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  • grain mill for 3 bbl brewery

    I'm looking for grain mill recommendations for a 3bbl brewery that will double batch on brew days. Space is at a premium as the brewery will be installed in an existing, operating pub. Thanks for your time.

    Justin

  • #2
    I just put together a Crankandstein 328D. You have to build your own stand and hopper and provide your own motor, whole thing cost about $500-600. Since you are building your own stand you can make it any dimension you want to fit in the space you have. I am using it for our 3BBL system, double batching. Crushing your grain in 10-15 minutes sure beats my old homebrew mill which took 30-45 minutes to do the job.

    I am crushing 55lb bags in right at 2 minutes so their claim of 25-30 lbs per minute (~1500-1800 lb per hour) is spot on.

    Crankandstein 328D Really Big Brewing Mill - Turn professional with this enlarged version of the 320D. It's got bigger rollers and axles to turn out 20 to 25 pounds of grain per minute if you've got the horsepower to push it. I recommend 3/4 to 1 HP stepped down to 200 rpm. Keep in mind that Crankandstein

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    • #3
      we are running the crankenstein for our 7bbl brewhouse... actually a 3.5bbl with 2 turns a day. we buy our base malts pre milled as we order by months need, but crush all our specialty malt with no problems. We have it hooked up with a drill and has been running well for over a year now. At 3bbl you should have no problems with this set up.
      Beejay
      Pipeworks Brewing Company

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      • #4
        I just got a Monster Mill 3-2.0 for my 3bbl and will be hooking up a variable speed 1/2" drive drill to it. Using the cordless drill I have right now, it crushes a 55 lb bag in 5 minutes, with a perfect crush. I am going to build a table to mount the mill and drill on, which a can can wheel under easily. Total cost probably about $400.
        Last edited by kbills; 06-19-2012, 03:41 PM.

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        • #5
          We are using a Crankandstein powered by a cheap 1/2" harbor freight freight drill and we crack 300 lbs of grain at a time.
          It works and the rollers are stainless!
          John McKissack
          Texas Big Beer Brewery
          Newton County, Texas

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          • #6
            Does anyone here that has a 328D have pictures of their setup? I just got mine, and I'd like to see how others built the housing.

            Thanks!
            Rob

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            • #7
              Would anyone consider using the beefier crankandstein mill for a 7bbl operation with 2-3 brews/week?

              These $4500 mills look amazing, but I'm wondering if the crankandstein would work well at a fraction of the cost, to include a base, hopper, and motor. Am I crazy? If so, what do the super pricey mills offer that one like the crankandstein doesn't?

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              • #8
                Originally posted by woohokie
                Would anyone consider using the beefier crankandstein mill for a 7bbl operation with 2-3 brews/week?

                These $4500 mills look amazing, but I'm wondering if the crankandstein would work well at a fraction of the cost, to include a base, hopper, and motor. Am I crazy? If so, what do the super pricey mills offer that one like the crankandstein doesn't?
                Yes you can do it but consider spending some time for milling operation. I mill about 600 lb of grain with Monster mill in about 1.5 hour.

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                • #9
                  I use a Monster Mill 3-2 for my pilot plant. Build quality is fantastic and adjustments are a breeze. I set my lower roller to .037 and have been getting great crush quality and lauter, though I may make it a bit tiighter. They have an optional galvanized steel hopper which is worth the $40 asking price. I ordered mine with case hardened rollers and if you plan on doing volume this is a recommended upgrade. I mounted mine on a table and drive it with a 1/2 hp motor with belt/pulleys, runs at ~200rpm. I mounted the motor on a hinge with a spring on the off chance that a screw or something uncrushable gets in the hopper it will allow the pulley to slip rather than destroying the roller (experienced that with a drill mounted mill once)

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                  • #10
                    We sent our monster mill back we were so unhappy with it...the gap is extremely unstable. We had the 3 roller galvo model with a modified hopper. We now have the 8 inch galvo crankenstein in our 7 bbl. Can mill 600 lbs. grain in under an hour with a 1.25 HP 12:1 ratio...could get you exact specs on the motor if you want.

                    Caveat is it's a little touchy, you want to start it with a little grain in it but don't let it run 'dry' top up with more grain before it empties or stop it with some in there and restart....don't know why but if i obey those rules it works.
                    Eric O'Connor

                    Co-founder/Brewmaster
                    Thorn Street Brewery
                    North Park, San Diego, CA

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                    • #11
                      Jimboneys Malt Mills are great, I have seen them in action, and don't take up much space. Check them out!

                      Shop Quality Malt Mills - custom malt Grain mills for the Beer brewing industry - Hand made three roller hardened steel rollers - Made in the USA

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                      • #12
                        We spent the cash on a complete unit and are satisfied. It can handle about 6 pounds per minute. Our only complaint is that although there are graduations on the roller gap adjuster, there are no number markings. We had to buy a gap tool and write in our own numbers.

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                        • #13
                          328D Really Big Mill

                          I have milled about 500 lb's so far in the brewery with this mill. It came set from the factory, and I haven't changed anything. Good crush,worth the expense. I hooked it up to two sheaves (2" and 12") and running the rollers at 290 rpm. Motor is a hazardous location motor .75 hp. Total cost was around 600 bucks. Hopper holds about 130lb's of grain. Pic with my pal adding wheels and supports to the hopper. I am a terrible carpenter, so it doesn't look very fancy. it gets the job done, mills a batch quick, about 8lb-10lb/min.

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                          Last edited by gointomexico; 12-11-2012, 01:10 PM.

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                          • #14
                            2+ years later....how are the mills holding up?

                            My partner and I are about to order a new mill. Trying to decide between the crankandstein 328D and the monstermill mm3 pro with hardened rollers. Just curious to hear from the owners of either one, how satisfied they are a couple years later?

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                            • #15
                              My 328D starting giving me problems about 1.5 years in. It produced about 1000bbls of beer, and ran great while it did. What started happening is since only 1 roller is driven, it would sometimes have a hard time getting started. I could reach under it and give it a kick with the rubber end of a screwdriver or piece of wood. Overall it worked well for me, but when I upgraded my brew system I purchased a MUCH more expensive mill from RMS Roller Grinder, but I'm not certain it's any better.. I could purchase 20 328D's for the cost of this mill. If you are on a budget, and don't mind replacing the rollers say every couple of years (depending on your usage) - I don't think you can go wrong with the 328D

                              R

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