Graining crushing without a mill

[Scobieb]

The title probably says it all guys. But any ideas how to crush grain without using a mill and with just standard kitchen equipment?

 

[bum]

If your supplier can't mill it for you then they probably shouldn't be your supplier.

 

[wbosher]

^ Agreed.

You can use a rolling pin or something for very small amounts, but it really is a PITA! You certainly wouldn't want to do your entire grain bill this way.

I occasionally do it this way for small amounts (a couple of hundred grams) of crystal, or chocolate.

EDIT: wouldn't

 

[chefeffect]

If your doing BIAB you can use a drinks blender or a coffee grinder, Nick has a thread on it some where. I used a drinks blender that is cappable of crushing ice, the blades are serated usually blend 2 cups at a time for around 15 seconds, I now have a mill lots faster.

 

[431neb]

My last order killed my suppliers mill and I was left with some wheat malt and other spec malt (can't remember) to crack. I was told to hit it with a rolling pin but **** that so I stuck it in the new fandangle blendery thingy and "cracked" it.

Blendery thingamy link here http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/72082-thermomix-my-wife-wants-one/

Edit:

As wbosher has noted I should mention that I am part of the Beer In A Backyard (BIAB) club so the middle ground between "cracking" and "grinding" is more forgiving.

 

[wbosher]

I used to use the "Amazing Bullet", did the job well but it took bloody ages. Now I get the LHBS to do it for me and I just use the rolling pin for small amounts that I already have laying around here. Problem with using the blender was it turned it into flour, which is ok for BIAB but not much else.

 

[Scobieb]

Thanks guys, I have a hand operated coffee grinder so maybe i'll try and run it through that. If not, the rolling pin it is.

I'm only brewing small batches (5 litre) so crushing would only be a small amount.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I'm currently using a coffee grinder (ordering in 25kg sacks, and still getting up after the move). It's a major pain though. I get about 1kg out, before it goes in the freezer to cool down. Having said that, for a cheap woolies grinder, it's getting the job done.

After watching @Lagerbomb's mill go through a grain bill in a couple of minutes, I want that mill.

 

[Bribie G]

I didn't get a mill for my first couple of years brewing and managed ok - your supplier should do it milled but then you won't get the "bulk" price per kilo.
If you are only doing small batches it would probably take you years to pay off a mill.

I know of two suppliers who will do sacks milled, but they are both in Sydney / Newcastle.

Coffee mill would do the job fine for five litre batches, but far easier to just get it milled from GnG or whoever is handy to you.

 

[manticle]

You can get close to bulk prices if you go on the grain book at GG and then you can order small amounts milled.

Whereabouts in Melbourne are you?

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I forgot to add, I used to get it milled by craftbrewer. It's only because I've moved to Tassie, that this is now an issue (no LHBS, bulk purchase of grain).

I'd agree with the comment, if you LHBS doesn't do it (bulk grain aside), find somewhere else to shop.

 

[bum]

You're doing 5L batches - small orders, milled by the LHBS are really the only way to go, really.

Buying more than you need for a batch means you'll be limited to using those same materials for subsequent batches which limits your flexibility which makes the whole 5L thing almost entirely redundant. Get the shop to mill it - it is free.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

You're doing 5L batches - small orders, milled by the LHBS are really the only way to go, really.

Buying more than you need for a batch means you'll be limited to using those same materials for subsequent batches which limits your flexibility which makes the whole 5L thing almost entirely redundant. Get the shop to mill it - it is free.

This.

Even for 25L batches (my standard size in Brissie) I did this. I could order exactly what I wanted all the time. With Craftbrewer, I got a $1 per kg discount on 5kg+ of the same malt, so often had 5kg of base, with some specs to trick it up. In the case of my favourite base malt (Baird's Perle), this equated to $3.50/kg, which is heading toward bulk-ish prices for the overseas varieties.

Other times I went with other combinations using malts I'd never buy in bulk (peated/smoked malt, rye, unmalted wheat, biscuit malt). Again, lots of flexibility.

Now I kind of shoehorn some beers into what I have on hand. This is fun as well, but again, like the coffee grinder, born out of necessity.

 

[Bribie G]

Agreed re Craftbrewer's five kilo deal. I worked it out that to pay off a mill it would take me two years of buying in sacks. However on joining PUBS I bought Starkesbier's old Marga off him for $30 and I got hooked
If it wasn't for that I expect I'd still be buying pre-milled.

 

[Nick JD]

The 5 minutes it takes me to process 3.5-4.0kg of grain through my blender make it a very workable situation in my situation. I don't experience any astringency or drainage issues, but milling to flour consistency forces me into doing stepped infusion mashes to make doughball removal easier. Not such a bad thing. I routinely dough in below gelatinisation temps with a protein rest at 55C and then two successive 2L jugs of boiling water take the mash ~7C higher each ... so to 62C and then to an alpha rest depending on style, with more or less than 2L.

If you gave me a mill I'd use it, but by the time the drill and the hopper and the bucket are taken into account, it'd take me 3+ years to justify buying one.

Using a mill is often much easier with 2 people; a blender is very simple. And in my case was already on the bench.

And I get great no-sparge efficiencies.

 

[bum]

Yes, but why buy small amounts unmilled in his situation?

 

[Bribie G]

Nick I thought you used a coffee grinder. Is your blender of this type? Might be handy for doing just small quantities of spec malts to adjust brews without getting the mill out. Thought I'd ask before I possibly waste any crystal

 

[tiprya]

Yeah I'd like to see a video of how you get through 4kg in 5 minutes - it took me over an hour with a small spice grinder. I quickly got a mill.

I value the fact that the night before a brew I can formulate a recipe based on what grains I have, and brew it the next day.

 

[Nick JD]

Nick I thought you used a coffee grinder. Is your blender of this type? Might be handy for doing just small quantities of spec malts to adjust brews without getting the mill out. Thought I'd ask before I possibly waste any crystal

blender.jpg

It's a Sunbeam "Multiblender" 800W. I fill a bowl with 1200g of grain and grind it in 3 lots of 400g each time. Much more and it gives the blender a hard time even though it has a 1500ml capacity. Much less and the grains can have a tendency to "bounce" and not be pulverised.

I blend on "3". 400g takes about 10-15 seconds. Anyone doubting this - put 400g of grain in your ice-capable blender and turn it to eleven...

ED: I should add that when milling to a flour things happen a lot quicker in the mash as all the startch is very available - dump it in to a 71C strike and you can almost watch the flour disappear like a cereal mash. This needs to be taken into account for stepping - a very short beta rest is all that's needed.

 

[Dave70]

Get one of these. They can be had for cheap (I got mine for ten bucks cos it was out of the box) and are utterly useless for grinding coffee.
I did however throw some old grain through in the hopper and it smashed it wonderfully. And you can adjust the grind. Sort of.
They actually emit more noise than a router chewing through particle board.