[zacbwb]

So...interesting weekend and a lesson learned for me, my dad and brother.  We decided to push our limits and brew 3 beers in one day.  We ended up buying about 50 lbs of grain between the 3 recipes from one of our local brew supply shops, ran it through the on site grain mill and were on our merry way.

The first beer was going about as good as it could be going, temp in the mash was just right, no issues with our pump recirculating the mash - transfered to the boil kettle just fine, then it was time to take the pre boil gravity

Wait for it...

We missed our pre boil gravity by about 30 GUs.  We poured over our process trying to figure out what could have happened and had no answer.  It took until the gravity reading on our second recipe - once again missing by 30 points - to see that our grain had hardly been crushed, it was almost completely in tact.

So, someone had messed with the grain mill at the homebrew shop.  Why anyone would want to set it so wide it hardly touches the grain is beyond me, but there it is.  Moral of the story - make sure the grain mill is set properly before use

I think our next big purchase will be a grain mill - any suggestions?

[denny]

I think our next big purchase will be a grain mill - any suggestions?

In general, it seems like no matter which mill people get they're happy with.  I've used a JSP MaltMill for 10+ years and think it's a great mill.

[maxieboy]

I think our next big purchase will be a grain mill - any suggestions?

In general, it seems like no matter which mill people get they're happy with.  I've used a JSP MaltMill for 10+ years and think it's a great mill.

+1 Love mine.

[bluesman]

That would be a big +2 to what the man with the pony tail said.   

I've had my JSP Maltmill for years set at .040" and I typically achieve 75-80% efficiency.
There are other considerations to factor in for calculating efficiency but the crush sure is important as you have experienced first hand.

[euge]

I'll suggest the Barley Crusher. Since that's what I gots...

[zacbwb]

Thanks for the input guys!

[Kit B]

I have a Barley Crusher mill & love it.
BUT...
One thing I noticed is that a really, really fine crush seems to get my brews a lot more dry than I want.
I'd recommend trying the factory setting for a while & then adjusting from there.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

I love my JSP mill too. Great product.

I feel your pain regarding people messing with the mill at your LHBS. That's the reason I bought my mill. I learned that I just couldn't rely on the mill at the shop. Now, I get a consistent crush every time.

[euge]

I have a Barley Crusher mill & love it.
BUT...
One thing I noticed is that a really, really fine crush seems to get my brews a lot more dry than I want.
I'd recommend trying the factory setting for a while & then adjusting from there.

This might have to do more with water/grain ratio and temp than grist size. Though if it does affect it I'd like to know!

[Kit B]

This might have to do more with water/grain ratio and temp than grist size. Though if it does affect it I'd like to know!

Well, I follow ratios & temps from Beersmith.
I sure hope that's not leading me astray.
I condition my malt & do a very fine crush...
It seems to leave my IPAs with a dryness I can't otherwise explain.
I'm in the experimental phases of figuring this one out, though.
...Still working on it.

[Slowbrew]

My Barley Crusher works great!  I would recommend it to anyone who asks.

Like Denny said, any of the multiple roller mills seem to get good reviews from there owners.

Paul

[rabid_dingo]

My vote goes to the monster mill. No complaints other than having my motorization crap out. Using the LHBS's
mill definitely impacts quality. Especially if you have one setting and they have another.

[dannyjed]

This is exactly why I bought my own mill, my LHBS did not crush fine enough for me.  I got the Barley Crusher and like the fact that you can adjust the gap and my efficiency went from 60% to 75%.

[Hokerer]

My vote goes to the monster mill. No complaints other than having my motorization crap out. Using the LHBS's
mill definitely impacts quality. Especially if you have one setting and they have another.

Love my Monster Mill.  But, like was mentioned earlier, you really can't go wrong with most of the roller mills out there.

[realbeerguy]

I think our next big purchase will be a grain mill - any suggestions?

In general, it seems like no matter which mill people get they're happy with.  I've used a JSP MaltMill for 10+ years and think it's a great mill.

+1 Love mine.

10+ years for mine too. 80% this weekend (and I motorized it)