Anyone using a Philmill?
I’ve been thinking of getting a mill and came across one that’s not too bad pricewise.
My other thought is to go with a cheap corona mill and see if I can get it dialed in.
I’ve always been happy with the Listermann products I’ve had and this makes me lean towards the Philmill.
Nix the Corona. too fine of grind/crush. I’ve got a Schmidling for over 10 yrs now. very satisfied.
I’ve had a Schmidling for 15 years, co-owned with a friend. I don’t know how many thousands of lb. of grain we’ve put through it, but it still does as great a job as it did when it was new.
If you condition the malt with water, the Corona provides an acceptable crush. However, the Corona is not fast at milling grain. Obviously, doing the extra step of malt conditioning is another time annoyance.
I’ve read enough about the corona to know what I’d be getting in to. Fine crush is no problem, as I’ll be doing BIAB anyway.
I kind of like the thought of a Philmill from a nostalgia perspective. And the price is right (under $40).
I’m typically doing a partial mash with <10 lbs of grain so milling time is no big deal, either.
If no one has horror stories about the Philmill, I think I’ll pull the trigger today.
Definitely do it! The PhilMill is a great piece of equipment. It produces a terrific, even crush. This all assumes that it’s in good shape if it’s used. If new, you’re getting a bargain.
I don’t own a mill because I haven’t had the money to invest in a good one.
From talking to mill owners (and pro’s) - its worth the investment on a good mill because it will last a long time and not give too much trouble in operation/cleaning.
Nowadays, If I’m adding a new process to my brewday, I want to make sure it doesn’t in turn add any headache!
When I do buy one - I would love one of those “I Love My Malt Mill” t-shirts!
I have been using a Phil mill for well over 10 years. Initially as a convenience for extract/specialty/partial mash brews, but about 6 years ago I switched to 10 gallon all grain.
My observations:
Get the drill attachment, the hand crank is too cumbersome. I use a variable speed hand drill which works well.
Crush is consistent. Other mills may leave a more intact husk, but I don’t condition my malt and I have no efficiency, clarity or stuck mash issues.
Durability: after probably 1000 pounds of grain, it is starting to show some age. The bearings are a little looser. Still works fine, but I doubt it will go another 1000 without at least a reconditioning. The roller itself shows no wear, just the bearing.
Feeder: I drilled out the feeder hole to fit the wide mouth generic 3 liter soda bottles so it feeds more uniformly then the smaller opening designed for normal 2 liter bottles. This was adequate for small amounts (about 2 pounds? ) of grain, but when I went all grain, I just rest a massive funnel over the soda bottle to make a hopper that takes about 10 pounds at a time. It works…
I hope this is helpful for you.