Why'd you pick the grain mill you did?

[Cheesefood]

Thanks, that sounds like my corded drill. It sounds like from the link Cheese posted (thanks, bro!) that the Crankenstein, while a bit more robust, needs a bit more OOMPH to power it.

That's fo' shizzle. My 18v cordless couldn't turn wheat through it. You do get a fantastic crush out of it though. I've yet to get lower than high 70's on efficiency.

 

[Glibbidy]

You can try out my barley crusher for yourself on Saturday morning.

 

[the_bird]

Beauty. I bought un-crushed grains this time so things would be as fresh as possible. I couldn't remember which model you had purchased, I just remember being a wee bit too late to grab the Corona from you!

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

That Barley Crusher looks like a good deal. Is it easy to hook up an electric drill to it?

 

[BierMuncher]

That Barley Crusher looks like a good deal. Is it easy to hook up an electric drill to it?

Absolutely nothin to it. Remove the handle and on goes the drill. No modifications needed at all.

 

[Calico Jack]

Just bought the barleycrusher last week. It's en route. Decided to go with it based on reviews and research.

 

[davidkrau]

I bought the Barley Crusher because it was the best bang for the buck. It works great with an electric drill.

 

[JeffNYC]

Northern Brewer is out of them per their website. Serves me right for waiting...

 

[Desert_Sky]

I gotta ask....


does anyone here actually use their handle instead of a drill? Do your arms look like Popeye's?

 

[BierMuncher]

I gotta ask....Do your arms look like Popeye's?

Yeah...but not because I crank my mill....

 

[BierMuncher]

Great customer service from Randy on my Barley Crusher.

Had an issue with the handle being stuck and he sent me a new one within 3 days. Also sent me a UPS prepaid stick-on label so I could return the old at no expense.

 

[The Pol]

I am getting a Barley Crusher for Xmas... my wife just does not know it yet! Then I am getting #55 of pilsner and #55 of wheat malt and making some serious Heffe!

 

[Reverend JC]

The Crankandstein is the only way to go for me. Keep in mind i have never used the BC, but there is not need when right out of the box i get 75 to 80% Eff. with zero extra effort on my part. Sure I had to build a hopper but i enjoy little tinkering projects, plus i could make the hopper as large as i wanted too.

 

[Shoopdog]

Northern Brewer is out of them per their website. Serves me right for waiting...

Order directly from the website using a Paypal account...mine will be here tomorrow. Very quick shipping.

 

[devils4ever]

Great customer service from Randy on my Barley Crusher.

Had an issue with the handle being stuck and he sent me a new one within 3 days. Also sent me a UPS prepaid stick-on label so I could return the old at no expense.

View attachment 2819

View attachment 2820

View attachment 2821

Wow! Is that how crushed grain is supposed to look? I just did my first AG last weekend and I bought precrushed grain from Austin Homebrew. It looked like it was barely crushed. I almost thought they forgot to crush it except for some "flour" on the bottom of the bag. Maybe I should start crushing my old grains. My efficiency was only 62%!!!

 

[Shoopdog]

Hey BierMuncher...Did you adjust your mill, or is that a crush from the factory setting?

 

[avidhomebrewer]

I bought a CrankandStein several years ago. I did quite a bit of research on mills in general. I ended up going with a 3 roller mill that cost about $150 and it is fully adjustable. That is one main thing that I was looking for in a mill. This mill is pretty fast (it can go through about 10# in a couple of minutes) with an excellent crush. True, you do have to have a hopper. I went to Fleet Farm (a store that carries just about everything) and bought a metal funnel that holds 10# of grain for about $10. It is the type used for pouring diesel in tractors and such. I used to use a Corona and it took forever to hand-crank to crush the grain. Now I hook up my drill and I'm off and running. Also, they offer a lifetime re-knurling of the rollers.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

I bought the 3 roll Crankenstein because I like the idea of two crushes in one pass. Does a fantastic job.

+1 Just ordered it tonight based on the reviews and reputation.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

Just saw this if someone is still looking.

Crankandstien on eBay

 

[b33rm3]

my Barley Crusher and Oatmeal stout grains should be coming tomorrow (friday).

 

[tbulger]

Just saw this if someone is still looking.

Crankandstien on eBay

I had hoped that no one would blow this up on here, so keep it quiet.

 

[BierMuncher]

Wow! Is that how crushed grain is supposed to look? I just did my first AG last weekend and I bought precrushed grain from Austin Homebrew. It looked like it was barely crushed. I almost thought they forgot to crush it except for some "flour" on the bottom of the bag. Maybe I should start crushing my old grains. My efficiency was only 62%!!!

That’s why people who get mills immediately report an increase in efficiency. Does the grain need to be THAT crushed? No.

I actually ran the batch through twice on the factory setting. Trying to close that gap too much on an initial run can be a little strenuous. I’d [refer to crush, examine and repeat if necessary.

I just wanted to see how far I could take the crush before experiencing a stuck sparge. For this batch, I did have a “slower” runoff but no where near stuck. I also got about a 78% efficiency. (5.2Ph Stabilizer is my next plan of attack.)

 

[devils4ever]

That’s why people who get mills immediately report an increase in efficiency. Does the grain need to be THAT crushed? No.

I actually ran the batch through twice on the factory setting. Trying to close that gap too much on an initial run can be a little strenuous. I’d [refer to crush, examine and repeat if necessary.

I just wanted to see how far I could take the crush before experiencing a stuck sparge. For this batch, I did have a “slower” runoff but no where near stuck. I also got about a 78% efficiency. (5.2Ph Stabilizer is my next plan of attack.)

Yeah, I was really unsure if my grain was actually crushed. After I saw some flour in the bottom of the bag, I assumed they did crush it. But, after seeing your crushed grain, I think I need a grain mill now!!!:rockin:

My first AG experience has already taught me many things. And cost me lots of $$$. It looks like a Barley Crusher is in my future.

 

[the_bird]

I finally realized - the idiot that I am - why no homebrew shop, local or online, does a good job crushing their grain.

If they give you a bad crush, you end up doing one of two things.

1. You buy more grain to compensate for the low efficiency, or
2. You buy a mill from them and do it yourself.

BRILLIANTLY evil...

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Thanks, that sounds like my corded drill. It sounds like from the link Cheese posted (thanks, bro!) that the Crankenstein, while a bit more robust, needs a bit more OOMPH to power it.

A decent drill takes care of that. My 18v DeWalt goes through 25# of grain on my Cranknstein in no time. Building a hopper was easy, too. I built one out of ductwork. I like the 5 gallon bottle idea, too.

 

[WBC]

A decent drill takes care of that. My 18v DeWalt goes through 25# of grain on my Cranknstein in no time. Building a hopper was easy, too. I built one out of ductwork. I like the 5 gallon bottle idea, too.

I bought the Crankandstein and am totally pleased. It comes pregapped with a hopper and wood base and is ready to go. Just hooked up my 1/2 in drill chuck to the crusher shaft with flats so it won't spin on the shaft and I got a good crush the first time. The crankandstein is a good choice if you do not want to fool around making hoppers.

 

[ajf]

Why did I buy the JSP (non adjustable) mill?
I had money in my pocket, and it was available at a great price. It paid for itself in less than 6 months.

I finally realized - the idiot that I am - why no homebrew shop, local or online, does a good job crushing their grain.

If they give you a bad crush, you end up doing one of two things.

1. You buy more grain to compensate for the low efficiency, or
2. You buy a mill from them and do it yourself.

BRILLIANTLY evil...

I have to disagree here. My LHBS doesn't crush the grain. They let you do it yourself, using the same mills that they sold me. (They have one mill for light grain, and one for dark).
If you don't like the crush, re-mill it.
Yes, I did buy the mill from them, but it allowed me to buy bulk grain instead of the overpriced 10 lb bags.
They saved me time and money, but made me a happy customer that keeps going back to them.

Isn't this the way things are supposed to work?

-a.

 

[Shoopdog]

Silly question...I just received my Barley Crusher and it is beautiful. Why do the directions state to run half a pound of grain through the mill and throw it away if it is the first time the mill is used, or it has sat a while?

 

[ajf]

To get rid of the machining oils, mouse droppings, rancid grain residue, bacteria, dust etc.

-a.

 

[tbulger]

Just ordered the barley crusher. I need to get a sack o'grain this weekend!