Have you ever wondered how to crush your own malt at home? Better yet, maybe you’re tired of having to run to the local brew store to gather all of your grain and crush it on-site when you could do it all from the comfort of your home instead.
Crushing your own malt at home can be convenient and a great way to make your brew day prep as seamless as possible. Not only can you start purchasing grain in bulk (which amounts to saving a lot of cash), but you also get more control and consistency with your grain crush. The result is great tasting and consistent quality in your beer overall.
Benefits of Crushing Your Own Malt at Home
There are many reasons why crushing malt at home is preferred by many homebrewers alike:
- More consistency in grain crush. By crushing your own malt, you’re able to have more control over the size and consistency of the crush. This can lead to more gains in overall efficiency and starch conversion, which helps with hitting the OG of your recipe and determining the proper starting sugar volumes of your recipe.
- You can purchase grain in bulk. As was briefly mentioned above, knowing how to crush malt at home will allow you to purchase unmilled grain in bulk, which can dramatically reduce your overall cost per batch. Lower costs = more beer!
- Convenience. You won’t have to worry about making a trip to your local homebrew store each time you want to brew a batch of beer. Instead, you can prepare for brew day in advance right in the comfort of your own home.
- Better quality. For those who don’t have access to a grain mill at a local homebrew shop and have to order crushed grains online, you already know that the quality of the crush can be inconsistent. By learning how to crush your own malt at home, you are in full control, which guarantees a higher quality of beer that you can be proud of!
Now that you’re aware of the benefits, let’s talk about how easy it is to start turning that unmilled grain into that sweet, sweet wort that we all know and love!
Common Methods to Crush Your Own Malt at Home
There are three ways you can crush malt at home, and we’re going to talk about each of them from worst to best, listing off the pros and cons of each to help you determine what will fit your brew day prep the best.
#1: Rolling Pin and Bag Method
For those who are just starting out or extract brewers who want to crush their own specialty malts, the rolling pin and bag method is a great starting point.
How to do it:
- Place unmilled malt into a Ziploc bag, removing the air as best as you can.
- Using a rolling pin, roll it over the bag several times, applying force as you roll it over the top of the bag.
- Continue to roll over the grain until you accomplish the grain crush you desire.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Easy to do, though it does require a bit of elbow grease to thoroughly crush the malt effectively.
Cons:
- Not very effective at achieving the finest crush.
- Can be slightly inconsistent in the overall crush, which may reduce overall efficiency in starch conversion during the mash process.
If you’re in a pinch, a small batch brewer, or someone that uses extract and needs to crush a small amount of specialty malts, this method is a great solution. However, for those brewing larger batches or who want more guaranteed consistency, this wouldn’t be recommended.
#2: Corona Mill
How to do it:
- Attach the corona mill to a solid surface. Most homebrewers typically use a piece of plywood complete with a cutout of a hole that sits atop a bucket to collect the milled grain.
- Place your grain directly into the hopper of the corona mill.
- Place one hand on the crank while using your other hand to hold the base steady and start cranking away.
- Continue with this process until all of your grain has been milled and collected inside the bucket.
Pros:
- Can get a fine crush, which is excellent for those who utilize the brew-in-a-bag method.
- Easy to operate.
- Easy to adjust the tuning in order to dial in the amount of crush you desire.
Cons:
- A manual hand crank can take some effort to get going.
- Most corona mills have a small hopper, which can make crushing large amounts of grain time-consuming and labor-intensive. There are ways to modify this to make it larger, but doing so can overload the mill and make it harder to get through all of the grain.
Again, a corona mill is an excellent solution for small-batch or brew-in-a-bag brewers who want to buy grain in bulk and crush their own malt at home. While it works fine for large batches, it’s not the best solution. Homebrewers going big need something with a bit more ‘oomph’ in it. Fortunately, there are options.
#3: Roller Mill
How to do it:
- Similar to the corona mill, a roller mill will need to be attached to a solid surface (such as a sheet of durable plywood). Cut out a hole for the grain to fall and place the mill and attached wood over a bucket.
- Many roller mills come with a hand crank, but this can be removed and a hand drill can be used to power the rollers instead. This results in quick, efficient, and labor-free operation.
- Load up the large hopper with grain and use either the hand crank or a hand drill attached to the rollers and start grinding away!
- Continue grinding your malt until the process is complete.
Pros:
- Can grind a large amount of malt in a short amount of time, especially if utilizing a hand drill to power the mill.
- Can quickly adjust the spacing of the rollers to get the level of crush that you desire.
- More durable than a corona mill and worth the investment.
Cons:
- You’ll spend a lot more than you would on a corona mill, but the time you’ll save is definitely worth it.
If you’re brewing large batches and want to crush your own malt at home, a roller mill is going to be your best option, hands down. It outcompetes the two methods above by and far, making it an absolutely essential tool for any serious homebrewer.
Start Crushing Your Own Malt at Home Today
Now that you know all of the benefits and options that exist, stop wondering how to crush your own malt at home at make it happen today! You’ll become a better brewer by having total control of your crush, thus making better beer for you and all of your family and friends to enjoy. How can you argue with that?