Pros and cons of pre-milled malt

[trvlbrewer]

We are planning on opening up a brewpub and have to decide whether to use pre-milled malt or not. We have some issues regarding location and use of a mill and auger. Because of these concerns and possible hassles of getting contained mill room approved by local authorities, we are exploring the option of going without a malt mill and using pre-milled malt. What are pros and cons of using pre-milled malt? Do you sacrifice quality? How much more expensive is pre-milled malt per pound? Would appreciate any comments regarding this issue.

[BMOOR]

toss up

Having worked at one brewpub with a mill and two without, I don't know that I have a preference, but here's what I can tell you:
A mill is another piece of equipment to buy and maintain and clean. It may break sometime, BUT milled malt is 4 to 5 cents per pound extra. You will pay off that mill and the repair costs very quickly by milling it yourself. And you have control over the milling quality.
I don't worry about less shelf life of milled malt because I only order about 5-6 batches at a time and it doesn't have time to go bad.
Most mill/augers have a nice hydration cone(in my experience) and it wets the grain as it comes out of the auger. In my non-mill experience3s, it was just hefting the bag over the side and stirring like crazy. Much more work.
Finally, if you do have a mill, try make a milling room. So many pubs put the mill in the brewhouse due to space limitations. Try not to do this. Yeast dust contains all those beer spoiling organisms that we want to keep away from sanitary fittings and such. It is a lot of work to constanly be wiping tanks, fittings, hoses , etc of grain dust.
Hope that gives you some insight.
MAtt

[beertje46]

Check your local building code for...

milling operation requirements. Some states/locals require explosion proff mill rooms, exp. proff motors, starters, light switches, and lighting. Depending on the size of your operation and output, it may not be worth milling your own.

I used premilled malt for ten years prior to starting our production facility and never had an issue with premilled malt. I always used an auger/grist hydrator to convey my malt to the mash tun.

[Ted Briggs]

...getting contained mill room approved by local authorities, ...What are pros and cons of using pre-milled malt? Do you sacrifice quality? How much more expensive is pre-milled malt per pound?

In short- get a mill.
Approval will be based on "explosion proof" fixtures. These are more expensive (250$) but 1-2 lights in a small area are fine. Consider making this your malt storage area too.
You will sacrifice a lot of choice as only a few suppliers mill malt. Milling is an important step in the process and you will be giving control over to someone else. Milled malt is also more susceptible to pests, molds and all other spoilage mechanisms. so, there are obvious quality concerns.
I pay 2.20/bag for milling, that’s about 1200$ a year for 500bbls/30,000 pounds of malt. Also at an average of .40$/pound an 5% increase (by properly milling yourself) in malt efficiency could equal 1500 pounds a year- 660$ A mill easily pays for itself.
Also, either install a batch hopper before the mill or a grist case after. Hitting your targets is hard enough without running back and forth from the mill to the mash tun! Efficiency =Profits!

[gabewilson50]

Just my $0.02

I would say it also really depends on the size of brewery you're considering. If you have a 15bbl brewhouse, are you prepared to lug 1000+ lbs. of bagged milled malt up to the mash tun to dump in the manway? Also, I would think that you get pretty bad inconsistencies within bags if they have been stored long enough. Your endosperm separates from the husks and has a tendency to settle in different parts of the bags, therefore changing the available brew to brew extract if the bag isn't used all at one time.

[Tash]

What's your time worth??

At Flossmoor station there simply wasn't a place for a mill. At Titletown there was a mill but milling took a fair amount of time for milling and cleanup 2 hours or so for a 15bbl batch...
Paying the current rate of .05 to .07 a pound seems step but looking a man hours it could be a wash... I like the control of knowing I'm milling to the grist size I want.

There was a certain Malting company that in 2006 was literally shipping malt flour. If you go with premilled I implore you to ask questions of your malt supplier about grist that comes to your brewery that is something other than what you want. (ie: if it isn't right, you reserve the right to refuse it).

Tash

[wailingguitar]

HOLY RESURRECTED THREAD BATMAN!

Seeing as the last posts here are a few years old, I wanted to see if anyone has anything new to say. I have minimal experience with premilled malt, but it seems like a good fit for our project. Maybe. Thoughts and experiences appreciated!

[jfulton]

As far as local inspections go, be sure to tell inspectors it is a "malt crusher" and not a malt mill. Flour mills are much more dangerous than cracking malt for brewing. Nonetheless, you need adequate ventilation in the milling area.

Oh yeah, get a mill. Crush it yourself to your liking, suiting your LT. I like to point out that every step where you can improve the quality of the product helps to make world class beer. I would consider quality malt a HUGE step to making great beer. Not to say that precrushed won't, but every little QC decision adds up in the end.

I vote for mill.

[Capt. Bob]

First off, this is going to sound a little under-handed, but if your code inspectors don't like the idea of a mill in the building, go with pre-milled and add a mill after you are up and running.

[liammckenna]

I'd go for the pre-milled. I do right now. We are a brewpub and the couple of bucks a bag I pay for milling is totally worth it. We are on a three week order cycle so my milled malt is always fresh. I have no space for a mill unless I jammed it in my brewhouse somewhere with a near vertical discharge auger.

You will need to stay in touch with your grist analysis and feedback to your supplier(s) regarding grist consistency. As far as separation of endosperm from the husk - I've never seen an auger that doesn't do this virtually completely.

Biggest reason to avoid a mill - dust. Everywhere. Huge infection source (if not the biggest) in a brewery.

If you contain the mill in a room and vent it properly, you might avoid it, but I doubt it.

People have also mentioned code issues. Explosion proof fitting, fans, motors etc are generally required. Dust explosions probably some of the historically most common reasons for catastrophic accidents in breweries. The inspectors have a very, very, very good point in this regard. Don't put your hand out to be slapped.

If you go for a mill, make sure your operator(s) wear proper breathing protection. Malt dust is particularly nasty to your lungs.

Good luck.

Pax.

Liam

[Ted Briggs]

I stick to my earlier post, Get a mill. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. And "with a near vertical discharge auger" = a bucket conveyer- it can be done. Only go with pre-milled if you absolutly have to.

[gitchegumee]

Going to have to go with Ted on this one. I can see no pros of going with pre-milled. It seems to me to be a position of compromise. Again, if you're careful you can minimize the downside of pre-milled to insignificance. Still like to have control of my grist.

[mmussen]

I'm all for getting a mill myself, although my reasons are slightly different. Control, efficiency, and price are all very good reasons to get a mill, but I find the limited selection of pre-milled malts to be such a hindrance to brewing some beers that I'd recommend a mill for that alone.