dedicated mill for GF

[mergs]

Edit: In retrospect the title of my post is confusing. If I could rename this thread, I'd rename it to: "Are used mills suitable for GF grains like millet malt".

OK folks, I had an order ready to go with http://www.glutenfreehomebrewing.org/store for all-grain GF batch I want to try and realized doh I don't have a mill. I know other homebrewers that have mills locally but they're running barley through there's. So my question, in two parts , is:

What mills are you guys using (and recommend) for millet (I'm going with Grouse)?

Is there any way to clean a used mill if barley was milled with it?

 

[imasickboy]

A corona mill is cheap, and would likely chew through millet just as well as any roller mill.

Grab one cheap from Amazon or Walmart, (less than $30), do the bucket-in-bucket setup found in the Ugly Junk topic, ( https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f256/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/ ), and you can have your very own GF mill forever and ever.

 

[atoughram]

Millet is MUCH smaller than barley - even with my roller mill set to the minimum, it wouldnt even crack it. I was going to try a blender next but I didnt like the taste of millet - so I gave it to Josh...

 

[imasickboy]

Then a corona mill with flour discs would be required, most likely. I hadn't realized millet was that small.

 

[glutarded-chris]

I use a monster mill with the large rollers, which cracks millet just fine. The corona is inexpensive for sure but slow for large grain bill and gets dust everywhere. Roller mill plows through 10 lb of grain in a minute. I run the millet through twice.

If you are not sure that you will keep brewing with grain, then the corona, otherwise i would invest in a mill and put a good drill on it. I will never go back.

 

[Legume]

I have a cheap chinese "Carona style" mill.
it works well enough for millet, rice and buckwheat.
If I were going to buy it again, I would spring for a name brand version...but this design works well for all the GF grains...it just takes a bit of elbow grease

 

[Osedax]

It's harder to dial in a corona mill and a slight turn can easily lead to a stuck sparge. Rollers are good but, you need one that can adjust below .015".

 

[mergs]

It's harder to dial in a corona mill and a slight turn can easily lead to a stuck sparge. Rollers are good but, you need one that can adjust below .015".

I'm having bad dreams about future stuck sparges... thanks for that Osedax!

 

[mergs]

I use a monster mill with the large rollers, which cracks millet just fine. The corona is inexpensive for sure but slow for large grain bill and gets dust everywhere. Roller mill plows through 10 lb of grain in a minute. I run the millet through twice.

If you are not sure that you will keep brewing with grain, then the corona, otherwise i would invest in a mill and put a good drill on it. I will never go back.

Thanks Chris, I think I may try to borrow one from someone local and just do this batch on their mill. I'm not celiac so a little contamination won't bother me personally and I'm really eager to go AG but I don't want to drop $100-200 unless I'm sure its going to be something I'll continue doing.

Anyone know if its feasible to buy a used mill and clean it enough to make it safe for celiacs? I'm assuming that's a no.

 

[zefbrew]

Duplicated post...

 

[zefbrew]

And another duplicated post... :O

 

[zefbrew]

Thanks Chris, I think I may try to borrow one from someone local and just do this batch on their mill. I'm not celiac so a little contamination won't bother me personally and I'm really eager to go AG but I don't want to drop $100-200 unless I'm sure its going to be something I'll continue doing.

Anyone know if its feasible to buy a used mill and clean it enough to make it safe for celiacs? I'm assuming that's a no.

I don't see why you couldn't clean it. Just strip it, wash it with a brush and water, then dry and oil it with a gf friendly oil to prevent rust. Then I would run plain old rice through it once or twice. I mean, you wouldn't buy different cutlery for a gf meal, you would just wash them.

 

[Osedax]

I don't see why you couldn't clean it. Just strip it, wash it with a brush and water, then dry and oil it with a gf friendly oil to prevent rust. Then I would run plain old rice through it once or twice. I mean, you wouldn't buy different cutlery for a gf meal, you would just wash them.

I have to agree. However, the difference between this and cutlery is cutlery has no nooks and crannies for dust to hid. Just make sure you clean it very well. It may be a pain because rollers are usually pressed in. An air chuck would be super helpful.

 

[mergs]

I have to agree. However, the difference between this and cutlery is cutlery has no nooks and crannies for dust to hid. Just make sure you clean it very well. It may be a pain because rollers are usually pressed in. An air chuck would be super helpful.

Air chuck, great idea! Got one.

 

[mergs]

And another duplicated post... :O

Which one? My post, or yours?

 

[zefbrew]

Which one? My post, or yours?

Mine..... The app posted my response 3 times

 

[seckert]

I'm thinking of making a gf batch for a buddy of mine who needs to be gf. The website where you order the ingredients from. Will they crush the grain for you?

 

[Osedax]

I'm thinking of making a gf batch for a buddy of mine who needs to be gf. The website where you order the ingredients from. Will they crush the grain for you?

Norcal homebrewing will. Not sure about the other site.

 

[zefbrew]

I doubt many stores will have a dedicated gf mill though. Just FYI, they will likely run it through a mill that gets used for non gluten free grains. I am not into gf or have a sensitivity to gluten, no idea if this makes a difference or not, but it's good to be aware of a possible contamination, if that even makes a difference.

 

[mergs]

Norcal homebrewing will. Not sure about the other site.

Grouse's dealer, glutenfreehomebrewing.com, is not doing milling at this time.

 

[mergs]

I doubt many stores will have a dedicated gf mill though. Just FYI, they will likely run it through a mill that gets used for non gluten free grains. I am not into gf or have a sensitivity to gluten, no idea if this makes a difference or not, but it's good to be aware of a possible contamination, if that even makes a difference.

I doubt it too. You would not be able to run barley thru a mill and then run gluten free malts without contaminating the latter with gluten and cleaning it for the oddball gf customer doesn't seem practical.

I'm resigned to purchasing a new mill for GF grains like millet. Still researching models that crush small down to 0.010.

 

[zefbrew]

Hey OP, so why are you no longer intending to get the used mill for gf grains?

 

[brwmistr]

I use a Black&Decker coffee mill takes some time with the small ones but it can make flour if you grind for 1.5 seconds. I found that Kitchen Aid and Black&Decker now make a larger coffee mills that will grind cups at a time. I don't brew more then a batch a month so I spend more time with grinding but I get a very good extraction from the grain. Stone mills would most likely be the best for quantity per minute as the weight of the stone would do the work but I didn't like the cost of them. Roller mills have to be very tight to grind a grain that is not round and is less then 1/8inch in size. That's why I use the coffee grinder. Blenders only work in the bottom part were the blades are effectively and as the grain above needs to be shaken down to the blades the bottom turns to flour.

 

[mergs]

Hey OP, so why are you no longer intending to get the used mill for gf grains?

zefbrew, actually... I have been searching online for used grain mills. There are a couple of corona style mills in the $20-45 range. However, I'm not thrilled with the reports of dust everywhere and I'm thinking the roller style will be better. Haven't found one locally yet though.

I'm about to throw a post up on a local brewing group and will just run it through someone's roller mill for my first batch. I'm not concerned with low contamination levels but may bring a can of compressed air to just get the barley dust out. (I am not celiac, only mildly gluten sensitive).

What's everyone setting their mills at for grouse millet malt? 0.010?

 

[Osedax]

What's everyone setting their mills at for grouse millet malt? 0.010?

0.008" here but, I struggle against stuck sparges. I recommend double milled at 0.010".

 

[glutarded-chris]

I second Osedax on the millet as I have had good results with 0.010" and run it through twice.

If you use any buckwheat, go bigger on that as it binds on small gap. I cereal mash buckwheat so fine crush is not needed. I use 0.045" on buckwheat.

 

[mergs]

Thanks a lot fellas. I'll keep these spaces in mind!

Update on the original idea. I couldn't find anything used and I'm sick of waiting (so is the 20lbs of millet malt in my brewhaus) so I ordered a Cereal Killer mill. it seems to be a decent mill for a good price and I am pretty certain that once I dial in the mash I will not go back to all extract, so I think it will be a good investment.

Thanks for everyone's input here. I'll post up a new post once I do my first AGGF batch. Hopefully it will go reasonably well. i am sure am taking my time wrapping my head around it all so hopefully the homework now will avoid a disaster on brewday. I am a little nervous but excited too!

 

[Osedax]

Awesome! Good luck! Use a healthy helping of rice hulls if you are in a mash tun.

 

[mergs]

Awesome! Good luck! Use a healthy helping of rice hulls if you are in a mash tun.

Will do! I have 2lbs now, but may get 1 more lb for this batch (around 16lbs of millet malts).

 

[zefbrew]

Sounds good!