a couple of years ago i used my wife's credit card, it created some cold in the house as the rollers were too tight at first, but the rollers are perfectly adjusted and the heat has returned again :) Thanks for the video, I love educational videos and it shouldn't surprise me if I make mistakes when I brew. Maybe also something with temperature in context to grain, sweet, bitter, as well as the hops by boiling.
Hey David, laughed at the credit card reference. Reminds me of someone who said that his credit card had been stolen - but he doesn't want to get it back because the thief is spending less than his wife had been.
Nice video :) Poor bug went through your mill(3m26s), guess extra proteins :D Love your videos David. Spread the best hobby in the world. I use a Brewferm mill. Happy with that one. Bought it think 5 years ago, and its still good as new. Adjusting you mill.. with credit card. Its important that you adjust it on the "name" of card. This will give you a gap between 1.1 and 1.2 mm(as you do by "pushing" it through). The base credit card varies between 0,8 and 1 mm. might be a bit to "fine" crush.
Tom Helge Hjørnevik Thanks Tom. Yes people using this method will get to around 1.2 which for many is about right. International credit card sizes only vary a tiny amount, keep in mind this is just ATM type cards nothing else. Ive not tried the Brewferm mill but it looks reasonable.
Damn, I was looking for a video exactly like this 6 days ago when I milled for the first time. Tip 1 - make sure your drill is set in the right direction 😀
A Ha! Just bought a second hand 2 roller monster mill. I bet the guy was a BIAB brewer cause the crush is very fine. Credit card would not go in at all. I will borrow my Wife's credit card and gap it for my Grainfather. Thanks for the great video.
Your SOH coming thru there David. Nice. Enjoyed the video, you've finally provided an answer as to whether embossed or unembossed thickness, thanks. Don't know if grain size differs from North to South hemispheres, I'm running my mill at 1.25mm and feel I should increase to 1.3mm. A malt processor here recommends 1.5mm which I found too much.
haha thanks Peter. Yes, some will need to tweak. 1.5mm would work for some, depends on the grain used and drilling speed. On a large mill with no milling speed control you need to go higher to avoid shreading the malt.
I have used a Crankenstein CMG 2D since 2007 with no issues. The only wear on that is when I get stones in the malt, wich is not uncommon in certain brands.
@DavidHeathHomebrew would you reccomend the standard credit card width for the Brewzilla Gen4? I find with that setting I have a lot of particles making it through the gaps in the bottom screen and into my boil
I have a large, 1 kg capacity grinder that can grind almost anything including whole corn kernels into any dimension from coarse to flour. Would this work for homebrew grist? I'm planning to use an eBIAB with pump and whirlpool system.
Many thanks this is good advice and timely for me in nature.. Unfortunately using my Battery powered Drilling machine on low speed for an extended period, about 20 brews, screwed the speed controlker a little so I cannot grind so slowly now. My doctor says to use the manual handle because that would be good exercise. I ignore him. I have looked for speed reduction devices that we used to use many years ago when drills were electric and you needed a slow speed to cut holes with a hole saw. but they are silly prices. They are an epicyclic gearbox where you hold the outer circle with the hand and the planets go more slowly. Bit like a car automatic gearbox thingy.
Dear David, thanks again for all the info and the videos you share. If I remember well, l you were using a Robobrew or Grainfather when you were making this video of gap-setting your mill. Now, you are using a Brewzille gen 4 brewing kettle. Did you change your gap as the efficiency of the Brewzilla is different from the Robobrew/Grandfather. I am curious about this as I am struggling with the right gap-setting with my new Brewzilla gen 4 35L.
Hi, I am still using a very similar crush personally, however I now use the Grainfather electric mill. The gap can be set differently very quickly if needed. Some grain can vary in size.
I've got a conical burr grain grinder that goes from flour fine to barely crushed. I have use it to "crush" some malt for my grainfather and it ended up pretty ok. I have both used pre crushed malt and malt crushed with my mill and was happy with either resulting beer. I've made it a habit of always using some rise hulls. What are the downsides of useing such a mill insead of a proper grain crusher? I am using that mill because i already got one at home. Would it be advisable that i get a proper grain mill?
I wish I could tell you something different but the truth is that it is totally unsuitable for milling grain for brewing. A much different crush is needed sadly and this requires a grain mill.
Great video as always, great timing for me to as I've recently purchased a mill and am going to use for the first time next brew day. One question, I'm planning to buy my base malts in bulk 25kg sacks. Whats the best way of storing them? I was thinking large clip top plastic containers, I don't really want to keep them in the sacks as I'm concerned it'll make them to easy to get at for any mice that might sniff them out. Possibly help to keep bugs out too.
@Tom Mulligan ; Rodents go thru even the thick black lids on 200 lt blue barrels in my rural area. Lucky I bought a heap of empty 20 litre steel ProFry drums from the best local fish & chip guy, who uses this dearer but healthier oil. [You do know the lipid hypothesis is bullshit, don't you? It's polyunsaturated fats which kill and disable]. Look around for a caterer who uses solid fat which comes in these sort of drums, not the mass-murdering cheapo ones who save a buck on seed oils like cottonseed ect. My guy had a sign up for $1 a drum, but I hit him when he had 40 piled up and when I handed him $10 he told me I could take the lot. He didn't have to tell me twice. For ultra long term storage, I bag grains into mylar with oxygen absorber sachets, and place in rodent-proof drums. Wheat, for example is good for 10 years minimum, white rice for 15+, so a year for malt grain is nothing. www.gffoodservice.com.au/product/profry-deep-frying-oil-20kg/
Very useful thank you as I'm looking at starting to mill my own. There is definitely a lot of mixed messages out there regarding storage of all brewing ingredients. Perhaps that could be a topic for one of your next excellent videos. Is freezing grain a realistic or viable option as some people seem to think? All the best :)
Thanks Paul. Storage wise dry and cool works best but if thats an issue the fridge or freezer are also good options. I think I covered this in one of the “Brewing bad” videos.
Hi David, I have the 3 roller monster mill. I have it set to .040 inch which is just over 1.01mm. I'm having issues because my grain is smashed into small pieces. Any suggestions? thanks in advance
You want a much finer mill if you do brew in a bag because it will increase efficiency of conversion, and you don't have to worry about a stuck sparge.
Hey David, should I buy a mill if my brew supplies shop has option of milling grains for me? They are only milling in 1kg packs so if recipe calls only for 100-300g of some grain I will by throwing the rest out, but the price of milling and grain is only a fraction of the better quality mill. So the mill will probably never pay itself. The quality of the crush is OK, sometimes I am not hitting the efficiency I am aiming for but that can be caused by many things... Thanks for Your thoughts
Personally I would urge every brewer to mill their own grain. This allows you to control the crush and dial in your brewing fully. This level of control is well worth the price but you are also gaining flexibility.
Hey David, could you do a video on how to calculate you mash/sparge water needed. I used the app for this a few times but I keep ending up with too much/too little wort.
Hey. I also recently got my B40. Brewtools recommends for the standard filter (not the laser cut!) a grain crush between 1.2 and 1.3mm. I tried 1.3mm and my efficiency went down a lot. I'd recommend 1.1mm :-)
Hey David! Great video. I’m looking to get a grain mill here in the next week and based off this video. I’m leaning towards buying a monster mill. I do have one question, would you recommend their standard 2 roller mill? Or their 3 roller mill? I just want to make sure I make the right decision since this will be a large investment, but I know it is very needed. Thank you!
Thanks Bryan. I have 2 grain mills:- MM 3 pro and the grainfather electric grain mill. The GF mill is cheaper and actually my favourite. Check this out:- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6pDC7Ysy_Uc.html
Hello David, I hope you (or anyone else ) can help me with gap setting. Is the gap setting different between 2 roller and 3 roller mills? My credit cards are around 0.7 mm thick, and Grainfather state that the gap should be about the double (1,3mm), that is a big difference.
With the credit card gap by the time you have considered the raised details on it then you will have around 1.2-1.3mm. 2 or 3 roller makes no difference. Remember this is the ideal starting point. The grain you use will determine it.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Thank you for the help. Maybe my credit card is particularly slim now after christmas. I think I should use my wife's card as well. :)
Thank you :) I have owned and used 2 roller versions in the past and now have 3. I do not experience much difference really at all. Should be no issue getting a fine crush with any quality mill.
Hi David. I'm sure this question has been asked but might as well try. In South Africa its almost impossible to buy a grain mills like the monster mill as most are sold out. The only options available are hand mills like the Victoria Mill. Would you recommend it? Also I brew using a grain father(thanks to you I bought one)
I dont treat it very different to other base malts. Some double crush it but really wheat is never going to be super predictable unless it starts being grown with brewing in mind but that is unlikely.
Hi David! Planning my next brewday and i am still fiddling with my mill settings. I want to try conditioning the grain with water (2% of the grainbills weight as i read this is suggested). My question is, can I safely store the crushed grain in a tightly sealed bucket until the next day at room temps?
Hi Mattias, yes this is no problem. I do this quite often. Just make sure its as airtight as possible. Vacuum sealing with hold freshness for at least 6 months after milling.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew thx a lot. I was just worried that it does sth to the milled grain as it would be milled conditioned with water and therefore a bit damp.
Sorry to brake it to you, David. But i think you got Tribolium castaneum beetle's in your malt storage. @5:40. But maybe you don't mind the extra protein ;)
Haha yes I saw them. This was some old grain that I just used for the purpose of this video. If you add 50g of them then they are great for head retention :p hehe
I would double check the rollers and make sure the gap is the same at both ends of the rollers. Also give the mill a really good clean taking it apart at periods. You can also experiment with wet milling. Static is never a problem I have had to face to be honest but I do regularly check the mill.
@Phil/Emma Baker ; If static is an issue for you, take a tip from the coffee crowd, just 1-2 drops of water on the beans (say 16g) in grinder hopper, will cure it like magic.
If its acceptable to store milled grain for a year is there much point in homebrewers getting a mill? If your equipment works fine with a standard crush,why not just buy enough for about a year (I imagine one or 2 25kg sacks will be enough for most) and get your economy of scale that way?
That is credit card thickness :) They can be as much as .90mm also. If you follow this method then your gap with be a little wider though. 1.2 or so really.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Hi David, think we have discussed gaps before :) . From Google the standard credit card thickness is .76mm which was way too narrow and it lead me to killing my first GF lol (long story). At 1.2 mm my grain literally falls through the gap almost untouched.
Yes, ive seen some sources say this but internationally the thickness is quoted at what I stated. I think it also depends on if they are including the raised digits and name. No matter though, the credit card is a good guide in general as most people have one. As I said in the video grain will vary from region to region, so use the credit card as a good starting point and adjust :)
@@DavidHeathHomebrew I once asked a commercial brewer his gap width and he said. Summer or Winter as he said his rollers expanded in the summer so needed to be wider. He never told be the gap. lol
The gap size used in commercial brewing is usually for a very fine crush. Most breweries I have worked for have had it precrushed thankfully, otherwise it makes for a really shitty job for someone.
If anyone likes the grain containers seen at 4:00, this is what I use to store my base malts in. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002H3S5U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I did not notice them at all during the milling until I saw your comment, but now they are all that I can see, trying to escape the rollers 😂 What actually happens if you have them (apart from added protein I mean) - Will they contaminate the beer or does the boil take care of it?
I was very close to adding a speech bubble to the one trying to escape on the right! That is one of the things you get by milling outside...the chance of extra protein!
You wont spontaneously get weevils from milling outside, they usually come from the maltster in the form of eggs, when the grain isn't stored properly and with the right conditions ie warmth with high humidity and good ventilation they breed rapidly. I don't think it matters so much on the small scale but in our brew house a bad infestation like the one you appear to have results in slack malt and we get drops in mash efficiency. Weevils drown in the mash I've never seen one make it into the grant, no noticeable difference or quality to the beer.
