Why didn't anyone ever tell me to buy a grain mill sooner

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SacSudz

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I'm a fairly new homebrewer. I've made about 2 dozen batches of beer over the last year in a half. It's been a fun hobby and I still feel like I'm learning during every batch.

One thing I've always struggled with was hitting my numbers. No matter how closely I followed the recipe I always fell short. I always make all-grain beer buying pre-milled grain from More Beer. After thinking about it I felt I wasn't getting the most out of my mash. So I decided to buy a grain mill to see if I can improve my brewing experience.

And man has it made a difference. I bought 4 all-grain recipe kits unmilled. Immediately I started hitting my numbers and my beers have been great. I can't recommend enough taking the splurge and buying a grain mill, especially if you're making all-grain beers. It's been one of the best things I've ever bought for my brewing and wish I would had done it sooner.
 
Well, allow me to be the first then:
Yo @SacSudz , a grain mill is a super awesome investment for anyone doing all grain!

But seriously, the consistency of having my own mill for the last 13 years has let me chase down a myriad of smaller inconsistencies in my process. My $30 Corona mill has out-lived one battery drill and one set of brushes in the D-Handle drill used to power it.
 
I love having a grain mill, it allows me to buy in bulk and store my malt until I'm ready to use it.
Now the "hitting the numbers" you need to work on are temperature control, especially fermentation temp. That's what made the biggest difference in the quality of my beer. In fact, I never got really obsessive over efficiency because at the volumes of beer I make a little more or less efficiency really didn't matter-if I need to I can always add a little malt for my next batch. But temperature control needs to be very consistent. I have a 12 gallon stainless conical with a thermowell. The fermenter sits in a plywood box with a layer of bubble wrap insulation and 3 inches of styrofoam insulation. On the back of the box is a window AC connected to a temperature controller. With this system I can fine tune the internal fermenting temperature and keep it at the lower end of the yeast's recommended temp range. There's no more leaving it to chance. I've brewed lagers in my garage in southern NM when the garage is over 100F, and my old flagship beer was a 14% ABV Imperial stout that seriously challenged my AC for the first 3 or 4 days of active fermentation.
 
SacSudz said:
I decided to buy a grain mill to see if I can improve my brewing experience.

And man has it made a difference. I bought 4 all-grain recipe kits unmilled. Immediately I started hitting my numbers and my beers have been great.
Click to expand...
Many people are offering comments saying go with temperature control next, but depending on your circumstances, I'm going to say get a chest freezer, temperature control unit and some used kegs. If your kegs are all empty you can use the chest freezer as a temp. control fermentation chamber. Bottling is a hassle, pouring your own pint, even using a simple picnic tap is very satisfying.
There are many cheapo workarounds for temp control or if you have the space get a second small chest freezer, I just got one for $200 brand new.
:mug:
 
The mix of brewers out there is huge. There's folks that jump into the hobby with both feet investing heavily in every piece of equipment they think or someone tells them they need. Then there's the folks on the other end that gradually add items when they learn what they have and then make improvements to their system.

Over time every brew will learn, hopefully, what improvements will give them the best return.
 
I've been brewing beer for over six years now and have over 200 batches and I haven't bought a mill yet. I don't have room for it in my apartment, I buy small amounts of grain, and my supplier always grinds it for free.
Although, I agree that it is better to have your own mill and buy grain unmilled.
 
@SacSudz ...
I'm telling you... stop buying kits, and start buyimg your base malt by the 50#-55# sack! You'll save a sh*t ton of money. (Hint- moreber lets you see their recipie sheets so you can match it). Think a sack of 2-row or pale malt, and maybe pilsner (depending on what you like). Or just do 2-row and SMaSH brewe to save money.

Just buy your speciality malts by the pound (helps hit 'free shipping' too).
But- make sure you buy Gamma lids or buckets (vittles vaults) to store the grain. It stays fresher longer.

Want more tips?
Buy dry yeast by the 500g 'brick' and/OR make starters with liquid packs to save money and make starters for better fermentations.


Side note... every tip abaove requires more up front investment, so... there's that. Hence why we all (most of us) start the journey just like.you did.

Also- are you in "Sacramento" SacSudz?
 
I will agree that the mill made a nice difference in my brewing. It is just one more piece of the process I can say I do myself. The chest freezer is an addition I would like to make at some point as well, but I am using my brothers old dorm fridge and that has kept my temps in the mid range of the yeast suggestions, so that is kinda cool as well.
 
Nate R said:
@SacSudz ...
I'm telling you... stop buying kits, and start buyimg your base malt by the 50#-55# sack! You'll save a sh*t ton of money. (Hint- moreber lets you see their recipie sheets so you can match it). Think a sack of 2-row or pale malt, and maybe pilsner (depending on what you like). Or just do 2-row and SMaSH brewe to save money.

Just buy your speciality malts by the pound (helps hit 'free shipping' too).
But- make sure you buy Gamma lids or buckets (vittles vaults) to store the grain. It stays fresher longer.

Want more tips?
Buy dry yeast by the 500g 'brick' and/OR make starters with liquid packs to save money and make starters for better fermentations.


Side note... every tip abaove requires more up front investment, so... there's that. Hence why we all (most of us) start the journey just like.you did.

Also- are you in "Sacramento" SacSudz?
Click to expand...
I have been toying with the bulk buy idea. I brew maybe once or twice a month and use 10 pounds or more of my base malt each recipe. But, with that said, how much is really saved by doing bulk buys? I would definitely have to buy a container to hold it in, and space is a bit limited. But, if I can prove to the "accountant" that it is gonna save me money, might be a go to. LOL.
 
Pre-milled grain has 3 potential problems:
1. You may not get the crush you want. BIAB calls for a different crush than traditional AG, etc.
2. You don't know how fresh the grain is from the HBS. Was it crushed right before packing, or long ago?
3. You need to use the crushed grain fairly soon, before it becomes stale. Not conducive to stocking up.

A mill lets you control all that.
 
kevin58 said:
A grain mill is definitely among the top 5 best brewing tools I've ever purchased. Motorizing that mill down the line will be another game changer.
Click to expand...
Motorizing. Yep, that would be awesome. Regret the heck out of selling my mill setup, which included a nice Bodine gearmotor and lovejoys + speed and reversing controls. Still hunting for a motor but suspect I'll be getting the cheap HD low RPM/Hi-torque drill.
 
redrocker652002 said:
I have been toying with the bulk buy idea. I brew maybe once or twice a month and use 10 pounds or more of my base malt each recipe. But, with that said, how much is really saved by doing bulk buys? I would definitely have to buy a container to hold it in, and space is a bit limited. But, if I can prove to the "accountant" that it is gonna save me money, might be a go to. LOL.
Click to expand...
Our homebrew club has started buying from a local supplier, as long as we do more than 500#, we get base grains and some others anywhere from $.96-$1.07/lb.. vs ~$3.00/lb at the LHBS so I guess if I had a 10lb grain bill, I'm going from ~$30 in grain to ~$10 in grain. a $100 grain mill see ROI in 5 brews..
 
redrocker652002 said:
I would definitely have to buy a container to hold it in, and space is a bit limited. But, if I can prove to the "accountant" that it is gonna save me money, might be a go to. LOL.
Click to expand...
From a guy who has in his time had 2 cheese caves in his BR, a full-size fridge and cask setup in his LR, a built-out full size cheese cave in the cellar, a 20 gallon traditional copper cheese vat and all its accoutrements, full 1/4 BR worth of reloading equipment, 8 rifles and a couple handguns, a hunting bow and all its crap, over 300 cookbooks, bread baking, pastry and brewing books, a couple gypsy swing guitars and a small recording studio and all its crap (none of this all at once. C'mon, I'm not a crazy hoarder-type-guy. Really. I mean it),

-and hasn't been shot yet, let me know if I can give any tips. 🤣
 
MaxStout said:
Pre-milled grain has 3 potential problems:
1. You may not get the crush you want. BIAB calls for a different crush than traditional AG, etc.
2. You don't know how fresh the grain is from the HBS. Was it crushed right before packing, or long ago?
3. You need to use the crushed grain fairly soon, before it becomes stale. Not conducive to stocking up.

A mill lets you control all that.
Click to expand...

I agree with you, but I know that the people I buy from grind the grain immediately before packaging and shipping, and I brew often so that I use it up in two months at most.
 
MaxStout said:
Pre-milled grain has 3 potential problems:
1. You may not get the crush you want. BIAB calls for a different crush than traditional AG, etc.
2. You don't know how fresh the grain is from the HBS. Was it crushed right before packing, or long ago?
3. You need to use the crushed grain fairly soon, before it becomes stale. Not conducive to stocking up.

A mill lets you control all that.
Click to expand...
i thought about a mill to save money on crushed grains as a few of the hbs charge per pound for milling. i descided it would take me a couple of years to get roi.
plus it would take up more space
1) although you can customize your crush a lot of hbs stores do offer the option of biab milling vs traditional milling.
2) i dont think any hbs would stock precrushed grains it doesnt make any sense . i cant imagine they wouldnt crush the grains when needed and let them sit around crushed. so i doubt freshness of crushed grains is a problem. the 4 or 5 hbs i have been to all crush the grains when you purchase them. i cant vouch for the big online sellers but it would make sense they do the same.,
3) the shelf life or crush grains although anecdotally shorter than unmilled grains is controversial . my crushed grains are stored for no more than 4 weeks before being mashed. i cant taste the difference between grains mashed the day after delivery vs the the crushed grain mashed 4 weeks after they were delivered. maybe if it sat crushed for say a few months it might get oxidized to the point of making a difference but i havent researched studies on this.
 
MY LHBS will double crush if you ask. You can also watch them mill the grains if you want, so you know they haven't been sitting around for a long time. I still got myself a corona mill eventually though. Took me a little while to get the gap the way I want it and the drill set up right, but it's all good now. And then I got lucky and found 60 lb vittles vaults for $25 at Sam's (it's hit or miss - they have them when they have them and you can't order them online).
 
Back when Covid started I bought a little brass ballpeen hammer, and set to work crushing my beer seeds one at a time - After all there was plenty of excess leisure time available. As a result my brew efficiency increased dramatically! Also my hand strength, and hand-eye coordination. Of course I ended up with a right arm like Popeye, and a left like Olive-oil . . . .Oh and there is the tendinitis and carple tunnel. Still it was cheaper and infinitly more time comsumming than an actual mill. Cathartic too!
 
corkybstewart said:
I love having a grain mill, it allows me to buy in bulk and store my malt until I'm ready to use it.
Now the "hitting the numbers" you need to work on are temperature control, especially fermentation temp. That's what made the biggest difference in the quality of my beer. In fact, I never got really obsessive over efficiency because at the volumes of beer I make a little more or less efficiency really didn't matter-if I need to I can always add a little malt for my next batch. But temperature control needs to be very consistent. I have a 12 gallon stainless conical with a thermowell. The fermenter sits in a plywood box with a layer of bubble wrap insulation and 3 inches of styrofoam insulation. On the back of the box is a window AC connected to a temperature controller. With this system I can fine tune the internal fermenting temperature and keep it at the lower end of the yeast's recommended temp range. There's no more leaving it to chance. I've brewed lagers in my garage in southern NM when the garage is over 100F, and my old flagship beer was a 14% ABV Imperial stout that seriously challenged my AC for the first 3 or 4 days of active fermentation.
Click to expand...
Love the box temp control is huge I have a 4x8 box with the same setup heater and window unit I'm still using buckets as i save for a nice fermenter but i can get 8 in no prob.
I love my brew store but with your own mill you control the grind.
 
corkybstewart said:
I love having a grain mill, it allows me to buy in bulk and store my malt until I'm ready to use it.
Now the "hitting the numbers" you need to work on are temperature control, especially fermentation temp. That's what made the biggest difference in the quality of my beer. In fact, I never got really obsessive over efficiency because at the volumes of beer I make a little more or less efficiency really didn't matter-if I need to I can always add a little malt for my next batch. But temperature control needs to be very consistent. I have a 12 gallon stainless conical with a thermowell. The fermenter sits in a plywood box with a layer of bubble wrap insulation and 3 inches of styrofoam insulation. On the back of the box is a window AC connected to a temperature controller. With this system I can fine tune the internal fermenting temperature and keep it at the lower end of the yeast's recommended temp range. There's no more leaving it to chance. I've brewed lagers in my garage in southern NM when the garage is over 100F, and my old flagship beer was a 14% ABV Imperial stout that seriously challenged my AC for the first 3 or 4 days of active fermentation.
Click to expand...
i have two stupid questions re the ac in the box idea.
1) is there an issue with exhaust from the ac . does the unit have to blow to the outside of the house or can it just be in say the basement without ventilation.?
2) i thought all window AC's drip water to the outside. what do you do about the water or is your unit hanging outside the house in a window and the box built around it?
i have a few extra window units lying around and i am not technically inclined enough to make a diy glycol unit. i would like to try this to add more fermenting space.


thanks
 
fluketamer said:
i thought all window AC's drip water to the outside.
Click to expand...

fwiw, we've always had a 28000~29000 BTU through-wall unit in one of the larger 2nd story rooms in our house and definitely had to run the condensate drain line to keep it from splashing back on the siding downstairs. But the last time we replaced it, the new unit advised that there wasn't a need for a drain line as the machine would use all the evaporator condensate to cool the condenser - a process which turns the drip into mist as the outside fan scoops the condensate out of a reservoir and flings it at the condenser. The advise was not wrong.

So, more a warning than recommendation, whether mist or drip, there shall be condensate to dispose of. There've been at least a few cold room implementations posted on HBT over the years that had the "outside" end of older window or through-wall AC units actually indoors, which could be managed if there was a drain to route a condensate line to. These new high-efficiency units might be a problem for that type of design...

Cheers!
 
Gadjobrinus said:
From a guy who has in his time had 2 cheese caves in his BR, a full-size fridge and cask setup in his LR, a built-out full size cheese cave in the cellar, a 20 gallon traditional copper cheese vat and all its accoutrements, full 1/4 BR worth of reloading equipment, 8 rifles and a couple handguns, a hunting bow and all its crap, over 300 cookbooks, bread baking, pastry and brewing books, a couple gypsy swing guitars and a small recording studio and all its crap (none of this all at once. C'mon, I'm not a crazy hoarder-type-guy. Really. I mean it),

-and hasn't been shot yet, let me know if I can give any tips. 🤣
Click to expand...

....dude- you should start fly-fishing!
 
fluketamer said:
i have two stupid questions re the ac in the box idea.
1) is there an issue with exhaust from the ac . does the unit have to blow to the outside of the house or can it just be in say the basement without ventilation.?
2) i thought all window AC's drip water to the outside. what do you do about the water or is your unit hanging outside the house in a window and the box built around it?
i have a few extra window units lying around and i am not technically inclined enough to make a diy glycol unit. i would like to try this to add more fermenting space.


thanks
Click to expand...
I've never noticed any water dripping anywhere. But. I live in an area were the normal relative humidity is under 20% so there's not much water in our air to condense. My unit sits in the middle of my workshop, unvented, and usually in the way of whatever else I'm doing. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I made the thermowell by taking a piece of keg dip tube and sealing the bottom end so the temp probe sits in the middle of the fermenter.
 
fluketamer said:
i thought about a mill to save money on crushed grains as a few of the hbs charge per pound for milling. i descided it would take me a couple of years to get roi.
plus it would take up more space
1) although you can customize your crush a lot of hbs stores do offer the option of biab milling vs traditional milling.
2) i dont think any hbs would stock precrushed grains it doesnt make any sense . i cant imagine they wouldnt crush the grains when needed and let them sit around crushed. so i doubt freshness of crushed grains is a problem. the 4 or 5 hbs i have been to all crush the grains when you purchase them. i cant vouch for the big online sellers but it would make sense they do the same.,
3) the shelf life or crush grains although anecdotally shorter than unmilled grains is controversial . my crushed grains are stored for no more than 4 weeks before being mashed. i cant taste the difference between grains mashed the day after delivery vs the the crushed grain mashed 4 weeks after they were delivered. maybe if it sat crushed for say a few months it might get oxidized to the point of making a difference but i havent researched studies on this.
Click to expand...
Wow. I’ve never heard of lhbs charging to mill grains.
 
I bought my mill (the Cereal Killer) around 2 years ago when I began buying grain in bulk opposed to buying individual recipe kits. Now I buy 50 lbs of 2-row and a mix of other malts between 5-10 lb increments, I always have a few packs of dry yeast on hand, and a freezer stocked with hops- this allows me to brew at any time without having to order ahead.
 
Last edited:
Ninoid said:
I've been brewing beer for over six years now and have over 200 batches and I haven't bought a mill yet. I don't have room for it in my apartment, I buy small amounts of grain, and my supplier always grinds it for free.
Although, I agree that it is better to have your own mill and buy grain unmilled.
Click to expand...
Buy a Corona type mill and a decently powered drill. That's all you need! I'm not looking back to these days where ground malt would go stale when lying around.
 
SacSudz said:
I'm a fairly new homebrewer. I've made about 2 dozen batches of beer over the last year in a half. It's been a fun hobby and I still feel like I'm learning during every batch.

One thing I've always struggled with was hitting my numbers. No matter how closely I followed the recipe I always fell short. I always make all-grain beer buying pre-milled grain from More Beer. After thinking about it I felt I wasn't getting the most out of my mash. So I decided to buy a grain mill to see if I can improve my brewing experience.

And man has it made a difference. I bought 4 all-grain recipe kits unmilled. Immediately I started hitting my numbers and my beers have been great. I can't recommend enough taking the splurge and buying a grain mill, especially if you're making all-grain beers. It's been one of the best things I've ever bought for my brewing and wish I would had done it sooner.
Click to expand...
Now get a water report and learn to adjust your mash ph and watch your numbers go even higher.
 

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