In-sink-erator Grain Mill

[pb unleaded]

Hi all.
I purchased a cheap insinkerator ($15) as yet another option for cracking malt. I thought I can always use the motor if I ever decide to by a proper mill.
Had a test run with a cupfull of malt, it looks ok but there was lots of flour left behind.
Here's couple of pics.

View attachment 15676 View attachment 15677

cheers
arthur

 

[bindi]

There is a lot of grain NOT cracked in the close up, twice through may work, or have you done that?
What people here think of is amazing. :huh: Or has it been done before?

 

[Quintrex]

There is a lot of grain NOT cracked in the close up, twice through may work, or have you done that?
What people here think of is amazing. :huh: Or has it been done before?

I wonder if how damaged the husks will be ,

Cool idea though!! I've been meaning to get one for processing apples into cider with!

Q

 

[mfdes]

My main problem dealing with an insinkerator to make pulp for papermaking is that the motor overheats and cuts out after not too long. This is with water continually running through it. I can imagine running dry would make it run even hotter and cut out sooner.
Also it looks like it's doing the sort of job that a whirly-blade coffee grinder or a food processor does (essentially an insinkerator is a heavy-duty, flow-through processor), which seems to be exactly the opposite of what you want. You want an even grind with husks as intact as possible. You seem to be getting lots of flour and uncracked grain.

I'd give it a miss or adjust it further. Considering it's not a mill but a chopper, you may find it'll never do a good job of cracking grain.

MFS

 

[Pumpy]

Cracking grain ,I go to so much trouble to try to preserve the husks yet so many people crack the grain in different ways with large amounts of flour etc and still get good results .

I remember Grumpy saying crush your grain as fine a possible without getting a stuck sparge .

great idea Arthur

Pumpy

 

[pb unleaded]

Thanks all for the replies. I am not quite sure about what the husk damage does to the beer.
In the past I used a blender, ice maker, even garden mulcher to crack grains. Every time the husk got damaged and I never had a stuck sparge. Most of the beers were great but I wouldn't blame the husk damage to those that weren't.
I usually purchase my grains pre cracked but this time I didn't.

cheers
arthur

 

[Uncle Fester]

Please jump all over me if I'm deluded...

I was under the impression that the finer the crush the better efficiency, until you started getting stuck sparges ?


Loving the enginuity (SP?)


Fess.

 

[mfdes]

My main point is that it may take at least 8-10 passes to get an even grind, you will probably still end up with lots of uncracked grain, and the engine in the unit tends to overheat.
I think if you don't mind factoring in the low efficiency caused by uncracked grain (partly offset by the fine grind?), and can get the unit to work long enough to get a half decent crush, you'll be ok.

MFS.

 

[Randall the Enamel Animal]

I love this. You're not a kiwi are you Arthur?

Take it a step further: attach it to a sink, feed hot water and grain into it and wet mill directly into you mash tun! I bet you could change the screen size to ensure that whole grains don't get through.

 

[Steve]

Arthur....I cant believe you still havent bought a mill. I remember looking a pics of your green garden mulcher with a bucket of grain next to it a couple of years ago :lol:

Cheers
Steve

 

[pokolbinguy]

I love this. You're not a kiwi are you Arthur?

Take it a step further: attach it to a sink, feed hot water and grain into it and wet mill directly into you mash tun! I bet you could change the screen size to ensure that whole grains don't get through.

Now that would be cool.

Pok

 

[pb unleaded]

My main point is that it may take at least 8-10 passes ...
MFS.

I think two passes will sufice, not sure about overheating the motor, will find out next batch. cheers

I love this. You're not a kiwi are you Arthur?
Take it a step further: attach it to a sink, feed hot water and grain into it and wet mill directly into you mash tun! I bet you could change the screen size to ensure that whole grains don't get through.

Not a Kiwi but a wog, love the sink idea.

Arthur....I cant believe you still havent bought a mill. I remember looking a pics of your green garden mulcher with a bucket of grain next to it a couple of years ago :lol:
Cheers
Steve

Yeah Steve, I know. Tightass here. Been buying pre cracked grains. One of these days.


arthur

 

[haysie]

Well I trialed the insinkerator (am awaiting milmaster), Arthur was kind enough too run a batch of grain thru it over a beer or 4, the results were very good.
The motor did get very hot, although this more due to the feed/type of hopper used and 2 runs.
A lot of uncracked grain on the first run, so a second run fixed that problem, lotsa flour.
I have braid in my tun so wasnt very keen on running that fine a grind thru it sooooo did the BIAB thing.
38 ltrs full volume, 23 into fermenter @ 1048, nice clear wort after running off thru the plate chiller. I am not great on maths so dont know about the eff here, but same grain bill (5kg) in the mash tun gives me pretty close exact figures.
Although i did notice more sweetness taste in the spent grains vrs the tun method?????

Thanks Arthur, for a $15 jobbie. :super:

If that milmaster doesnt show up soon a return visit maybe called for. ( lotsa empty fermenters ATM)


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[NRB]

They really look chopped rather than crushed. I'm not going to diss you if the results prove otherwise.

I would imagine the sweet spent grains are a product of not sparging.

 

[haysie]

They really look chopped rather than crushed. I'm not going to diss you if the results prove otherwise.

I would imagine the sweet spent grains are a product of not sparging.

Yeppers NRB, grind yes > interpret chop....... yes. Definitly not a crush, never mentioned.
If we go back a few posts the finer the better!!, in my case using braid I would have been cursing the house down trying too get that GRIND thru a mash/sparge/sparge. I have tried the BIAB B4 and had similar situation i.e reasonable OG yet sweet spent grain, really not sure about that ?
I just hilite the ingenious of some/alot of people in the craftbrew caper, and a hellava lot of times simple things prevail and hold their own. Insinkerator? Magnificent!!
The brew recipe was a favorite of mine 50/50 weyerman vienna/ australia pale ale, por bittering 45 ibu, cascade flavor and aroma.
I`ll post back in the new year and of course pass a sample or 4 on to the kitchensink man Arthur!
Cheers n Good Xmas to Everybody
Haysie

 

[pb unleaded]

Here is some more pics of the "grinding" event.

 

[haysie]

View attachment 17105

Tis was a great brew! Before the doomsayers stick the boot in. YES YES YES it was cloudy. That was after primary ,racking,chilling, polyclar ( i tried) end of the day i think a crush will produce a finer/clearer/brilliant beer compared too the insinkerator, nonetheless i passed this keg among many people whom all gave it the thumbs up. A great tasting brew. Another niche for the "simpletons". :icon_cheers:
Thanks again Arthur!

Haysie

 

[pb unleaded]

Here is an update on my insinkerator brews. I have done 3 batches and they were all very good. I have tasted Haysie's beer which was also very nice.
When I said tasted I meant we pollished his keg(s). And mine.
I am even considering cancelling my millmaster order.
The crush (read: grind) is much better now then in the original picture. All I needed was to adjust the infeed of the grain, the slower the better.

View attachment 17158

It only needs one run and it takes about 10-15 mins to grind 5kg. The motor does get a bit hot.
My efficianciy is roughly around 70%. Here are pics of my latest batch, probably the best one so far.

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arthur

 

[hairofthedog]

very inovatiove idea arthur the grain crushed but the beer looks clear enough to me