Grain Mills

Very nice cart! After I set my in-line oxygen this weekend I’m going to start on a design for a grain mill cart.

I researched mills quite a bit before buying one earlier this year. I was heavily considering the Barley Crusher, but decided on a Monster Mill MM2.  It seems to be made a bit better, though the Barley Crusher will likely work fine. For what it’s worth, Fred, the guy who owns Monster is a super helpful guy.

I know satisfied owners of the Barley Crusher and the JSP Malt Mill. In the end, just about everyone seems to be pleased with whatever mill they buy, so in a way, you can’t go wrong.

I’ve been using a “standard” Barley Crusher for 6 years with no problems and good results.  I brew about 20 5-gallon batches a year with a few 10-gallon batches mixed in.  I hand-crank my mill for most 5-gallon batch grain bills and use a drill for 10-gallon batches.  My mill is adjusted to 0.029 and I don’t have any problems with stuck sparges - even with 50% wheat grist.

Some report problems with their Barley Crusher’s “free” roller not spinning freely.  That’s a maintenance issue.  If you mill dry and clean the mill after each use, it shouldn’t be a problem.  I use a cheap 1" paintbrush to dust out the mill after each use and blow out any remaining grain dust.