Grain Mills - What's Your Experience?

[terrym]

I am thinking of buying a small grain mill and have noted that some members use them. So I thought a thread about grain mills might be useful so folks could share their knowledge.

First off I notice some say whole grain keeps fresher longer than pre-crushed (how do you know?), and BH efficiency rises when you mill your own grain. What are the other benefits?

I was thinking of buying something like the one below. They are currently about £20 on ebay.

I have seen some members have them, so ....
- how good are they at doing the job
- how adjustable is the output size and how do you know when you have got it right
- how long does it take to mill grain say a kilo
- are they durable or do they fall apart after the first use
- are they worth £20!

Otherwise what do folks use, apart from the one I have mentioned above?

Has anyone bought a mill and then gone back to pre-crushed grain?

And of course, is it worth buying and using a grain mill vs. the convenience of having grain that has been pre-crushed for you

 

[MickDundee]

I think if you plan to crush 5kg or so of base malt you are better to spend £100 or so on a “proper” grain mill. You can fit 3-4kg (sometimes more) in the hopper and if you attach a power drill you can grind the lot in less than 5mins.

I have one of the Bulldog mills and it does what it needs to do, I’m very happy with it.

Got my eye on an upgrade in the next couple of years now that I’ve seen ones coming out with dials to adjust the roller width(I currently use feeler gauges and a screwdriver), or with built in motors, coming to the market.

 

[Oneflewover]

I mill my own grain and have a 'Barley Crusher' 2 roller mill. It's a good bit of kit. I condition my grain before milling, and this has several benefits. The husk stays pretty much intact, even with rollers close together, apparently reducing tannin extraction. Dunno about that but dampening of the grains the means that flour doesn't fly everywhere and the husks staying intact helps massively with avoiding a stuck mash.

 

[jceg316]

I can't remember what brand mill I have, it's a 2 roller drill operated one and I'm really pleased I can use a drill to crush the grain! In terms of benefits, very few process changes in homebrewing result in a clear difference from before and after, but after getting a mill the malt character really came through in my beers in a noticeable way.

 

[Henders]

Hey Terry. I have the one you link to. As others say, it's a bit of a chore when working with 3-5kg. I did a 1kg worth the other day and that easy enough. I have done the following to make it work nicer:

1. Couple of spacers/washers in the right place to help set the grind.
2. Used some L brackets to attach it to a piece of wood.
3. Found a bucket to sit it on where it doesn't go everywhere else.
4. Added a spax head of whatever bolt in place of the handle so I can use the drill.

Point 4 is obviously the biggest one and makes things a lot easier. When I have finished my garage building I'll make it connect solidly to the bucket and then Ill struggle to justify getting rid. Also it only cost me about £10.

Function wise, when I was trying I could get decent efficiency, 80% upwards. I.e. in my opinion the mill wasn't/isn't the limiting factor for me.

Sorry, am on a call so trying to multitask ha! Yeah I've had it for 2 or 3 years, dozen or more brews. Biggest slow-down is the hopper size. Can be solved.

 

[peebee]

A "chore" when grinding a reasonable amount of grain; it certainly is. Although the "£100" grinders only come with an option to attach a drill, otherwise it's a handle as well. But @Henders does mention that you can modify cheapo grinders like the one linked to use a drill.

Grinders like the one linked have a reputation of tearing up the husks. Three roller grinders may actively prevent tearing (shredding) up the husks? So I guess that makes two-roller grinders (like I have) middle-of-the-road.

"Conditioning" (dampening) the grain keeps the husks pliable and less prone to shredding. Also reduces dust, which grinding can produce loads of.

Altering the grind depending on what you're grinding is becoming popular these days - over trying to dictate what the grind gap should be set to: Such as The Perfect Crush - Brew Your Own . There was a good article with (I think) Malt Miller, somewhere?

 

[Henders]

I like to think that with the big boy grinders/mills I could 3D print it up a bit and attach a proper motor, although there isn't really that much point for 5 minutes milling!

I did try dampening the grain once, but then used my water sprayer for something that wasn't water and never got round to an acceptable (to me!) way to spread the grain out, mist all over it, then process it. My brain wants a gigantic baking tray/malting floor, which is unfeasible.

I did once set the mill too close and ended up with a lot of flour. I think that's when I added the washers so I could get it set accurately. Otherwise the plate could move/pivot about a bit.

To get specific on the "How long does it take for mill 1kg?" I'd say less than 3 minutes really. I think it was two hopper loads, and I also forgot and had the drill on slow instead of fast, which was probably good to avoid spray. One thing is it can spray about a bit and OH MAN I forgot another mod. This thing to help reduce spray and direct it all down. If I ever make my printer work again I think this one would be even better. A makeshift solution is carrier bags/plastic sheets draped around it to avoid it going everywhere.

EDIT: In some parts of the world/America they are known as a Corona Mill apparently. Might make it easier to find info elsewhere.

 

[LeeH]

Millars Pilot for me but at the opposite end of the spectrum to Corona mill.

It will out live me.

 

[Cwrw666]

I've got one of the cheap grain grinders like was shown in the OP. Took a bit of fiddling with to get it to work as it wouldn't work when it came out of the box. Must have done at least 50 brews with it since then and wouldn't be without it.
I usually do 4 gallon brews so that's about 3 Kg of pale malt. When I fill the boiler and put it on to heat it takes exactly the time to get up to mash that I can - weigh out all my ingredients, attach the mill to the table in my shed, and grind all the pale malt. So it doesn't add to the length of brew day. Gets you warm though!
I get much greater efficiency doing this (I do BIAB BTW) - 83% last time I calculated it. Whereas I've previously had low 60s with pre-crushed. I think the finer grind might help.

 

[foxbat]

I've got the 3 roller mill. It wasn't that much more than the 2 roller at the time I bought it and I thought it would last a lifetime so I paid up and it does indeed feel like it'll last forever. It'll take a 4.5kg grain bill in the hopper in one go with 5kg probably being the comfortable limit.

I've mounted it on a piece of wood that sits on top of an old 15 litre fermenter and I spend 5 minutes grinding with the manual handle while my water's heating up so that my malt is as freshly ground as it can be. Afterwards I just dust off the rollers and hopper and put it back in the box.

 

[RichardM]

I've got the 3 roller mill. It wasn't that much more than the 2 roller at the time I bought it and I thought it would last a lifetime so I paid up and it does indeed feel like it'll last forever. It'll take a 4.5kg grain bill in the hopper in one go with 5kg probably being the comfortable limit.

I've mounted it on a piece of wood that sits on top of an old 15 litre fermenter and I spend 5 minutes grinding with the manual handle while my water's heating up so that my malt is as freshly ground as it can be. Afterwards I just dust off the rollers and hopper and put it back in the box.

Much the same for me. The one thing I would add is that my efficiency has gone up since I got the mill and can set gap to what I want

 

[Smileyr8]

I have one of these, Bulldog Malt Mill pretty sure it was around the £50 mark it works well but does take a fair amount of time with the drill attachment, should hate to have to do a batch using the handle.

Edit just seen the current price £100+

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I use this puppy, which I got from Amazon but I’m a bit shocked to see it now priced at £135 - when did that happen!

The hopper holds about 2.5Kg of grain and I drive it with an electric drill, it would take forever to mill by hand.

 

[cushyno]

I bought a mill like that in the OP. Got mine on eBay for a snip at less than 12 quid including postage back in Feb 2020.

Well worth a go if you don't want to spend much.

The mill is adjustable.
It's fairly indestructible.
Casting tolerances are woeful, though the design allows for both simple manufacture and use. Don't expect a precision piece of kit.
However, it is adjustable and if enough simple care is given to making the grinding faces parallel, once adjusted it holds the milling gap about right.

I made three simple modifications that make it perfect fit my needs. And these are simple to do:

1. Create a tall hopper by nesting two 5l water bottles.
2. Create a cowl for the grinding faces out of a takeaway tub, which stops dust and directs the grain downwards.
3. A couple of bolts one with the head filed down and back to back, so as to drive the mill with a drill.

I'll find photos if I can...

Hopper holds 4.5kg of grain.

 

[user 18729]

I have one of these, Bulldog Malt Mill pretty sure it was around the £50 mark it works well but does take a fair amount of time with the drill attachment, should hate to have to do a batch using the handle.

Edit just seen the current price £100+

I’ve got that one. Build quality is a bit rubbish, the bush that acts like a bearing on the main spindle keeps popping out after a bit of use so I’ve removed the end cover to allow me to push it back in when milling. Needs a circlip or something to hold it in, really annoying.

That said it’s great fun milling grain. I’ve experimented with crush size and I haven’t noticed any increase in efficiency yet

 

[Henders]

Cushy! I go over complicating with 3d printing and a Chinese takeaway box does it! might even be better! And the drinks bottle of course, so simple! And maybe an excuse for a takeaway then, two birds one stone. :)

 

[cushyno]

Cushy! I go over complicating with 3d printing and a Chinese takeaway box does it! might even be better! And the drinks bottle of course, so simple! And maybe an excuse for a takeaway then, two birds one stone. :)

The hopper is two upturned bottled water containers, top one with both ends cut off, lower one with its bottom cut off and the tapered neck sits inside the rim of a supermarket tub of olives. The olive tub is clamped to the standard steel hopper with curtain hooks that just snap on.

I got lucky.

 

[foxy]

Really the only way to know if your grain is fresh is tasting them, buying as a bulk purchase 25 kg and the date will be on the bag.
A purpose built roller mill will give a better crush, keeping the grain husk intact and small pieces of kibble.
But commercial brewers use a hammer mill and simply smash the lot into powder, husks and all, must be their process down the line which knocks out any polyphenols, not sure how or why it is so different to home brewers crush size.

 

[yeastinfection]

just looking at vevor ,,theres a 3 roller mill for £77 with free shipping, having said that ive never used or heard of the site,

 

[yeastinfection]

mill