all the "mills" I loved before

Buying, building and using brewing equipment and apparatus. Product reviews and questions.

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brewhaha
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2002 10:07 am

all the "mills" I loved before

Post by brewhaha »

hey all, I got a quick one for ya, I wanted to start a thread about grain mills and what everyone thinks aobut them. Could someone tell me which mill they belive to be the best and the reasons for liking it so much... Or is there a guide to grain mills with the pros and cons somewhere on the web, thanks
andytv
Double IPA
Double IPA
Posts: 206
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2001 8:55 pm

JSP

Post by andytv »

I just bought a JSP mill, but have yet to use it. Here's why I chose JSP; 1) I read an independant report that put the JSP's performance above the other homebrew mills out there. 2) The test data on the JSP site is pretty impressive when compared to the data from a brewery grade mill. 3) My grain supplier has been using one for five years without any problems.

That being said, here are a couple things that I see as possible drawbacks; 1) The masonite side panels on the mill and the particle board base will probably eventually swell if you live in a humid environment (or get them wet. 2) The rollers are mounted thru sleeve bearings (bushings). Hand cranking puts a side load on the roller which would be better handled using ball bearings. 3) The hopper only holda e few lbs of grain.

I plan on eliminating these issues by; replacing the masonite panels with aluminum or steel, relieving the stress on the bearings by using pillow blocks and a wheel to motorize, and converting a big "farm funnel" into a hopper. I basically wanted a good basic mill to build my "motorized grinding station", so I bought the JSP.

Andy
Freon12
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 404
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2001 8:27 pm
Location: WHITELAND, IN, US

Jsp 2nd

Post by Freon12 »

I have been using a Kitchen aid mill.(sort of a motorized corona mill). The JSP I recently bought is hand operated, but, I think the crush is far better than anything tried to date. There are mostly half hasks and pieces if set right. Andy lists the draw backs. I have tasted the improvement in the finished beer. I do intend to motorize it someday.
dartedplus
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 339
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2001 11:33 pm
Location: Hummelstown, PA, US

Homemade mill

Post by dartedplus »

I saw an article on this site about a year ago that our leader Jeff wrote, with a picture of a mill. So I asked him for some advice and some measurements (which he wouldnt give out as it was proprietary in nature) and then set about to make my own. By looking at the picture I pulled some measurements out of my you know what and got the materials together and made one. It took a little time but once it was done, I then made a hopper and a catch box for the crused grain. I can get about 5 lbs of grain in the feed hopper and about 8 lbs in the catch hopper. It crushed pretty quickly and I have been very happy with the crush so far. So there is another option. Eventually I will motorize it, but for now hand cranking is sufficient. And by the way it is great to be back online, I moved recently and was out of commission for a while, so I had to go back and see all of the threads that I missed. I hate being away from my brewing family. Catch you all later. Ed
stumpwater
Double IPA
Double IPA
Posts: 109
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2002 11:04 pm

Hey, Dartedplus

Post by stumpwater »

Good to have you back! Want to send those measurements from your derrier to my email? archersofalbion@hotmail.com
Thanks Ed.
andytv
Double IPA
Double IPA
Posts: 206
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2001 8:55 pm

JSP Worked Great!!

Post by andytv »

I just tried out the JSP mill Saturday am I am quite impressed; 1) It was easy to use with a drill motor 2) There was very little dust/flour and I was able to grind inside my home w/o my wife freaking out, 3) Sparging was noticeably quicker/easier 4) The wort was much clearer/cleaner looking that what we were used to seeing with the old corona mill. I'm sure that any roller mill is a big improvemt over the corona, but nevertheless I'm very happy w/ my JSP.

Andy
dartedplus
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 339
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2001 11:33 pm
Location: Hummelstown, PA, US

No Problem, but...

Post by dartedplus »

Sure, I'll send them to you, but I am leaving for vacation tomorrow night, so when I get back I will try to find someone with a scanner then I can scan my plans and send them to you. Later, Ed.
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