Do I Need a Grain Mill?

Posted by Barley Beaver on

Homebrewers understand that if you are going to be "all grain brewing", the whole grains should be broken down into small pieces before they can be soaked in hot water. Traditionally, home brewers have used a rolling pin to break the grains, but this labourious task requires a lot of time and human labour. This is the reason why home brewers now use grain mills.

While it is a viable option as a home brewer to use crushed or milled brewing grains, many homebrewers avoid doing so because they believe the flavour is slightly different compared to freshly milled grains. Crushing your own barley may provide a fuller flavoured beer. Thus, if you want to crush your own grains you should consider investing in a small grain mill.

Grain mills are brewing tools that allow home brewers to crack the grain while leaving the husk intact. An efficient grain mill should be able to break down the grain between 0.035 and 0.04 inches. If the husks are broken, a porridge-like substance can form in the liquid during the boiling process that can make it difficult to separate from the end product. This can eventually affect the fluid flow during the lautering process. Moreover, having an adequate size of grains also prevents it from settling, which makes it easier for the liquid to flow through.

At Canuck Homebrew Supply we do have a couple of different grain mills from which to choose. Choose a grain mill that is adequate enough to hold an amount of whole grains that once milled, will be adequate for your recipe. That way, you can efficiently mill your grains so that the liquid can effectively seep inside to activate the enzymes and release the sugar.


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