grain mill

[axis714]

does anyone have a suggestion for making an adequate grain mill? ive just started doing partial mashes and i received my roasted barley unmilled{oops} can i toss it in a freezer bag and bash it around a bit? does a small coffee grinder work if i just pulse it a little? whats your ideas on making a mill from household items?

[OldHooky]

Take your grain to a local homebrew store (if there is one) and ask if you can use their grain mill. If you don't want to buy an inexpensive mill, buy your grain from a HBS and grind it there.

[axis714]

thx but thats precisely the problem...I dont have a LHBS thus i order from morebeer{takes a while for shipping} i usually have them mill it but on this particular order they forgot and im all ready to go except i cant really brew a stout w/o the roasted barley i just wanna do something as a quick fix to be able to use it for this batch.....i will invest in a grain mill as i go to all grain but for the time being i just order it pre-milled im just currently trying to find a way to crush what i have w/ what i have. Im not so sure the ol ladys rollin pin wouldnt do an ok job on it.

[S.F.B.]

Use a rolling pin and a cookie sheet. Lay out the grain on the cookie sheet and roll it with the pin. Apply enough pressure to crack the grain, not puverize it. I have been doing this with some crystal malt that was given to me. It works really well.

[GunNut76]

Or you could do what I did when I forgot to have my grain milled at my LHBS...my LHBS is 30 mi away and I did not want to drive back...I took the grain put it in a large freezer bag and placed it on the floor. Spread the grain out as thin as you can in the bag and whack it with a small frying pan being carefull not to go over the same spot twice. Don't whack it too hard tho or it will be useless.

[OldHooky]

My mistake was assuming that everyone else had access to LHBS's like I do. There are 4 within 10 miles of my house. Having said that, everything I've read about crushing grains indicates that it is very difficult to get even crush using these other methods. If you want an inexpensive grain mill, I have used the Marga Mulino. It's about $50. It's a little slower than the more expensive mills, but I get a very good crush with it.