Should I get a Mill?

[gaunt_paul]

If you buy malt tidily for each brew, it doesn't hang around long and can get it crushed to your liking, there might not be much benefit to getting a mill.

I bought one and use it for every brew. I like to buy base malt in bulk and have a fairly loose approach to planning my brew schedule. I often store malts for a while, so I like knowing that it's crushed just before brewing. Having control over the crush has made improvements to efficiency and helped to assure a good sparge too, but it'll be a long time before any efficiency savings pay for the mill. It's not a money saver for a home brewerr

[MashBag]

That is very interesting. And I properly thank you for honesty.

It confirms some of my suspicions. I too have a loose approach to planning my brews, and but most stuff in bulk. That includes crushed malt, but I repackage mine airtight, immediately after delivery into separate 4kg packs. Also helps portion of the dust equally.

[Rookie]

If I had the money to get all the equipment that I fancy a mill would be near the top of the list.

[Dads_Ale]

I have a grain mill but only because it was on special offer at The Home Brew Shop (a prototype).
I now buy both whole and crushed malt, my bulk malt I try and buy whole simply because I now have a mill and hope it will keep longer.
Saying that i brewed a stout recently with a large percentage of chocolate malt that had a BBE date of 2016 and it was great.
I do try and keep check of my stock and use up the older stuff first, honestly.

[MashBag]

Hmm. I need to make a "use up beer". I have a few bits of malt hanging about.

[clarets7]

Same here Mashbag, I need a couple of brews to use up old hops and grains. I buy the crushed 25kg sacks of base malt from the Malt Miller, packed in 5x5kg bags, but not brewed much this year so that is from this time last year. Never really considered a grain mill as they are so expensive, but would this one be any good? https://www.vevor.co.uk/electric-grain- ... IzEALw_wcB

[MashBag]

No... Not even clicked on the link. You answered the question for me.

You like me, don't need a mill

[clarets7]

You're right, would be yet another thing to store somewhere I nearly bought it as well!

[guypettigrew]

All depends on what you're trying to achieve.

My mash efficiency drops by several percentage points as I work my way through 5 x 5kg bags of pre crushed from MM over about a three month period. Even though the bags are sealed.

It's hard not to think that the flavour also suffers, although I've no way of testing this for certain.

Plus there are the other malts which don't get used much; black, chocolate, crystal etc. These may not suffer from ageing as much as the pale malt, but I'd still rather buy them uncrushed and then crush as necessary.

As to the Vevor mill--seems fine. Vevor stuff is good. It's the same as a lot of branded stuff, just much cheaper. Also, with the mill you linked to, it looks as though the handle can come off and a power drill attached. Saves the hard work of hand cranking.

Guy

[MashBag]

It's hard not to think that the flavour also suffers, although I've no way of testing this for certain.

Are you saying you can't taste a difference?

[guypettigrew]

It's hard not to think that the flavour also suffers, although I've no way of testing this for certain.

Are you saying you can't taste a difference?

All my brews taste different! Different recipe each time.

What I'm saying is that I have no way of telling if the malt from bag number one gives a different flavour to the beer compared to the malt from bag number five, used three months later.

Guy

[MashBag]

That makes sense, thank you.

I run tests on the house beer, made so much now, it shows up faults & information easily.

[IPA]

If you live in Europe you have to have a grain mill. I have never seen crushed grain for sale.

[bitter_dave]

If you live in Europe you have to have a grain mill. I have never seen crushed grain for sale.

Interesting. I’m pretty sure the home brew shop near my house, which I tend to use if I can, only sells crushed grain! They weigh out smaller bags of pale malt from a 25kg pre-crushed bag and sell the 500 bags of brupaks speciality malts. This suits me fine

[vacant]

It's hard not to think that the flavour also suffers, although I've no way of testing this for certain.

Some may slag off exbeeriments but he does way more investigating/testing than I do.

My sense of taste/smell has got worse over the years so feel free to send me your six-month old stale grain.