Should I Get A Mill?

[ballzac]

I'm planning on doing lots of AG brewing. I have used grain before and crushed it by hand, but it was extremely tedious and there is no way I would do it for an AG. I was planning on getting a Monstermill MM-3, but at that time I was planning on getting grain from craftbrewer because I didn't realise there were any comparable places in victoria. So I would have been getting large amounts at a time and would want to keep it fresh.

Now I notice there is a place called grain and grape (EDIT: I should have noticed before because there is a big ad for it at the top of this page ) that looks to be of comparable price, quality and range, and I would save on delivery costs as they are nearby and I can just pick up. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on whether I should just get enough grain for one or two brews at a time and get them to crush it, or if it is worth buying the monster mill (budget is certainly a factor). Of course I would save a little bit of money if I bought larger quantities and would also save on petrol, but if it is milled it may go stale I guess.

My thoughts are that maybe I should get milled for a few brews until I figure out how much I go through and then buy a mill and stock up on grain. Any thoughts or suggestions? Also, are there any other brewing shops in Melbourne? These brewcraft places that are everywhere seem to be mainly aimed at the k&k brewers and they have extremely limited grain selection at highly inflated prices.

Sorry if this has been covered. I searched but could not find anything particularly addressing these questions. Thanks in advance.

 

[Pumpy]

Ballzac

For me it is a convinience to crush my own grain as most brew shops are a way off.

from a financial point of view it may take a while to recoup you costs .

but you will be able to bulk buy your grain whole and store

$2 per kilo saving from buying your grain in bulk a 5kilo batch say $10 saving per batch you will need to make 30 batches to pay for your mill ($300), say you drink a litre a night it will take you under two years to pay back the saving .

I love my Mill as there is something very satisfying about hand cranking the mill & crushing your own grain .

If you have not mashed buy your grain cracked if you are happy with the results of mashing and fermentuing your own beer and have some cash go get a mill.

cheaper than playing golf


pumpy

 

[Tony]

Buy a Mill!!!!!!!!

Here are some reasons.

There is nothing more satisfying than cracking your own grain.
It smells great 9wait till you mill a heap of GErman Munich malt
Its a great way to take more control of your brewing process
you can adjust the crack of the grist to suit yor brewery, and experiment with finer and courser cracks.
Your not stuck with what you get from the LHBS, which is not always ideal.
From this you will get better eefficiency, thus using less grain.
If you look after it it will last you near forever.
There is a great range available now at very afordable prices.
You can buy grain in full bags so the malt costs less, you use less due to better efficiency and its FUN!.

does that help?

cheers

 

[reVoxAHB]

I'm planning on doing lots of AG brewing. I have used grain before and crushed it by hand, but it was extremely tedious and there is no way I would do it for an AG. I was planning on getting a Monstermill MM-3, but at that time I was planning on getting grain from craftbrewer because I didn't realise there were any comparable places in victoria. So I would have been getting large amounts at a time and would want to keep it fresh.

Now I notice there is a place called grain and grape (EDIT: I should have noticed before because there is a big ad for it at the top of this page ) that looks to be of comparable price, quality and range, and I would save on delivery costs as they are nearby and I can just pick up. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on whether I should just get enough grain for one or two brews at a time and get them to crush it, or if it is worth buying the monster mill (budget is certainly a factor). Of course I would save a little bit of money if I bought larger quantities and would also save on petrol, but if it is milled it may go stale I guess.

My thoughts are that maybe I should get milled for a few brews until I figure out how much I go through and then buy a mill and stock up on grain. Any thoughts or suggestions? Also, are there any other brewing shops in Melbourne? These brewcraft places that are everywhere seem to be mainly aimed at the k&k brewers and they have extremely limited grain selection at highly inflated prices.

Sorry if this has been covered. I searched but could not find anything particularly addressing these questions. Thanks in advance.

First of all, update your AHB profile to include your location. You mentioned you are within pickup distance of G&G.. but does that mean you are in Williamstown or Geelong?

G&G are great in that you can phone in an order (1 day in advance, please!) which they'll crack for free and have waiting for pickup. They have what they call a 'grain book' so you can pre-pay for grains in advance (25kg import/50kg domestic malt) and in that way, you just 'sign-off' your kg at pickup. The grain book is beneficial because you're able to lock-in current retail market prices on malt (if the price of 2-row goes up for example, you are assured remaining paid-for supply, irregardless).

Most of us who own grain mills take advantage of regional wholesale bulk-buys directly from the maltsters (AHB search for bulk buy). Grain, if stored correctly, will not go stale... you only crack what you need just before a brew.

With that in mind, you could pre-order 3 batches from G&G or Craftbrewer *UNCRACKED, and crack them yourself on brewday for the time being.

You hit the nail on the head regarding Brewcraft & the K&K crowd, etc. Well, at least that was my impression 5 years ago when I last visited a store.

As a final thought, a mill will pay for itself hand over fist with $avings on grain in using BB's.

reVox

 

[ballzac]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have updated my information. As you can see I am in Richmond. The enthusiasm towards getting a mill has sold me. However I think I will still do my first couple of AGs with premilled grain, just because there is other brewing stuff I would rather spend my money on at the moment before I get the mill.

Just to clarify this grain book thing...Can I pay for 25 Kg at the >20Kg price and the pick it up one kilo at a time fresh?

EDIT: Oh, also. One thing I don't like about the grain and grape website as compared to craftbrewer website is the lack of information on the product. e.g. aa content of hops and how well a malt is modified etc.

 

[Moray]

As Revox posted above the grain book is 50KG lots of Aussie grain (Joe White) or 25KG lots of Imported.
I signed up for the Aussie malt a fortnight ago it was $160, not sure how much the imported stuff is.

The idea is you ring them up and order your recipe needs and the amount you order is deducted from the balance.

hope this helps

Moray

 

[ballzac]

Okay, cool. Thanks for the info.

 

[Batz]

Should I Get A Mill?

Of course you should,oh and your going to need a March pump too

Batz

 

[devo]

too long didn't read it all.

simple answer.....yes.

 

[BoilerBoy]

too long didn't read it all.

simple answer.....yes.

+1

BB

 

[pokolbinguy]

Should I Get A Mill?

Of course you should,oh and your going to need a March pump too

Batz

And a conical fermenter and heat exchanger haha

 

[onescooter]

Thought that I'd pipe up. I don't have a mill and don't plan on getting one either due to the following reasons.
1. I'm not what you would call a high volume brewer so the time to recoup my costs would be forever.
2. Still like trying different grains. If your happy with one particular type of base malt, you would be fine. I am still mucking around with different recipes and don't use one particular type of grain for each brew.
3. Due to 1 and 3 any grain that I would buy would have to sit around for probably a year before I used it all. I don't have much storage space.
4. The convenience of having a brew, bagged and ready to go is too easy for me.

In saying that I have only gone through 2 kegs since Christmas, so very low volume. I would enjoy having a mill so that I could taste the individual grains before they are milled together so that I could get more of a feel of what each one contributes to the beer.

Cheers
Scott.

 

[warra48]

Definitely get a mill. No question it will help to improve your efficiency. Mine improved by between 5 to 10%. Having bulk grains on hand gives you more freedom to design your recipes, and change your mind at the last minute, if that takes your fancy.
Besides, it is quite therapeutic to grind 4 or 5 kilos of grain, as you have another step within your control.

 

[ballzac]

The overwhelming majority says, 'yes'. I am probably going to be brewing decent amounts, not to drink that much, but for the enjoyment of producing lots of different beers and experimenting, and giving much to friends. Also, I do like the idea of doing as much of the process myself as I can. I would malt the barley myself if I thought I could do it.

I think I pretty much knew I would get a mill when I started this thread, but because it is a lot of money for me, I didn't want to feel like I had made a mistake after I had forked out, so it feels good to get a lot of positive comments and people have said thing I hadn't considered. I will definately get one.

 

[white.grant]

I think you should ignore cost recovery concepts for the mill and just get one.

It won't really make much difference to the long term economics of your brewing - capital expenditure and cost recovery assumptions only make sense if have a defined cost of capital and are intending to make a profit and ameliorate expenses etc etc.

My mill will never have to pay for itself.

I will though.

 

[afromaiko]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have updated my information. As you can see I am in Richmond. The enthusiasm towards getting a mill has sold me. However I think I will still do my first couple of AGs with premilled grain, just because there is other brewing stuff I would rather spend my money on at the moment before I get the mill.

Just to clarify this grain book thing...Can I pay for 25 Kg at the >20Kg price and the pick it up one kilo at a time fresh?

EDIT: Oh, also. One thing I don't like about the grain and grape website as compared to craftbrewer website is the lack of information on the product. e.g. aa content of hops and how well a malt is modified etc.

That and don't expect a reply to any enquiries you send via their website :angry: I'm still waiting for an answer from a few weeks ago, but I've given up and will just ask them in person next time I go out there. Not the first time either.

I wonder if it's possible to fax through grain requests a day in advance, I'm a bit concerned about relaying a detailed order by phone.

Oh, and yes you should get a mill. It's something that I've also been pondering.. if only I could find somewhere local to get bulk grains.

 

[ausdb]

I'm planning on doing lots of AG brewing. I have used grain before and crushed it by hand, but it was extremely tedious and there is no way I would do it for an AG. I was planning on getting a Monstermill MM-3, but at that time I was planning on getting grain from craftbrewer because I didn't realise there were any comparable places in victoria. So I would have been getting large amounts at a time and would want to keep it fresh.

Now I notice there is a place called grain and grape (EDIT: I should have noticed before because there is a big ad for it at the top of this page ) that looks to be of comparable price, quality and range, and I would save on delivery costs as they are nearby and I can just pick up. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on whether I should just get enough grain for one or two brews at a time and get them to crush it, or if it is worth buying the monster mill (budget is certainly a factor). Of course I would save a little bit of money if I bought larger quantities and would also save on petrol, but if it is milled it may go stale I guess.

My thoughts are that maybe I should get milled for a few brews until I figure out how much I go through and then buy a mill and stock up on grain. Any thoughts or suggestions? Also, are there any other brewing shops in Melbourne? These brewcraft places that are everywhere seem to be mainly aimed at the k&k brewers and they have extremely limited grain selection at highly inflated prices.

Sorry if this has been covered. I searched but could not find anything particularly addressing these questions. Thanks in advance.

If you are just starting then look for someone who is upgrading and getting rid of a Marga Mill, they are much maligned by the "tim taylor" more power types but are capable of an excellent crush when set up correctly and can be had for less than $100 or at least that is what they tend to go for over in WA when someone sells one.

Grain stored in cool and airtight conditions will keep for at least 12 months, the easiest thing is to get two 20L plastic pails from supercheap or similar as they will hold half a sack of grain each. If you like lagers then get yourself a bag of german pils malt, if your thing is pommie beers then a bag of maris otter or if you want to try a bit of everything then a bag of aussie lager or pale malt. Then just get a few small bags of specialties to suit each recipe/style you try and maybe one more pail to store those in.

You are dead right on the brewcraft places, why would they want to sell anything that gives a person the inclination that there is more to brewing than "Goo tin A" and "enhancer mix 69" and sachet yeast "c" as it would decrease their market!

HTH

 

[ballzac]

I will get a monster mill because it looks like it would last me for the rest of my life, and if I want to upgrade to something else, I could probably sell it at a decent price. The Marga Mill looks like it would break after a few kilos. I understand your rationale for saying to get a Marga Mill, but for and extra hundred I can get the Monster Mill. I have no intention of giving up this hobby, so I might as well have equipment that will last me.

I was looking at getting some pilsener malt and some flaked rice to make a dutch style pilsener (as all of my extract pilseners have been quite dark because I don't like the idea of using corn or rice syrup), and then getting some Maris otter and crystal malt to make an old speckled hen recipe that is on homebrewtalk.com

I gather I could keep seperate bags of different grains in the one airtight container, or would all the flavours start to blend after a few months?

 

[Screwtop]

Why in hell would you want to spend all that money and buy yourself a mill ???????????


Just kidding :lol:

I'm planning on doing lots of AG brewing.

This is why!

 

[Ross]

I will get a monster mill because it looks like it would last me for the rest of my life, and if I want to upgrade to something else, I could probably sell it at a decent price. The Marga Mill looks like it would break after a few kilos. I understand your rationale for saying to get a Marga Mill, but for and extra hundred I can get the Monster Mill. I have no intention of giving up this hobby, so I might as well have equipment that will last me.

Ballzac,

If you have the money, go for a Monster, Millmaster, or whatever, but don't be under the impression a Marga wont last. There are hundreds, probably thousands out there grinding away, not missing a beat. I've NEVER been asked for a spare part for one or had a customer complaint (touch wood).
They are a geared 3 roller mill & work great. If we can find a better value model, we'll stock it

cheers Ross