After a lot of reading it seems that the JSP Maltmill is a very nice piece of equipment that just plops down on a 5 gallon bucket and does the business, after which you can dump the content of the bucket where you need it… no muss, no fuss. I like it.
But there are (always) choices. The pre-set, the one side adjustable and the two sides adjustable… Any experience out there? Is it necessary to spend the extra moulah for the adjustability? Or does the preset one work good, last a long time?
I use the JSP Maltmill. As you said just rest it on a five gallon bucket and start milling. I use a 1/2" Dewalt electric drill to operate the mill. Next year I would like to build a milling station. Attach a small motor and install a large hopper to automate the process along. I really like the JSP…it hasn’t let me down in some 50 batches so far.
FWIW, I have and like a Barley Crusher, which is adjustable and also fits on a bucket. I’d get an adjustable mill. Over your brewing career the cost difference will be negligible, and you never know when you might need it.
The Barley Crusher was my choice as well. It’s adjustable, fits a 5 gallon bucket and has a pretty big hopper- will hold 7 pounds of grain. The price is/was good. I run mine with a drill, but for just a few pounds it’s no problem to crank it out.
If you can fab up something then a Crankanstein or a Monster Mill might suit you. A tri-roller perhaps sir?
I have the adjustable model and have never adjusted it. The mill is factory set at .040" and produces a perfect crush IMO. I wanted to have the ability to adjust the mill if needed but I’ve been very happy with my results so “don’t fix what’s not broken”
OK then. I’m not hearing any complaints about the product or the customer service, so I’ll go with the fixed, and trust that if there’s something wrong it will be taken care of. Yes, there is a large washing machine pulley and motor hiding somewhere in my “parts department”… ;D
I have the adjustable JSP mill, which I motorized several years ago. I do occasionally adjust it, e.g. when milling raw wheat. This mill is at least 15 year old and still works as good as new.
One more JSP adjustable mill close to 15 years old cranked with a 18VDC drill. To get a uniform grind and a boost in efficiency, I’ve gone to a double grind. I set the rollers (eyeball) to get a light crush for the first round, then tighten the gap (eyeball again) to get a more uniform crush. This helps when using malts of various kernel sizes.
One note, there is a risk of stuck mashes if you mill too fine, but that’s what the eyeball is for, so you can get it just right.
Only complaints about the older model JSP is the small hopper and breakable O-ring that drives the second roller.
If I ever had to replace it, I would go with a three roller adjustable mill.
Just curious, but can you buy a drill bit for that purpose or a similar one, if making your own? My LHBS has a drill set up into theirs and it looks like it would be pretty easy to set-up, but haven’t had a chance to see whats churning in there.
I have a Barley Crusher that I’ve used for the past 5 years - put about 1.5-2 tons of grain through it in that time. Its finicky and aggravating at times, but right now it works fine for me (hope it doesn’t hear me type that ).
If I could do it all over again, I’d buy a Monster Mill - bigger rollers (diameter and length), more solid construction, and it looks like deeper knurling (sp?).
Every time I have issues with the BC, I swear at it and tell it I’m buying a MM tomorrow and for some reason it starts cooperating for the remainder of the grist.
This is my case as well. I love the dang dang thing and it has served me very well for years. It is simply worn out at this point. The knurling is very worn, and it works kinda ok one time, and on the other hand it can take me fidgeting for hours to get it to mill one batch. You can flop the idle roller, that will help just a bit, it I’ve about worn out that method too…
I have a MM on the way from Fred, with hopper and five gallon bucket base…
This is how mine is setup too. I have the adjustable model, and have it set so I can just barely see light between the rollers - works great for me, no stuck mashes and it helped get me to above 80% efficiency on standard gravity beers with a batch sparage.
Check out their “barebones” ordering page: http://schmidling.com/bbordpp.htm
I made my own base to fit the buckets and just use an inverted plastic 5 gallon water bottle as the hopper.
