Wonder Mill grinds too fine?

[puttster]

I ran some grain through a WonderMill I picked up for cheap. Iin a test run it was fast and easy but even on the "coarse" setting the result was as fine as flour. I'm hoping the crush won't fall out of the net!
I gather from some comments here that this is not a problem with BIAB, can I get a definite "No problem" on that? also, should I reduce my mash time or make any other adjustments?

edit: Well, I was able to answer my own question about the flour falling through the mesh in the bag, IT DOES. I shook the bag with a half pound of crushed wheat inside it and lost 3/4 of the flour through the mesh. So unless there is a solution to that problem, the answer is... don't use a flour mill for brewing..

 

[Foosier]

what kind of bag are you using? Using a high quality bag with a tight mesh, like polyester voile, should make it hard for even flour to escape.

 

[puttster]

The bag is just what they handed me at the homebrew store. I'll ask for a tighter one next time I'm there.

 

[IslandLizard]

Take your bag and go to a Walmart and look at the voile curtains. If they're finer than the bag you got from the brewstore, make a great BIAB bag from that. You'll need a sewing machine or someone who can do it for you.

I've seen the BSG bags and they are coarse as heck! I doubt your brewstore has finer ones, they only have one supplier for that stuff usually (BSG).

@wilserbrewer, a vendor here, sells them too. From what I read they work very well and are built like no other. They're also a bit coarser mesh.

Forgot to say, BIAB grist should be very fine. That's where you guys can get that awesome efficiency from, 85-90% using a dunk sparge!

 

[wilserbrewer]

@wilserbrewer, a vendor here, sells them too. From what I read they work very well and are built like no other. They're also a bit coarser mesh.

Coarser mesh??? Wilserbrewer uses very fine poly voile material. So fine I would be afraid to go any finer. Never heard anyone claim our bags are coarse

Poly voile is around 300 micron, way finer than the human eye can gauge.

Sorry OP, not sure about the Wonder Mill, but a corona from discount Tommy is $25 - $30 shipped.

 

[puttster]

Did you test it? 300 microns may be too big. According to QA magazine, an even tighter mesh, 250 microns, will trap insects (good) but will let flour pass through (bad). http://www.qualityassurancemag.com/article/qa1214-insect-infestation-flour-prevention/

 

[burtom]

I've used wilserbrewer bags and I have made flour, basically setting the gap on my roller as tight as I could and still get he grain through with no trouble. 30 minute mash and 85% efficiency. Also if some gets through it is not a big deal the flour dust would settle right out during fermentation.

By the way thanks wilserbrewer.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Did you test it? 300 microns may be too big. According to QA magazine, an even tighter mesh, 250 microns, will trap insects (good) but will let flour pass through (bad). http://www.qualityassurancemag.com/article/qa1214-insect-infestation-flour-prevention/

No, I have never tested the voile fabric to determine micron size. More importantly thousands of bags are in use and producing good results.

I feel your reasoning is skewed, if a bag were so fine to trap flour, I'm pretty sure it would clog and be troublesome for laughtering.

Adding dry grist to any brewing lautering system including a bag will pass the flour, but it is a different condition when the grist is wet and becomes a mash IMO.

Aussie brewers have been known to add baking flour to the grist as an adjunct without issue.

I think your mill is too fine and your bag too coarse, change none, one or both up to you...

Brew a small batch, you may likely be surprised that it works. Perhaps not optimal with a bit more trub than you like, but that all settles out in the long run.

 

[IslandLizard]

I feel your reasoning is skewed, if a bag were so fine to trap flour, I'm pretty sure it would clog and be troublesome for [lautering].

I use very fine mesh hop sacks (mesh opening ~150 micron) to filter the last gallon of trubby wort through and they do tend to plug up, especially when forcing it through by squeezing.

Adding dry grist to any brewing lautering system including a bag will pass the flour, but it is a different condition when the grist is wet and becomes a mash IMO.

I also wanted to say this. Sifting dry, milled grist through that bag is NOT a valid test for how it performs in a BIAB mash, for which it was designed.

Brew a small batch, you may likely be surprised that it works. Perhaps not optimal with a bit more trub than you like, but that all settles out in the long run.

You could filter that last trubby, floury mix with said hop sack I mentioned above.

 

[C-Rider]

I second using a bag from wilserbrewer. I have one and use a blender to crush my grain to flour. No problem w/grain falling thru the bag and I've brewed a number of 2nd place beers this way.

 

[puttster]

Last batch, started with the Wondermill, grinding about one pound into flour but then decided to go with the Corona mill instead. After dumping the Corona grind into the bag in the water I dumped in the flour, too. The flour immediately clumped up into ping pong sized clumps. I spent a lot of time smushing them to get the insides exposed to the water. As the temperature of my mash fell into the 150s, I quit smushing and put the lid back on.

I'm not sure if the flour balls all eventually dissolved or not.

 

[RM-MN]

Last batch, started with the Wondermill, grinding about one pound into flour but then decided to go with the Corona mill instead. After dumping the Corona grind into the bag in the water I dumped in the flour, too. The flour immediately clumped up into ping pong sized clumps. I spent a lot of time smushing them to get the insides exposed to the water. As the temperature of my mash fell into the 150s, I quit smushing and put the lid back on.

I'm not sure if the flour balls all eventually dissolved or not.

Next time use a wire whisk to break up those dough balls. It's faster and more effective than smushing them with a spoon. If your grains were milled fine with the Corona mill the falling temp probably didn't hurt as finely milled base malts convert very quickly.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Next time use a wire whisk to break up those dough balls. It's faster and more effective than smushing them with a spoon. If your grains were milled fine with the Corona mill the falling temp probably didn't hurt as finely milled base malts convert very quickly.

+1 on the use of a whisk. I have a long commercial whisk from Cash and Carry that works wonders on those dough balls.

 

[flars]

Isn't the Wonder Mil for grinding grains into flour. Even coarse flour for baking may be too fine mashing grains.

 

[kh54s10]

It is interesting the arguing about Wilserbrewer bags with Wilserbrewer himself. I don't know of many suppliers with a better reputation..... If I did BIAB in larger that 3 gallons, Wilserbrewer would be the way I would go.

And, IMO, yes you can grind grain too finely for BIAB. Use a grain mill that people are using for brewing, not one that is made for making flour.