Lets talk roller mills

[paulhill]

[SIZE=10.5pt]So next up in the let’s talk series

I got a 2 roller mill last week and did a brew with it yesterday
I spaced the rollers to what I felt was a good grind and off I went

the problem is my mash eff went WAY down [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]I’m using the Boil in the bag method and I hit temp. So I can only put it down to the crush.

How far apart do you use when rolling grain and what can I do to ensure I good crush each time???[/SIZE]

 

[seamad]

for BIAB @ 1.0mm I think is reasonable, different grains can require different treatment ( eg rye is skinny and needs a bit more of a crush)

 

[Curly79]

They say a credit card width is generally a good gap. I got a second hand 2 roller and I've found that I have to adjust it a smidge smaller than that to get it to work at all? How did the grain look after crushing? Did you grab a handful and check for uncracked grains?

 

[paulhill]

yer thats how i chose my width
the grain looked good to my eyes

 

[QldKev]

Maybe buy a set of feeler gauges, like these to make setting up the gap easier

Also post a pic of the crush, then we can give you some feedback.

 

[Camo6]

Different rollers have differing depths of knurling so it's hard to settle on a defined gap for all conditions. Go with the advice on here and then trial and error over consecutive batches. One of the problems with refining brewing techniques (or so I've found) is trying not to make too many changes to your process at once.

Oh, and be prepared to be told you need to condition your malt.

 

[Camo6]

Also, how do you boil your wort? A fine crush is great for BIAB but can cause issues if you're using an electric element.

 

[jimmy_jangles]

Maybe buy a set of feeler gauges, like these to make setting up the gap easier

Also post a pic of the crush, then we can give you some feedback.

kev is on a winner there

 

[TidalPete]

Agree with QldKev on the feeler gauge thing but perhaps run your rye & other similar grains through the mill separately, add to the grist then mill the lot.
Never done BIAB but am told you need a finer crush than HERMS (more of a flour-like crush).

 

[tavas]

Hacksaw blade is about 1mm if you're stuck in a pinch. Highly recommend feeler gauges though. Cheap and very useful.

 

[Hpal]

This is my mill with a light knurl on the rollers. I initially set it to 1.2mm but have since opened it up to 1.6mm and it gives a great crush and my efficiency has gone from 80% to 84% with BIAB.

 

[Diesel80]

Credit card thickness here. BIAB, 75-84% depending on squeezing.
Run through once with a drill.

have not used Rye but have milled wheat. All grains together.

Cheers,
D80

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

This is my mill with a light knurl on the rollers. I initially set it to 1.2mm but have since opened it up to 1.6mm and it gives a great crush and my efficiency has gone from 80% to 84% with BIAB.

Thats a big gap...

I have the same sized rollers and mine sits at about 0.9mm

 

[QldKev]

I'm running a mm2 at 0.9mm, pretty happy with the crush. Used the same setting in my BIAB days, now kept it the same for both my 1V and 3V systems. A little bit coarser would be ok, but I don't mind a few ripped husks.

Here's my crush

 

[Hpal]

Thats a big gap...

I have the same sized rollers and mine sits at about 0.9mm

Yeah, seems to work, I get a similar crush to above ^ with what I think is a reasonable amount of fine flour in it too, husk's intact too. Maybe its the grain type, moisture content?), maybe just a characteristic of the mill, maybe depth of knurling and diameter of rollers (60mm), but I get good efficiency so I'm happy.

 

[Yob]

Rye would just fall through it wouldn't it?

 

[Hpal]

Not sure, haven't used it before. The grains just need a tiny bit of squash and they crumble into little pieces, so if a grain is maybe 2mm it still gets cracked, if that makes sense

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Yeah, seems to work, I get a similar crush to above ^ with what I think is a reasonable amount of fine flour in it too, husk's intact too. Maybe its the grain type, moisture content?), maybe just a characteristic of the mill, maybe depth of knurling and diameter of rollers (60mm), but I get good efficiency so I'm happy.

Well..If it works stick with it.

Have you tried wetting the grain and running at 0.9mm and seeing how that compares ?

 

[Benn]

Anyone using the 3 roller mill? are they beneficial?

 

[crd0902]

Hi all. This is my first attempt at milling my grain and first all grain brew so just seeing if I'm on the right track for the crush. I set my mill to the width of a credit card and hand milled. I have a esky with a copper manifold for mashing. Cheers