Is a Grain Mill worth the effort and expense?

[bowlboundgman]

I am thinking about buying the cereal killer it is 99 and I have a 10 certificate. My LHBS has a special on 50lbs bags of base malt. All signs are pointing to buying a grain mill. Is it worth the expense and time to store and crush. My lhbs is only a mile from my house. Opinions are welcome.

 

[fizgig]

I think it is, but the closest LHBS is about 30 minutes away.

 

[Jayhem]

My grain mill was one of my best homebrewing purchases to date and I paid a lot more than $90 for it. You can store unmilled grain for years and not have to plan a LHBS trip for every batch! I order bulk twice a year and never have to go to the LHBS for anything else.

The LHBS's usually crush their grain very coarse to avoid stuck sparges (and so the efficiency is terrible and you have to buy more malt from them!)

 

[Setesh]

For me it was worth it for control and consistency. I kept having problems with my LHBS being lazy and not weighing grains properly. After a few beers where the dark malts were obviously WAY more than I had called for I started weighing and crushing my own grain. I also get a much better crush than the LHBS gave me. The better crush is nice, but honestly it's the control that I like so much. I know my recipe is spot on because I weighed it myself.

 

[boydster]

Yes. Buying base grains in bulk AND having control over your crush is a win-win.

 

[TallDan]

My LBHS is 1-2 miles away, has a good, properly adjusted mill and i have a grain mill. Why? Because I buy my base malt in group buys for a small fraction of the price the LHBS or anyone online charges.

 

[funnycreature]

Yep. Makes you feel more like a real brewer
I only really got to appreciate my Monster Mill after properly motorizing it though. I used a cheap HFT low-speed drill for a while but I hated milling grain that way; it would either rip through the grain or stall leaving me with an unpredictable crush. I found this thread and eventually bought the garage door opener. It took a bit of messing around but I couldn't be happier. Consistent crush and no more guessing!

 

[Arrheinous]

You can't control your process until you have a better control of your supply.

It'll also reduce the cost of grains when you buy in bulk. I can usually get 55# MO at < $1/lb which is cheaper than LHBS Briess 2-row. Have to wait until a sale online but it'll happen before you run out of a bag.

I do have two LHBS though.

 

[Jayhem]

My LBHS is 1-2 miles away, has a good, properly adjusted mill and i have a grain mill. Why? Because I buy my base malt in group buys for a small fraction of the price the LHBS or anyone online charges.

We can't purchase (at least on the east coast) from the east coast malt distributors directly any more. They require a store front and business license if you want to do a group buy now. My LHBS has Briess 2-Row for $37.99/50lb sack. Good enough for me!

 

[Pilgarlic]

Having a mill allowed me naturally to gravitate toward building a malt inventory. Having an inventory of base and specialty malts ready to go gives me a freedom and spontaneity in brewing that I never had before the mill. Big difference in my enjoyment of the hobby. I sometimes don't decide what beer I'll brew until 6 am on brew day, and tweak the recipe while pulling the grain bill.

 

[bowlboundgman]

I am looking forward to getting the mill in the mail. I just bought a 50 pound bag of 2 row.

 

[The542]

Congrats on your purchase! I bought my mill after never achieving better than 65% mash efficiency from the LHBS crush. First mash after milling my own was 85%. There are savings at every turn past the initial investment.

 

[Dan]

I like having my own grain mill because of the process mostly and being able to control the crush. I used to use a drill on my Barley Crusher but just use the hand crank when I brew now. (I haven't brewed in about a year because of an ongoing move) . To me, hand cranking through 10-20 pounds of grain is part of the brewing zen. I weigh out the grains crush them, then weigh hops and package them with the boil time the day before I brew. I think of it as brewing foreplay. :rockin:

 

[seabass07]

I always had to double crush the grain at my LHBS to get 75% efficiency. First batch run through my maltmill was 75% on a barleywine. Even running it too fast with a drill was much better than what I got from the LHBS. I also figure the mill will pay for itself after a few batches from being able to buy bulk grain.

 

[TheZymurgist]

Compare the cost per pound of the bag you purchased to what you would normally pay for a pound of grain. I bet you'll find that mill will pay for itself in no more than 3 bags, which I would say is a win. I went with a cheap corona mill, and it paid for itself in the first bag.

 

[Jmarsh544]

A means of grinding your own grain is a definite step in the direction of further honing your craft. I bought a knock off corona mill 5 years ago and it's still going strong!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Arrheinous]

And if you've got buddies or a club you're working with then maybe they could help chip in to defray costs if you let them use it.