestly, if there was a reliable turn-key all-in-one motorized mill setup for $400 with variable speed, it would sell like hotcakes. I know I'd buy it.

And that's part of what makes it tough to decide if it's a good price or not. I looked earlier, because I didn't think there were ANY motorized mills available for purchase for homebrewers, but I found this:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/motorized-maltmuncher-pro.html

Looks to be a turn-key motorized mill for $400. Not all-in-one, and from a glance at both, doesn't really seem to be in the same league as the SSBT, but it does seem like a reasonable alternative for about half the price.

 

[mongoose33]

And that's part of what makes it tough to decide if it's a good price or not. I looked earlier, because I didn't think there were ANY motorized mills available for purchase for homebrewers, but I found this:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/motorized-maltmuncher-pro.html

Looks to be a turn-key motorized mill for $400. Not all-in-one, and from a glance at both, doesn't really seem to be in the same league as the SSBT, but it does seem like a reasonable alternative for about half the price.

That's not bad. I can't recall why I didn't buy that motor exactly; there was some uncertainty about it, maybe which Lovejoy connectors would fit, I can't recall.

The one deal killer isn't one: the motor is 180rpm, which is what my All American Aleworks motor does.

That's a pretty good price point for what it does.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

And that's part of what makes it tough to decide if it's a good price or not. I looked earlier, because I didn't think there were ANY motorized mills available for purchase for homebrewers, but I found this:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/motorized-maltmuncher-pro.html

Looks to be a turn-key motorized mill for $400. Not all-in-one, and from a glance at both, doesn't really seem to be in the same league as the SSBT, but it does seem like a reasonable alternative for about half the price.

Yeah, I guess this is an okay solution. I hadn't seen it before, only the motor alone, which needs DIY wiring, etc.
At least that one has built-in gear reduction.
Not too bad, I guess. I'm getting tired of the old hand-drill method, especially trying to mill slow (I like around 120 RPM).

 

[sfrisby]

And that's part of what makes it tough to decide if it's a good price or not. I looked earlier, because I didn't think there were ANY motorized mills available for purchase for homebrewers, but I found this:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/motorized-maltmuncher-pro.html

Looks to be a turn-key motorized mill for $400. Not all-in-one, and from a glance at both, doesn't really seem to be in the same league as the SSBT, but it does seem like a reasonable alternative for about half the price.

Not to derail the thread too much, but I have been looking at this morebeer mill. The question for me is, how much of a drawback is it being 2 roller vs 3 roller?

 

[radwizard]

Def geared to the nano community. No doubt some homebrewers will pick this up, it will make for great instagram posts!

 

[singybrue]

No I most definitely would not buy a MacBook. No doubt lots of good stuffs made in china. In my first hand experience grain mills aren't one of them. Ask anyone with a barley crusher that's past the honeymoon phase lol. Time will tell though. Cheers

The problematic Barley Crusher is US made.
The Cereal Killer mill is chinese made and so far has proven to be more reliable than the Barley Crusher

 

[kh54s10]

Fact is this mill is not targeted for the average homebrewer. A nano, LHBS or very serious homebrewer is the target.

$800 seems very reasonable for what is shown. But, definitely out of the range of most homebrewers.

 

[Blazinlow86]

The problematic Barley Crusher is US made.
The Cereal Killer mill is chinese made and so far has proven to be more reliable than the Barley Crusher

I find it hard to believe the barley crusher is American made. Maybe assembled in America but that's meaningless advertising. My buddies cereal killer did last abit longer than my barley crusher but he only brews casually. The rollers always wear out on Chinese mills. Maybe the ss will be better but the all in one design is additionally why I wouldn't buy it. How long will they sell individual parts for it? Will they sell everything to rebuild it or do you just throw it away when it fails? Same reason I wouldn't buy a MacBook and the reason I dont have anything proprietary in my brewery. Cheers

 

[kh54s10]

I find it hard to believe the barley crusher is American made. Maybe assembled in America but that's meaningless advertising. My buddies cereal killer did last abit longer than my barley crusher but he only brews casually. The rollers always wear out on Chinese mills. Maybe the ss will be better but the all in one design is additionally why I wouldn't buy it. How long will they sell individual parts for it? Will they sell everything to rebuild it or do you just throw it away when it fails? Same reason I wouldn't buy a MacBook and the reason I dont have anything proprietary in my brewery. Cheers

Obviously not for you, but that doesn't mean much. They are a reputable company and I am certain they will stand behind their product.

 

[Smellyglove]

You guys don't need variable speed, it's just that variable speed is the only way of not milling to fast on a homebrew mill. On bigger mills you can adjust the gap at the entry to the rollers with a slider, which will drop less grains down on the rollers. If one would run them fully open then the result would be close to the same as running your drill at full speed. I don't know what kind of motor in in that SS guy but depending on the torque, and the extra cost variable speed would/could cost, the slider is much simpler.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Obviously not for you, but that doesn't mean much. They are a reputable company and I am certain they will stand behind their product.

I guess we could say your option that there a reputable company will stand behind there product doesn't mean much either. Time will tell. Cheers

 

[kevink]

$800 seems very reasonable for what is shown.

Exactly. It's a beautiful, compact piece. If I were considering the mill from morebeer linked to above (the clunky, pieced together looking thing with the ridiculously oversized power button and motor hanging off the table that looks like it was assembled in some homebrewer's garage), I would spend the extra cash and go for the SS mill.

 

[kh54s10]

I guess we could say your option that there a reputable company will stand behind there product doesn't mean much either. Time will tell. Cheers

Have you got a grudge against them? They have been around a while and have a very good reputation.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Have you got a grudge against them? They have been around a while and have a very good reputation.

Not at all. There reputation is more based on Chinese made stainless kettles though and there's little to go wrong in that regard. In not a fan of expensive chinese made proprietary products (dell,apple etc) and most definitely not a fan of Chinese made grain mill rollers specifically. Again time will tell. Cheers

 

[kh54s10]

Not at all. There reputation is more based on Chinese made stainless kettles though and there's little to go wrong in that regard. In not a fan of expensive chinese made proprietary products (dell,apple etc) and most definitely not a fan of Chinese made grain mill rollers specifically. Again time will tell. Cheers

Also not a fan of Chinese made products, but since I want things, I have plenty of Chinese made products in my house. And yes some of it is inferior but some of it is very high quality...

 

[shoengine]

Exactly. It's a beautiful, compact piece. If I were considering the mill from morebeer linked to above (the clunky, pieced together looking thing with the ridiculously oversized power button and motor hanging off the table that looks like it was assembled in some homebrewer's garage), I would spend the extra cash and go for the SS mill.

Big power buttons on industrial equipment are very nice for those times when you have to slam the off button due to someone getting parts of them or a piece of clothing stuck in the machine. I paid a good $20 for one of those for my bandsaw when everyone else is using a $2 light switch.

 

[kevink]

Big power buttons on industrial equipment are very nice for those times when you have to slam the off button due to someone getting parts of them or a piece of clothing stuck in the machine. I paid a good $20 for one of those for my bandsaw when everyone else is using a $2 light switch.

I understand that big buttons are a safety feature, but there is absolutely no reason to have an enclosure that big and stupid looking. They could have even mounted that giant enclosure under the table, with the button more or less flush-mounted with the table top.

But jeez, this is a homebrew grain mill. If you get tangled up in one and actually need an emergency stop, you've got issues.

 

[kevink]

I just found this post from a year ago which has a few prototype photos.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/ss-brewtech-mill-prototype.652215/

 

[shoengine]

I understand that big buttons are a safety feature, but there is absolutely no reason to have an enclosure that big and stupid looking. They could have even mounted that giant enclosure under the table, with the button more or less flush-mounted with the table top.

But jeez, this is a homebrew grain mill. If you get tangled up in one and actually need an emergency stop, you've got issues.

Some people have long hair or jewelry. I'm not sure why this is a point of contention. Is there a danger of death or dismemberment? Then have an emergency stop switch.

 

[kevink]

I totally understand the purpose of an emergency stop button. I am fine with them. I originally said the physical size of the e-stop and enclosure was way too big on the morebeer mill and you assumed that I was anti e-stop, which I am not. It was just done poorly on that mill.

 

[augiedoggy]

I find it hard to believe the barley crusher is American made. Maybe assembled in America but that's meaningless advertising. My buddies cereal killer did last abit longer than my barley crusher but he only brews casually. The rollers always wear out on Chinese mills. Maybe the ss will be better but the all in one design is additionally why I wouldn't buy it. How long will they sell individual parts for it? Will they sell everything to rebuild it or do you just throw it away when it fails? Same reason I wouldn't buy a MacBook and the reason I dont have anything proprietary in my brewery. Cheers

The Barley crusher is made of chinese parts with an american made wooden base and american made rollers (which are much softer BTW than the rollers on a cereal killer ofr the other versions of the mill like the kegco made by the same chinese factory.)

I'm going to once again point out that some mills like the barley crusher and the mm3 use bushings and some of the better engineered mills use ball bearings and are not necessarily more expensive. all the pro mills ive seen use real bearing as well.
I have been homebrewing with my cereal killer for 6 years and the mill shows no signs of wear even from the pulley side load its using with a motor.

Better yet I have been doing all of my milling at my nanobrewery since December of last year on my $150 3 roller kegco mill driven by a $80 used ebay motor at 170rpm on a harbor freight metal cart. (I also have the MM hopper extender) The mill has needed Zero maintenance and has been used at least once a week every week for 3bbl batch brewing now milling literally thousands of lbs of grain. There is zero wear noticable on the knurling of the rollers and that is all the proof I need that an $800 mill is not necessary for a Nano brewery.. Nothing wrong with it, Its just not actually necessary either.
I also have not yet seen any first hand accounts reported of the knurling ever wearing down on a cereal killer mill like I have seen on other brands like the BC.
Also I dont know what SS uses for the rollers but stainless steel is NOT a good choice for roller construction and some seem to buy it for the whole "conditioning of the grain" thing which I have never heard of being done anywhere but homebrewing carbon steel is probably the best choice but whatever hardening the manufacturer of the CK and keg king, kegco mills uses (They are all from the same manufacturer) I really havent seen any wear complaints.

 

[Blazinlow86]

The Barley crusher is made of chinese parts with an american made wooden base and american made rollers (which are much softer BTW than the rollers on a cereal killer ofr the other versions of the mill like the kegco made by the same chinese factory.)

I'm going to once again point out that some mills like the barley crusher and the mm3 use bushings and some of the better engineered mills use ball bearings and are not necessarily more expensive. all the pro mills ive seen use real bearing as well.
I have been homebrewing with my cereal killer for 6 years and the mill shows no signs of wear even from the pulley side load its using with a motor.

Better yet I have been doing all of my milling at my nanobrewery since December of last year on my $150 3 roller kegco mill driven by a $80 used ebay motor at 170rpm on a harbor freight metal cart. (I also have the MM hopper extender) The mill has needed Zero maintenance and has been used at least once a week every week for 3bbl batch brewing now milling literally thousands of lbs of grain. There is zero wear noticable on the knurling of the rollers and that is all the proof I need that an $800 mill is not necessary for a Nano brewery.. Nothing wrong with it, Its just not actually necessary either.
I also have not yet seen any first hand accounts reported of the knurling ever wearing down on a cereal killer mill like I have seen on other brands like the BC.
Also I dont know what SS uses for the rollers but stainless steel is NOT a good choice for roller construction and some seem to buy it for the whole "conditioning of the grain" thing which I have never heard of being done anywhere but homebrewing carbon steel is probably the best choice but whatever hardening the manufacturer of the CK and keg king, kegco mills uses (They are all from the same manufacturer) I really havent seen any wear complaints.

I wish I had the same luck as you did with my Chinese mills. Unfortunately I didn't so I've moved on. I did consider the kegco this time around but didn't wanna risk having the same thing happen yet again and it wasn't much cheaper in my location. Who knows maybe the monster mill will wear out too. Only time will tell. Cheers

 

[augiedoggy]

I wish I had the same luck as you did with my Chinese mills. Unfortunately I didn't so I've moved on. I did consider the kegco this time around but didn't wanna risk having the same thing happen yet again and it wasn't much cheaper in my location. Who knows maybe the monster mill will wear out too. Only time will tell. Cheers

I'm not trying to agrue here or derail the thread any more than I guess I have already but im not sure what you mean by it not being much cheaper. The kegco is $150 with free shipping when not on sale.. I do believe the mm3 is like 2 times that cost with the same hardware purchased separately like the hopper and handle in the 48 states. and thats the cheaper version of in with bushing... If you want the version with bearing its a couple hundred more on top of that.