I know once the grains are crushed, the sooner you use them the better. My question is: Is there a noticeable difference between crushing them yourself immediately before mashing in or crushing them a couple days beforehand at the LHBS? Assume pre-crushed are sealed in air tight container at basement temperatures before use. I ask because for whatever reason I’ve yet to buy a grain mill, and was leaning towards one as my next brewery upgrade.
^ That's the answer to your question. Crushed grains stale faster than uncrushed. A couple of hours is better than a couple of days, which is better than a couple of weeks, etc. It's just chemistry. Some will say that milled grains are "fine" for a few months. If "fine" is what you want, that's great. If best is what you want, crush just before use.
I agree with @VikeMan 's analysis. Truthfully not sure a couple of days can be detected but I usually crush 'bout 20 minutes before I add the strike water. That said, a grain mill is a great tool. I buy base malts in bulk and keep several specialty grains on hand along with about three yeasts always being active. This lets me brew spontaneously . . . no longer a slave to mail-ordering my grains (I don't live near anything). If you have access to buy in bulk the grain mill will pay for itself quickly.
FYI... lipoxygenase (lox for short) is activated within 15 minutes of exposing the acrospire to air. In laymen’s terms 15minutes after crushing flavor degradation is starting. The kicker is it keeps haunting you all the way down the beer line.
As with coffee and spices, it is best to mill (or grind) as close to use as possible. That scent you get when you open your packet of grain - that's flavor escaping. Quality is a sliding scale, however, and if you can't get a mill, your couple days are a heck of a lot better than your average packaged kit where the grain's been sitting for months.
I also buy bulk, and grind while my mash water is heating. A mill will last a long time with minimal maintenance. The scent of grains being ground, priceless.
Yeah, I was planning on getting one. I was just curious if the difference between fresh crush and a couple days was noticeable. Thanks for the feedback.
I use a Malt Mill. I'd link a picture, but I don't think the model is available any more. But feature-wise, I'd look for a mill with a roller gap that's adjustable on both ends. Beyond that, look for a large-ish hopper if you care about convenience of loading grains less often. And if you want to power it with a motor/drill in the future, make sure the handle is removable and that the shaft will fit a drill mount or can be adapted to a motor setup. Don't even think about a corona grinder. Or just go for broke and build something like @Naugled did
It is typical that folks will say the grain mill they own is the 'best'. I own a Barley Crusher and I am happy with it. Cheers!
I use the Monster Mill 2-roller and have been pleased: For homebrew use the two roller is more than adequate, the owner even discouraged me from buying the 3-roller. I did get the 1/2" shaft and ss rollers. Nothing would be nicer than having an electric motor attached ... till you price-out electric motors. So I use an electric drill which does a yoeman's job. I stayed with the stock hopper. Typical grain bill for me is in the 10 - 14 pound range, which means I re-load twice, usually takes about 4-5 minutes total. With a "whopper-hopper" you could add all at once and cut that time down to 3 minutes. Get a good feeler gauge.
I have the old style Victoria , I think it's like a corona, anyways one does need to tweek it for certain grains or you will get no crush or powder. Son bought it for me so till its gone I use it and seem to make good beer. Lots of the above mentioned are excellent and I assume need little tweeking because of varying grain type.
