Milling grains?

[Black_Raven]

Is it okay to use an electric coffee grinder to mill (or crack) the grains prior to mashing, or does this mill the grain to fine? I know I can mill the grains at the place where I purchased them, I was just wondering about alternative milling methods. Thanks, in advance, for any information regarding this subject matter... Jim

[KBrau]

I don't recommend using a coffee grinder as it will turn your grains into flour. This will cause your beer to be cloudy as well as making it nearly impossible to have an adequate filter bed for your sparge. The objective when milling grains is simply to crack the husk to expose its interior. If you are only milling small amounts (specialty grains for an extract batch) you can place the grain in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crack them, but for all grain batches I recommend buying a maltmill. I personally recommend the JSP Maltmill, but there are several on the market that do the job. If you can't fit it in the budget, most brewshops will mill your grain for around $.10 a lbs. Just be sure to mill your grain as close to your brewing time as possible for optimum freshness. I hope this was helpful.

[puckerhuddle]

My brew-partner and I have successfully used a coffee grinder for small amounts of specialty grains (extract brewing). We have not had any problems with cloudiness. Just a couple short bursts will do the trick, and it's much fresher than milling at the store.

[Mudbone]

What kind of off flavors can occur if you use a base malt that was crushed 6 or more months ago. I am adding 20% fresh specialty malts for additional flavor. Is this enough? I need to use up my old grain if possible.