I know there are tons of mill topics but no updates with what they ended up buying and how they like it.
I don’t do a ton of brewing but I want to be able to have a little more freedom when it comes to buying grain. I don’t want to have to buy exact amount per recipe so I can have it milled. Also I don’t want to buy crushed grains and have them sit around if something comes up. Another thing is I want to be able to achieve the crush of my preference. Seemed like the grains I ordered from my LHBS had an excessive amount of flour in the bag. Maybe it was normal though as I haven’t milled grains myself before. Seemed like even with my brew bag there was a thick paste in the kettle. Which may have been the astringent flavor I tasted.
I figure $100 or so would be worth it. I’m set up for BIAB. Like brewing equipment I’d rather buy upfront and not have to upgrade down the road. With that said it would see a crazy amount of grains. Seems like the Cereal Killer was a good deal at $99 or the Barley Crusher at $149. I’ve researched the jsp malt mill but ordering seems like a pain with the website and options.
Can’t remember if I made a similar topic already but any suggestions would be great. Seems like everyone has there own opinions on best mill but open to them. Any experience with said mills would be great too.
I highly recommend the cereal killer. I’ve had one for about 3 years now and it’s been trouble free. Replaced the Barley Crusher with it. I recommend staying as far as you can from the Barley Crusher since the one I had didn’t even work for a year!
There’s a thread here that documents my issues.
BTW, you should have a fair amount of flour when you’re done crushing. For BIAB I’ve crushed as fine as .028 but have opened up the gap to bring my efficiency numbers into a more consistent range. I do sometimes have a thick paste in the bag from flour, no big deal. Flour will not cause astringency. pH would be your issue if you have astringent tasting beers.
Cereal killer hear also. Check AIH Cyber Monday. If you are patient you should be able to get it for $89 w/free shipping. I find the best deals between now and Christmas
I too would avoid the barley Crusher. As @dannyboy58 said, mine lasted less than a year.
I on the other hand went with the JSP and have owned it for over 8 years with absolutely no problems. It’s easy to adjust, the gap doesn’t roam, and I can attach my electric drill to it. I love it!
Once a went from extract to all grain. This gave me more freedom on what kind of grains i want to use. Did buy a german grain. Mill. Student mill. Can do 3 lbs at the time. And i did buy the model where i can use a drill. Kind of nice i can use the grains from. The brewery. So big selection. Last grain order. I did place for the brewery. In europe. Did order. Grains for my self as well. To avoid future isues that i take to many grains home
I’ve a simple JSP… no nothing to adjust or go wrong… The only complaint… The hopper that came with it holds maybe a pound and a half… I haven’t gotten around to making a bigger one… yet! Sneezles61
Cereal Killer here, too. It ain’t fancy, but has been trouble free. I used to hand crank and promptly felt like an idiot the first time I used a drill. I don’t know why I hadn’t been doing that for ages.
When I first started all grain, I used a Corona. By hand. That was torture.
I use a Corona style mill, with an empty pretzel container cut out on top of the hopper to increase the amount of grain it can hold (7-8 lbs). I then have it mounted in a 5 gallon bucket and use a drill to power it. Can mill 12 lbs of grain in less than 3 mins if I want to run it at full speed. It’s really easy to adjust the mill to the desired width.
Looks like AIH has a sale going on $10 off $50, $30 off $150, $50 off $250.
So the $99.99 Cereal Killer is $89.99 with free shipping. Wondering if I should hold out still or pull the trigger. Thinking if I don’t buy it now I’ll regret it even of it is just $10 off.
well I guess I am so far down this rabbit hole a grain mill would be the next step. What strategy do you guys use for buying & storing grains? I have a lot to learn … but I assume its safe to get a reasonable quantity of a pale 2 row (or whatever base malt is best suited to the style I drink most often). What about the specialty malts? in general if stored in airtight containers, how long would you expect the uncrushed grain to be brew worthy?
It would be nice to crush the grain the day I need it. I have a kit here now that I got for christmas that I feel the clock is ticking to get it brewed but we can’t seem to get the outside temp into at least the double digits.
I’ve yet to store and buy bulk grains but I’d say something with a seal on the lid. Maybe buckets with gamma lids. I probably won’t buy any specialty grains to store. Just buy them as needed.
Sneezles61