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Post by gusso on Apr 9, 2022 10:21:18 GMT -6
It is a bit "hard" at starting. But I haven't really noticed anything after that. As for an occasional doughball (usually with Maris Otter), my giant whisk breaks them up effortlessly
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Post by brewbama on Apr 9, 2022 10:32:31 GMT -6
Maybe it’ll loosen up over time as it develops a wear pattern.
One other thought: I can get dough balls when I add water (underlet) too quickly.
New equipment is fun to incorporate into the process!
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Post by Ken on Apr 9, 2022 10:42:46 GMT -6
Maybe it’ll loosen up over time as it develops a wear pattern. One other thought: I can get dough balls when I add water (underlet) too quickly. New equipment is fun to incorporate into the process! I'm definitely taking notes in case something is weird with this beer. I wrote on the recipe sheet FIRST BATCH MILLED WITH MIGHTY MILL! I have not seen a doughball in a long, long time and maybe that just suggests that I had my old mill set to a gap that was too wide. Not sure. I have no issues with a finer crush as long as there is no downside. |
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Post by Ken on Apr 9, 2022 11:22:01 GMT -6
Well that sucked. Can you say STUCK RUNOFF!?  Halfway through the main runoff it stopped. So I added the sparge water, stirred and hopd for the best. The runoff was slow and eventually stopped. Not sure how much liquid was left in the MT but I could not try to stir it, recirc and runoff again... it would not run. So it may be a 4½ gallon batch. I will adjust the mill and then sacrifice more grain to test the crush. This was too fine. |
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Post by Ken on Apr 9, 2022 16:31:28 GMT -6
I ended up with 5 gallons but I had to allow the transfer to suck some trub too. I need to look closer at the gap settings and then mill some more grain to find some kind of middle-ground. As of today, all of my kegs are either full or going to be full soon so there will be a bit of a break now. The S-04 will be retired after this batch of cream ale and WLP940 will be started when I have an empty keg or two.
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Post by brewbama on Apr 9, 2022 20:18:07 GMT -6
You’ll get it figured out over a few brews.
A cpl thoughts:
I recirculate throughout the mash and I want the wort to flow thru the bed so my grind has 60% grits/40% fines. I determined the 60/40 split thru trial and error starting with 70/30 then 65/35 then landed at 60/40. I measure the ratio by using a No 14 sieve.
I believe you should calculate how efficient your extraction was. Measure the gravity in the boiling pot and multiply the points by the number of gallons you collected. Then divide by the number of pounds of grain you used. The result should be somewhere around 30 ppg. 27 is okay, 29 is good, and over 30 is great. If it is 25 or below, you are lautering too fast or you are not getting good conversion in the mash, which could be caused by milling issues, the wrong temperature, not enough time, it got cold, or a pH factor, et cetera.
Another way to determine if you’re headed for a stuck runoff is by monitoring differential pressure above and below the false bottom with a manometer. If the differential pressure starts to become excessive the speed can be slowed, the bed can be knifed, and later, the mill can be opened for a more course grind.
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Post by Ken on Apr 10, 2022 9:07:04 GMT -6
Mom! BrewBama is talking fancy to me again! I mentioned that I was milling twice prior to this. That's probably not a good thing but I remember a few other brewers doing the same thing. There is probably a sweet spot and I didn't find it on my old mill but adjusting the gap on that mill was not as easy as it is on this mill. A good gap and one milling is the goal. I'd also like to avoid runoff issues and if I were to see a short bump in efficiency, that would be fine too. I'm usually in the 1.044 - 1.046 range for SG and yesterday's was over 1.050 so that suggests that efficiency liked the finer crush. Remember that there was corn in this batch too (only 10% but still... it can cause issues with runoff). So I'll play with the mill and see what looks correct. Thanks BB.
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Post by Ken on Apr 29, 2022 13:21:30 GMT -6
I just crushed for my batch today. I put a small amount of grain into the hopper and crushed it. It looks too fine to me. I made an adjustment. Adjusting the gap on this mill is very easy although it's not something you're going to do a lot of. Once it's set properly I expect to leave it. I set it about FOUR hashes from the tightest spot. It's just on the TIGHT side of halfway. Even that crush seems very fine to me. I'm trying to find the sweet spot between efficiency and a good runoff. Also, setting it slightly wider makes the actual milling process smoother. That tight/tough experience I had originally must have been because it was set to narrow.
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Post by zymot on Oct 2, 2022 13:57:17 GMT -6
I have a Barley Crusher from back when it was about the most economical mill around. I got a $50.00 gift certificate in a drawing, so it was an economical luxury.
I keep my grains separate, and mill each on their own. Wheat and rye benefit from a custom setting. Most base grains end up going through the same setting. But some times a given grain needs to be tweaked.
Anybody else do this?
I am considering the a triple roller Mighty Mill or a Monster Mill.
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Post by denny on Oct 2, 2022 14:50:39 GMT -6
I have a Barley Crusher from back when it was about the most economical mill around. I got a $50.00 gift certificate in a drawing, so it was an economical luxury. I keep my grains separate, and mill each on their own. Wheat and rye benefit from a custom setting. Most base grains end up going through the same setting. But some times a given grain needs to be tweaked. Anybody else do this? I am considering the a triple roller Mighty Mill or a Monster Mill. Nope. I set the gap on my JSP as tight as it would go 23 years ago and haven't changed it since. Everything gets milled at that setting. |
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Post by Ken on Oct 3, 2022 8:19:24 GMT -6
I do think that my Mighty Mill is crushing slightly finer than my old mill. Two reasons I believe that: I get the occasional dough ball which I think happens when grains are milled finer and... my runoffs have been a little slower and sometimes they stop altogether and I have to stir it, recirc and run it off again. The grain bed is also really dense and hard as a rock after runoff. All of this may be bumping my efficiency so I'm not complaining. Also, this design where the rollers are geared is really excellent. I feel like the entire concept of the "passive roller" is doomed. With all three rollers on the Mighty Milled being geared together, you know they will always turn together no matter what you're milling. It has been smooth ever since I received it and where I used to dread milling... now I look forward to it. I know Denny's saying "it's about the beer, not the gear" but in this case the gear is a blessing. |
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Post by denny on Oct 3, 2022 11:02:29 GMT -6
I do think that my Mighty Mill is crushing slightly finer than my old mill. Two reasons I believe that: I get the occasional dough ball which I think happens when grains are milled finer and... my runoffs have been a little slower and sometimes they stop altogether and I have to stir it, recirc and run it off again. The grain bed is also really dense and hard as a rock after runoff. All of this may be bumping my efficiency so I'm not complaining. Also, this design where the rollers are geared is really excellent. I feel like the entire concept of the "passive roller" is doomed. With all three rollers on the Mighty Milled being geared together, you know they will always turn together no matter what you're milling. It has been smooth ever since I received it and where I used to dread milling... now I look forward to it. I know Denny's saying "it's about the beer, not the gear" but in this case the gear is a blessing. It is about the beer, but good gear gets you there more easily with more enjoyment. That's why I rave about my G40! I milled grain yesterday amazed at the longevity of my JSP mill. But I keep telling myself it can't last forever. The Might Mill seems like the way to go when I need a replacement. |
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Post by Ken on Nov 18, 2023 11:34:52 GMT -6
An update: First, the Mighty Mill is a pleasure to use. It just always works, period. Second, I made a beer yesterday and had a bit of a stuck (or slow) runoff and the cake of grain on the bottom of the MT was REALLY compact and dense. There was no flaked 'anything' in this batch .. pilsner, C60, some torrified wheat (6 ounces) and that's it. I feel like that should not produce a stuck runoff. I am also seeing increasing doughballs which suggests a crush that is too fine. I slightly adjusted the mill gap to open it a bit.
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Post by Leftympfrmde on Nov 19, 2023 16:48:33 GMT -6
I have a Barley Crusher from back when it was about the most economical mill around. I got a $50.00 gift certificate in a drawing, so it was an economical luxury. I keep my grains separate, and mill each on their own. Wheat and rye benefit from a custom setting. Most base grains end up going through the same setting. But some times a given grain needs to be tweaked. Anybody else do this? I am considering the a triple roller Mighty Mill or a Monster Mill. Nope. I set the gap on my JSP as tight as it would go 23 years ago and haven't changed it since. Everything gets milled at that setting. Had a group brew yesterday with the regulars with the brew club- ended up bringing my JSP mill to help. It crushed about 100# of grain without fail. Like Denny, set it to as tight as it can get. Not one stuck sparge. The mill is 5 years old at this point, and has been one of the most reliable tools in the brewery. Hope I can get another 18 years out of it! |
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Post by gusso on Nov 23, 2023 12:31:12 GMT -6
I've now had the Mighty Mill for over 2 years. Not a single hiccup, excellent mill.
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Halfway through the main runoff it stopped. So I added the sparge water, stirred and hopd for the best. The runoff was slow and eventually stopped. Not sure how much liquid was left in the MT but I could not try to stir it, recirc and runoff again... it would not run. So it may be a 4½ gallon batch. I will adjust the mill and then sacrifice more grain to test the crush. This was too fine. 
