Jump to content


Photo
- - - - -

Grain mill?


  • Please log in to reply
43 replies to this topic

#21 HVB

HVB

    No Life

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 18047 posts

Posted 24 November 2015 - 08:07 AM


 

$25 premium for a hopper extension that uses about about $1.50 in sheet metal?  Ummmm...

 

I would rather maybe a plywood extension with what I have laying around.



#22 3rd party JKor

3rd party JKor

    Puller of Meats

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 63975 posts
  • LocationNW of Boston

Posted 24 November 2015 - 08:16 AM

I built my own hopper for the MM-3.  It's ghetto, but it was only a few bucks.



#23 HVB

HVB

    No Life

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 18047 posts

Posted 24 November 2015 - 08:21 AM

I built my own hopper for the MM-3.  It's ghetto, but it was only a few bucks.

my hopper is a 5g water jug.



#24 3rd party JKor

3rd party JKor

    Puller of Meats

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 63975 posts
  • LocationNW of Boston

Posted 24 November 2015 - 09:53 AM

my hopper is a 5g water jug.

 

 

That's how we do it!



#25 SchwanzBrewer

SchwanzBrewer

    Grand Duke of Inappropriate Announcements

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 34299 posts
  • LocationKnee deep in business plans

Posted 24 November 2015 - 10:01 AM

Jim Boney makes a great mill. He has some smaller ones for homebrewing but they are pricey. I have his biggest one and it's a fecking beast. I milled 94 lbs in under 2 minutes for my last batch. 

 

maltmills.com



#26 gnef

gnef

    Frequent Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 2533 posts
  • LocationAtlanta

Posted 26 November 2015 - 12:35 AM

I've been using a crankandstein basic 2 roller mill for nearly a decade now. The only wear I have seen on it was when there was a rock in my grain, and the roller kept going before I could turn off the power. Other than that, the knurls still look great.

 

With that said, I bought it when Fred was running the front end, and he is who I dealt with. If I were to buy a mill now, I would most definitely get a monster mill. I'd like to say I'd get the 3 roller with 2 inch hardened steel rollers, but that gets pricey really quickly, and I probably wouldn't go that far. I can dream though!



#27 3rd party JKor

3rd party JKor

    Puller of Meats

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 63975 posts
  • LocationNW of Boston

Posted 26 November 2015 - 07:03 AM

I'd like to say I'd get the 3 roller with 2 inch hardened steel rollers, but that gets pricey really quickly, and I probably wouldn't go that far. I can dream though!

 

 

Says the man with a walk-in cooler and 16 all stainless steel taps.  :D



#28 gnef

gnef

    Frequent Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 2533 posts
  • LocationAtlanta

Posted 26 November 2015 - 10:45 AM

Says the man with a walk-in cooler and 16 all stainless steel taps.  :D

Ha! It is actually only 14 right now (though I have thought about adding another two).

 

I am actually quite happy with my crush right now, and I know the 3 roller would produce an even better crush, I just really can't justify that cost. There are so many other things I want to spend money on right now!



#29 BarelyBrews

BarelyBrews

    Frequent Member

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 1631 posts
  • LocationMichigan

Posted 26 November 2015 - 01:14 PM

I like my Barley Crusher w/15 lb hopper. I need to use it again...



#30 gnef

gnef

    Frequent Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 2533 posts
  • LocationAtlanta

Posted 26 November 2015 - 05:23 PM

My only caution with the barley crusher is that depending on how much you brew, you can actually wear out the knurls quickly. There are many reports of people who have worn their knurls in both directions, and with overall very poor support from the guy who runs the company. If you aren't brewing that much, and don't go through that much grain, you should be fine. If you brew a good amount, or just want your mill to outlast you, the alloys that Monster Mill is using is a considerable upgrade.



#31 positiveContact

positiveContact

    Anti-Brag Queen

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 68886 posts
  • LocationLimbo

Posted 27 November 2015 - 04:21 AM

My only caution with the barley crusher is that depending on how much you brew, you can actually wear out the knurls quickly. There are many reports of people who have worn their knurls in both directions, and with overall very poor support from the guy who runs the company. If you aren't brewing that much, and don't go through that much grain, you should be fine. If you brew a good amount, or just want your mill to outlast you, the alloys that Monster Mill is using is a considerable upgrade.

 

how many batches are you talking?  I've had mine for at least 6 years I think and nearly all of the beer I drink is my own.  I have not had to flip the rollers yet.



#32 Steve Urquell

Steve Urquell

    Hot Loader

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 3874 posts
  • LocationOzarks

Posted 27 November 2015 - 05:39 AM

I dont think the barley crusher issue is solely related to roller wear. My brewing buddy's BC started that crap pretty early on after buying it. He would take it apart frequently and clean it and it would briefly start feeding right for awhile--rinse/repeat.

He ended up sending it in for warranty and then selling it after he recieved it back. The BC has a long history of these issues.

Edited by chils, 27 November 2015 - 05:43 AM.


#33 positiveContact

positiveContact

    Anti-Brag Queen

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 68886 posts
  • LocationLimbo

Posted 27 November 2015 - 06:40 AM

could have sworn I just responded but I see I did not...

 

I had a feeding problem the first time I tried to use it and maybe 5 or 6 times since.  all of those times all i had to do was dump the grain out, put it back in and it fed no problem.  I'm not sure what happens when it won't feed.



#34 Steve Urquell

Steve Urquell

    Hot Loader

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 3874 posts
  • LocationOzarks

Posted 27 November 2015 - 07:10 AM

could have sworn I just responded but I see I did not...
 
I had a feeding problem the first time I tried to use it and maybe 5 or 6 times since.  all of those times all i had to do was dump the grain out, put it back in and it fed no problem.  I'm not sure what happens when it won't feed.

I read several threads on various forums about the issue when my buddy started having problems. Many think the small roller size has something to do with it. Maybe grain against a small surface causes it to be held in place from the pressure? First time I picked up his mill after having a JSP for years I was shocked at how small and light it was.

One brewer on my former brewing forum gave up trying to get his BC to feed right after warranty/cleaning/etc failed and now double mills his grain using two different settings. First pass wide, second pass narrower.

#35 gnef

gnef

    Frequent Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 2533 posts
  • LocationAtlanta

Posted 27 November 2015 - 04:08 PM

I read several threads on various forums about the issue when my buddy started having problems. Many think the small roller size has something to do with it. Maybe grain against a small surface causes it to be held in place from the pressure? First time I picked up his mill after having a JSP for years I was shocked at how small and light it was.

One brewer on my former brewing forum gave up trying to get his BC to feed right after warranty/cleaning/etc failed and now double mills his grain using two different settings. First pass wide, second pass narrower.

Yup, I did some reading up on this a while ago, and I found way too many posts and threads over the internet for it to be just a random issue. What made me most hesitant was the response people were getting from the owner, he didn't seem to be the most responsive and blamed the users consistently from what I recall.

 

Evil_Morty, if yours is working great for you, I hope it continues to do so! I can't remember how much grain it took for some people to have issues with their mill, or in some cases to wear through the knurls. I am sure if you do a quick search for barley crusher problems, you will be able to find both old and new info though.



#36 BarelyBrews

BarelyBrews

    Frequent Member

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 1631 posts
  • LocationMichigan

Posted 27 November 2015 - 04:40 PM

could have sworn I just responded but I see I did not...

 

I had a feeding problem the first time I tried to use it and maybe 5 or 6 times since.  all of those times all i had to do was dump the grain out, put it back in and it fed no problem.  I'm not sure what happens when it won't feed.

this happens to me too. Not a big deal.



#37 porter

porter

    Comptroller of Affairs with Potatoes

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 18999 posts
  • LocationColorado Springs, CO

Posted 29 November 2015 - 01:02 AM

My only caution with the barley crusher is that depending on how much you brew, you can actually wear out the knurls quickly. There are many reports of people who have worn their knurls in both directions, and with overall very poor support from the guy who runs the company. If you aren't brewing that much, and don't go through that much grain, you should be fine. If you brew a good amount, or just want your mill to outlast you, the alloys that Monster Mill is using is a considerable upgrade.

 

 

These reports are why I was leaning towards the Monster Mill. No way to validate them, so perhaps unfair, but searching forum responses seems to work as a research tool for me. I have no idea how long I'll brew, but I like the idea of getting a mill that will last my entire brewing career (I brew once a month or so, when active) and could potentially be passed on.



#38 gnef

gnef

    Frequent Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 2533 posts
  • LocationAtlanta

Posted 29 November 2015 - 09:44 AM

Definitely! I like something that is durable. My crankandstein has actually been quite sturdy. I'm not entirely sure of the alloy used for the rollers, but the last time I looked, the knurls looked to be in excellent condition except for where the rock wore it down some.

 

I do have some random sticking issues when starting, but a quick turn of the idle roller fixes it for the rest of the milling. I need to use the air compressor and clean it out more regularly, as well as oil the bushings, which I've actually never done.



#39 ChefLamont

ChefLamont

    Comptroller of Fear

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 9726 posts
  • LocationAtlanta

Posted 02 December 2015 - 06:55 AM

Full disclosure: I am friends with Fred who owns Monster Brewing Hardware and own and MM-3 2.0 that will outlast me.  It is an awesome mill, but, yes, it is stupid expensive.

 

The question of 3-roller vs 2-roller comes up quite often.  When I have gone to NHC with Fred before and have helped him work his table in the vendor area, that question along with variations of the somewhat noob question of "why would I want to own my own mill when the LHBS has one?" was by far the most common.  I would say the 3 vs 2 was probably tops. 

 

The theory behind the difference is that having two gaps the grain runs through vs one you can use a larger gap on the second one and get just as good a crush on the grain but leave the husk more intact.  This will help with lautering.  Similarly, if you want to increase efficiency, you can crank the gap down more and get a fine(er) crush but still have more intact husk material to lauter with.  I remember Fred did some sieve work on the crushes a couple of years ago. While it wasn't an exhaustive research-grade analysis or anything, I seem to remember that it pretty well confirmed what I am saying.  Extrapolate it out, and this is why the large brewery mills are 6-roller.

 

Now, having said all that, this does not mean that 3-rollers are good and 2-rollers are bad or some nonsense like that.  Realistically, on a homebrew scale a 2-roller is absolutely fine.  Homebrewers don't have to worry about the same things pros do in that grain bed depths are not as deep and likely to stick, small changes in efficiency affect cost/profit, etc.  You can get a 2 roller like the MM-2, get it dialed in for your system, and be perfectly happy for the rest of your brewing life. No question.  When Fred started Monster, I got to test one of his first prototype MM-2 mills.  I put it up against my CrankandStein 3-roller - the first and only mill I had owned to that point.  I distinctly remember thinking, "Damn, the crush on that 2-roller is nice."  If my 3-roller went away for whatever reason, I would have no qualms about getting and using a 2-roller.

 

The thing to remember is that consistency is the game.  You want to be able to predictably hit an efficiency every time and not stick the sparge.  The number of rollers is a factor in that but a very small factor and one that is arguably important for the homebrewer to consider.

 

 

my 2 cents.



#40 ChefLamont

ChefLamont

    Comptroller of Fear

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 9726 posts
  • LocationAtlanta

Posted 02 December 2015 - 07:09 AM

As a matter of comparison, this is a picture of my MM-3 2.0 compared to my old C&S 3 roller. 

 

P1010140.jpg

 

 

This was the milling cart I built for it.  I had not yet cut out the middle shelf and built the place where the receiving bucket goes in, but you get the idea.

 

 

22TopsideComplete3.jpg




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users