Description
The long awaited MaltZilla is finally here. A large amount of research and development has gone into designing, manufacturing and testing the MaltZilla Diamond Mill.
With an integrated 24V Motor, the MaltZilla is powerful enough to chew through popping corn kernels with ease. The mill works on voltages from 12-30V DC, and the higher the voltage the faster the mill will spin, although 24V is recommended for optimum speed and grist results.
The unit does not come with a power supply. When purchasing the unit, you have the option of pairing it with either a
power supply with 110V plug, or with a
6 ft. long cord with Anderson plug and alligator clips. The power supply is straight forward, and allows you to plug the unit into a standard 110V power socket. The alligator clips give you the option to power the unit from a battery.
Knurled Steel vs. Diamond Coated Rollers
Historically other mill manufacturers have made grain mills from steel. In some better quality mills they harden the steel so that the knurling stays sharp for longer and continues to draw grain. But even the knurling on hardened steel will go blunt and this reduces the mills ability to draw grain well. Other manufacturers attempt to solve this problem by using geared rollers so the rollers grab the grain slightly better or using 3 rollers whereby the first two rollers with a larger gap force the grain into the third roller. These options in our opinion do not solve the real issue, which is that all of these steel rollers go blunt especially if hard grains are used like wheat or corn.
In a commercial setting, it’s not uncommon to send the rollers off to a metalworking factory to re-sharpen and re-knurl, however, this is often uneconomical and a hassle to do. For smaller homebrew customers they might just end up throwing the mill away and purchasing a new one.
The MaltZilla Diamond Mill is quite a different mill design, and it’s the first in the world to use diamonds impregnated into the surface of the roller. Even after many tons of grain are processed through the mill, the diamond surface will stay just as sharp as it was on day one. The sharpness of the diamonds really draws grain exceptionally well and even when hard products are used, such as corn, the diamond rollers simply smash it to pieces.
Sheer Instead of Chop
Most mills require aggressive knurling to push into the grain and “chop” the grain as it passes through a tight gap, which means your grains are often chopped in half. The MaltZilla works on a different principle and gap setting is not as critical. The MaltZilla uses impregnated diamonds to grip the surface of the kernel and the friction of pulling the grain through the gap causes a sheering action. When set up correctly, the sheering action can leave the entire husk intact, reducing the chance of stuck sparge and improve efficiency, while still opening the husk enough that the entire contents of the kernel is available to the mashing process. The 70mm diameter rollers are double the diameter of many other mills. The large diameter significantly improves the crush and assist in drawing the grain in better.
Integrated Motor
You generally would not purchase a car without an engine, so why would you purchase a grain mill without a motor? Milling grain has an optimum RPM— too slow and it will take you a long time, too fast and you will end up with excessive powder. The hand crank is really a pain in the backside and using a drill simply doesn’t give you the speed control that you require and often results in burning out your drill. The MaltZilla has an integrated motor with a very constant RPM putting out optimum RPM with an integrated gearbox. The high torque and sealed construction make it ideal for a brewing environment, as the motor is well sealed from moisture and grain dust.
The motor is seamlessly integrated into the side body of the mill. Being DC, the motor is safer than higher voltage AC especially in an environment where washing down the area with a hose is likely to happen. The DC motor is also reversible so the direction of spin can be changed based on the polarity. This is particularly useful for over-mount and under-mount installation.
Over-Mount and Under-Mount Installation
Traditionally, most other mills just sit on a board where they are moved from one bucket to another. The MaltZilla has multiple different mounting configurations. It can be over-mounted to a board like most mills are, but if you want a seamless finish to your garage/brewing area, you can mount the mill under your counter where it’s concealed and out of the way. Simply lift up a small opening in the top of your benchtop, drop in your hopper, pour in grain and run the mill. When you are done, remove the hopper and conceal the opening.
Grain Hopper
This unit does not come with a grain hopper. We recommend using a large funnel with a shortened spout, or a repurposed gallon-sized water bottle. The MaltZilla Aluminum Hopper is currently in development and available for pre-order.
Specifications:
- Power: 12-30V DC
- Anderson Connector Plug
- Grain Inlet ID: 2-3/16"
- Grain Inlet OD: 2-3/8"
- Weight: 11 lbs
