Whole grain without a milling machine

skulltat280 · Feb 5, 2019

So I've ordered whole grain malt instead of crushed by accident (the grain is in a white sack so didn't want to open to check incase it's not in a plastic bag) but I'm pretty sure it's whole

Has anyone else done this and found a way to crush without a milling machine?

RichardM · Feb 5, 2019

Measure some out, wrap it in a tea towel or put it in a big poly bag and beat it with a rolling pin

Oneflewover · Feb 5, 2019

Invest in a grain mill. Cheap one will only set you back 30 notes or so.

RichardM · Feb 5, 2019

Oneflewover said:
Invest in a grain mill. Cheap one will only set you back 30 notes or so.

That's a better answer than mine

Dutto · Feb 6, 2019

Without a Mill you are looking at a world of pain and hard work!

One of these ...

https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.u...WD=mill&PN=Basic_Malt_Grain_Mill.html#SID=271

... and an old Wilko FV will set you up.

I looked at the Manual system, decided that it looked too much like hard work and cobbled this together ...

It takes less than five minutes to grind 4kg of grain; which just reaches a level below the hole used to connect the drill.

If you like pain and frustration then you can use:

The pillow case and hammer system already explained, or,
a coffee grinder, or,
a blender, or,
a food processor, or,
a pestle and mortar.

They will all chop up and/or grind small amounts of whole grain, but not as successfully as a Mill.

Enjoy!

skulltat280 · Feb 6, 2019

Dutto said:
Without a Mill you are looking at a world of pain and hard work!

One of these ...

https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=mill&PN=Basic_Malt_Grain_Mill.html#SID=271

... and an old Wilko FV will set you up.

I looked at the Manual system, decided that it looked too much like hard work and cobbled this together ...

View attachment 17776 View attachment 17777

It takes less than five minutes to grind 4kg of grain; which just reaches a level below the hole used to connect the drill.

If you like pain and frustration then you can use:

The pillow case and hammer system already explained, or,

a coffee grinder, or,

a blender, or,

a food processor, or,

a pestle and mortar.

They will all chop up and/or grind small amounts of whole grain, but not as successfully as a Mill.

Enjoy!

I seen those on ebay last night for around £12. Didn't think they'd do the job

Have you a post of it in the ''how to section'' I could look at?

skulltat280 · Feb 6, 2019

Just zoomed in and seen it's a socket on the end off your drill lol. Thanks mate

Brewed_Force · Feb 6, 2019

I bought one of those mills off eBay, I think they are called 'Corona' type.
It grinds very well, and gives you a good upper body workout at the same time!
I like the look of Dutto's setup, might have a go at rigging up something similar myself.

skulltat280 · Feb 6, 2019

Brewed_Force said:
I bought one of those mills off eBay, I think they are called 'Corona' type.
It grinds very well, and gives you a good upper body workout at the same time!
I like the look of Dutto's setup, might have a go at rigging up something similar myself.

Yeah I'll be looking at attaching my drill to it. I spent all these years making my beer belly drinking beer, I'm not losing it by making beer :laugh8:

You got a link to the seller you used?

Cwrw666 · Feb 6, 2019

Brewed_Force said:
I bought one of those mills off eBay, I think they are called 'Corona' type.
It grinds very well, and gives you a good upper body workout at the same time!
I like the look of Dutto's setup, might have a go at rigging up something similar myself.

Be aware that you're going to need a fairly powerful drill that can work at a low speed. I tried this with a Bosch hammer drill and burnt it out after three grindings so now I'm back to hand winding it.
I do 18L brews which takes approx. 5 to 6.5 Lbs of pale malt. I find that when I've put my boiler on to heat I have time to set up the grinder, hand grind the pale malt and weigh out any speciality grains before the boiler is up to mash temperature.

Brewed_Force · Feb 6, 2019

Be aware that you're going to need a fairly powerful drill that can work at a low speed. I tried this with a Bosch hammer drill and burnt it out after three grindings so now I'm back to hand winding it.
I do Rate: 1 l = 0.22 gallon" title="18L = 4.0 gallons" data-convertit="4.0 gallons" style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; position: relative !important; background-color: rgb(255, 250, 205) !important; white-space: nowrap !important; color: black !important;">18L brews which takes approx. Rate: 1 lb = 0.45 kg" title="5 to 6.5 Lbs = 2.3 to 2.9 kg" data-convertit="2.3 to 2.9 kg" style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; position: relative !important; background-color: rgb(255, 250, 205) !important; white-space: nowrap !important; color: black !important;">5 to 6.5 Lbs2.3 to 2.9 kg
Rate: 1 lb = 0.45 kg of pale malt. I find that when I've put my boiler on to heat I have time to set up the grinder, hand grind the pale malt and weigh out any speciality grains before the boiler is up to mash temperature.

I've got a 1500W Screwfix SDS drill. Hopefully that will do the job. Just need to figure out how to connect the mill spindle to the SDS chuck!

Graz · Feb 6, 2019

@Brewed_Force You can get normal chucks that will fit into an SDS, e.g. https://www.its.co.uk/pd/DT70PACK-D...ufs3H6cpE2Ti-URX_tnzARilCRa0_gCBoCNLAQAvD_BwE

Brewed_Force · Feb 6, 2019

skulltat280 said:
You got a link to the seller you used?

Go on eBay and search for 'manual corn grinder' and there will be a few, at around £12.
I bought mine 12 months ago and the seller doesn't currently have anything for sale.

Dutto · Feb 6, 2019

The connection you can see in the photograph is from a socket tool kit. It comprises a socket that fits the bolt that fits the end of the mill (I think it's 8mm), a universal joint (so that the drill can be a bit offset), an extension that fits the universal joint and an SDS chuck.

I used a framework of wood to raise the Mill to the height of the drill. (I wish that I had made the frame so that the mill sits higher up so that I could mill more grain without having to empty the FV. However, there has to be a compromise and if the mill is too high then it would be impossible to fit the lid on when it isn't in use.)

Whenever the mill isn't in use I put the lid on tight, ALWAYS put a small unscented dehumidifier in the FV to stop any mould forming and ALWAYS close up the hole with two lengths of duct-tape in an "X" shape to keep out any insects.

skulltat280 · Feb 6, 2019

Dutto said:
The connection you can see in the photograph is from a socket tool kit. It comprises a socket that fits the bolt that fits the end of the mill (I think it's 8mm), a universal joint (so that the drill can be a bit offset), an extension that fits the universal joint and an SDS chuck.

View attachment 17798

I used a framework of wood to raise the Mill to the height of the drill. (I wish that I had made the frame so that the mill sits higher up so that I could mill more grain without having to empty the FV. However, there has to be a compromise and if the mill is too high then it would be impossible to fit the lid on when it isn't in use.)

Whenever the mill isn't in use I put the lid on tight, ALWAYS put a small unscented dehumidifier in the FV to stop any mould forming and ALWAYS close up the hole with two lengths of duct-tape in an "X" shape to keep out any insects.

Thanks mate, I'll tackle this at some point

Petrolhead · Feb 6, 2019

Oh! No! I’m building my keezer, adding a pump to my Klarstein, setting up my kegs, buying a stir plate, reading about washing yeast, trying to find another brew fridge and now I am googling bloody grain mills.......

When will this nightmare end

skulltat280 · Feb 7, 2019

Petrolhead said:
Oh! No! I’m building my keezer, adding a pump to my Klarstein, setting up my kegs, buying a stir plate, reading about washing yeast, trying to find another brew fridge and now I am googling bloody grain mills.......

When will this nightmare end

The nightmare shall end when necking the sweet nectar of your labour :cheers3:

I actually enjoy the building projects

-Bezza- · Feb 7, 2019

Petrolhead said:
When will this nightmare end

When you have at least three of everything!

BarnBrian · Feb 7, 2019

Petrolhead said:
Oh! No! I’m building my keezer, adding a pump to my Klarstein, setting up my kegs, buying a stir plate, reading about washing yeast, trying to find another brew fridge and now I am googling bloody grain mills.......

When will this nightmare end

When are you getting the SS Chronicals?

Brewed_Force · Feb 7, 2019

Is the SS Chronicals an ocean liner or a book :laugh8:

Whole grain without a milling machine

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