SS Brewtech's Mill

[BrewinSoldier]

For me it's a convenience thing. I have two different brew systems that both require a different crush size. Having a tool less quick change will be super nice. I have a lot of SS equipment and their quality is too notch. I'd really like to see this thing in person to make sure it's quality is the same as their other stuff though.

 

[Smellyglove]

Did you come up with anything concrete after the 2 months of research? As long as your mill mills to the correct gap setting for your systems requirements I can't see how this will make better beer than a cheap barley crusher powered by hand. Maybe easier. Cheers

There's so much more than just gap setting to mill for a specific system. Speed and gap are two variables in regards to roller size which can be manipulated to several different results. If you brew BIAB, crush everything, if you recirculate, crush the interior and not the husk, to say it in simple terms, there's variables within these statements too.

To get what one want is bordering to "art". A great crush is exactly that: "great". It takes knowledge and experience with a mill to know how to dial it in for a great crush for different systems. And I'm serious.

 

[jcav]

Hopefully someone will post here after they buy one on the true pros and cons of this mill. I would be very interested on how if performs. It looks like a real slick mill but I want to hear back after someone puts it through its paces.

John

 

[Blazinlow86]

There's so much more than just gap setting to mill for a specific system. Speed and gap are two variables in regards to roller size which can be manipulated to several different results. If you brew BIAB, crush everything, if you recirculate, crush the interior and not the husk, to say it in simple terms, there's variables within these statements too.

To get what one want is bordering to "art". A great crush is exactly that: "great". It takes knowledge and experience with a mill to know how to dial it in for a great crush for different systems. And I'm serious.

Besides setting the gap to work with your system and milling at the correct speed I can't see what else there is though? I'm missing what you mean by the "so much more" part I guess. Cheers

 

[bracconiere]

their quality is too notch.

nothing relevant as usual, but, lol.... (lord knows, i'm the worst!)

back on topic...Is anyone else concerned all the slots in both the grain feed, and exit would clog?

 

[Smellyglove]

Besides setting the gap to work with your system and milling at the correct speed I can't see what else there is though? I'm missing what you mean by the "so much more" part I guess. Cheers

You did only mention the gap in the post I quoted first. So, there's gap, speed, (if fixed speed you need to know the sweet spot of how much grains you let down onto the rollers), roller diameter and to mill them wet or not, wheat/barley, I think the list ends there, it all depends on what you have and what you mill for

 

[kevink]

nothing relevant as usual, but, lol.... (lord knows, i'm the worst!)

back on topic...Is anyone else concerned all the slots in both the grain feed, and exit would clog?

I'm not. That seems like the most basic and easy thing to test. I seriously doubt that they will sell a mill that clogs up.

 

[bracconiere]

I seriously doubt that they will sell a mill that clogs up.

lol, surer then me....you wouldn't think they'd sell cars that break down, or airbags that shoot shrapnel either....

 

[kevink]

Breaking down and flat out not working are two totally different things!

 

[bracconiere]

Breaking down and flat out not working are two totally different things!

just so you know i'm talking from experience....this is what my schindling had, clogged all the time that's why it's out of the way now....

edit: but to each their own, sufice it to say, i, don't like the design....

edit #2: and that damn jalopy, came with a damn rubber band on one roller as a gear motor sorta thing, i can tell you how long that lasted.....

 

[GoeHaarden]

How about we all pitch in to buy @bracconiere a camera. Holy sh*t! What is even going on in that picture?

 

[bracconiere]

How about we all pitch in to buy @bracconiere a camera. Holy sh*t! What is even going on in that picture?

LOL! not only did the 90's bring us grunge! they brought me my camera!

 

[GoeHaarden]

LOL! not only did the 90's bring us grunge! they brought me my camera!

Was this you trying to get a picture of your Centennial Crop?

 

[bracconiere]

 

[GoeHaarden]

LOL...good stuff!!!

Carry on with the Mill talk...

 

[bracconiere]

i've actually never owned a cell phone...don't have a facebook/twitter/etc account....i'm not really that old, just not a people person....

 

[bracconiere]

Carry on with the Mill talk...

Will do!

 

[bracconiere]

But just before that, you remember these right?

(and i mean the ISA cards, not the scanner! )

 

[GoeHaarden]

But just before that, you remember these right?

View attachment 641648


(and i mean the ISA cards, not the scanner! )

I'm more of the PCI generation...

 

[day_trippr]

And I'm more of the "ISA is new-fangled" generation

 

[NGD]

And I'm more of the "ISA is new-fangled" generation

Your definitely old then. I think I have one of those scanners and cards around.

Really want to see one of these SS mills in person. Like most things I’ll sit back and let the early adopters test it out. I call it the “Apple approach to technology”

 

[BrewinSoldier]

nothing relevant as usual, but, lol.... (lord knows, i'm the worst!)

back on topic...Is anyone else concerned all the slots in both the grain feed, and exit would clog?

As usual?? Do I know you? Do you stalk my posts and determine what is and isn't "relevant"? Oh and you seemingly forgot to quote the rest of that post, or the one I made after that...

 

[NGD]

Awkward

 

[jdauria]

Saw the Ss BrewTech mill at Homebrew Con this year, it's huge. Size and pricing seems to be geared to small breweries and nano ones. But hey, if I had the money lying around, I would still buy it!

 

[Vale71]

Size and pricing seems to be geared to small breweries and nano ones. !

For small and nano breweries this would amount to just a cute toy. The mills they actually use would dwarf this one both in physical size and throughput...

 

[jdauria]

For small and nano breweries this would amount to just a cute toy. The mills they actually use would dwarf this one both in physical size and throughput...

You're probably right...but a local brewery near me had no mill when they first opened, not sure if they have one now either. They had a 2 bbl system but usually brew twice a day to put in 4 bbl tanks. So they were buying their bulk malt already milled, but when they needed special stuff, they needed to have the local homebrew shop mill it. So something like this mill would have been good for them in the beginning.

 

[Vale71]

So they were buying their bulk malt already milled...

Yeah, I ceased to be amazed at the crappy quality you get from some so-called craft breweries a long time ago. Some are just glorified homebrewers and not even particularly good either...

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Yeah, I ceased to be amazed at the crappy quality you get from some so-called craft breweries a long time ago. Some are just glorified homebrewers and not even particularly good either...

Ding ding ding!
So true!

If it weren’t for 4 out of 5 beers sold by most new craft breweries being hops bombs where you can mask significant flaws, 90% of new breweries in the last 3 years would be out of business if they had to survive making classic/normal beers.
I drink a lot of stuff from new breweries and maybe one in 20 beers is even noteworthy.

Any monkey can make a passable NEIPA or DIPA. Show me some skill with a decent Helles or dark mild or even a balanced APA!

 

[bomb]

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.

Yeah, the problem is, I have to buy like 6 different things then make it all fit on a table not designed for the mill in the first place to save $200. All these mill companies did themselves a disservice by not having an all in one unit five years ago.

 

[augiedoggy]

For small and nano breweries this would amount to just a cute toy. The mills they actually use would dwarf this one both in physical size and throughput...

Not necessarily true. Ive spent a lot of time visiting nanos before opening my own and speaking with owners about equipment. (many do buy premilled with an agreement with a local maltster so it doesn sit long this way)
As I pointed out earlier I have a small brewpub and we have been using the motorized kegco 3 roller mill every week since december.. still works as good as it did when new with no signs of wear. the only downside is I chose a slower 170rpm motor so it takes 20 mins or so to mill everything out for a 3bbl brew.
Again unlike the extremely pricey mm3 setup quoted above... We built an UPGRADED version using a mill with ball bearings for longer life, larger hopper and a heavy duty bodine motor with reverse through a drum switch. its built onto a steel wheeled cart for a total which was under $300. Again its not for everyone but its practical and works well for milling grain which is what we wanted. and if the mill wears out we can swap another in for $150 and not have to toss the whole thing. We do not have it on display like some of our other equipment. Again im posting this from actual use and experience not hypotheticals.

As far as beer styles in the breweries... We get flack from some for having many traditional beer styles on tap and not having the ipas dominate our rotating 11 beer taplist.. The trending beers now at many breweries all seem to be not only cloudy ipas but also the heavy fruit daiquiri style beers. I see now some breweries are even jumping on the fruit seltzer water bandwagon with making White claw style drinks...