The Pros and Cons of a Two vs Three Roller Grain Mill for Homebrewing

Throughout the course of your homebrewing career, you may find that you pass through several phases of brewing process, complexity, and equipment. As batch sizes and brewing process complexity increases, homebrewers start to need to purchase new equipment. If you’re in this situation, you might want to check out our guide to the best homebrewing equipment upgrades! In this article, we’ll focus on the pros and cons of choosing a two vs three roller grain mill for homebrewing.

While you can usually purchase your grains pre-milled by your local homebrew supply shop or an online homebrew supply store like MoreBeer, a grain mill is a solid investment for an advanced homebrewer who wants more control over their grain bills, grain crush, and brewing schedule. Before you can pick a specific model, you will have to decide on whether you want to purchase a two vs three roller grain mill.

There are a ton of great grain mills on the market (click here to check out our guide to the best grain mills for homebrewing), and one of the biggest differences between the various available grain mills is the number of rollers. Most homebrewing-level grain mills have either two or three rollers. Most three roller mills first pull the grain through a fixed-width gap that helps to separate the hull intact. Then they pull the grain through the adjustable gap to crush it. This helps keep a good bed of hulls in your grist. This bed of hulls filters the mash and helps avoid stuck mashes and stuck sparges.

Two and three roller mills each have their own pros and cons that should be considered when deciding which is the right grain mill for you. Need some help deciding? Here is an overview of the pros and cons of a two vs three roller grain mill for homebrewing!

Pros and Cons of Two Roller Grain Mills

Pros of Two Roller Grain Mills

• Two roller mills are substantially cheaper than three roller mills and provide adequate results for the average homebrewer.
• The benefits of a three roller grain mill can largely be achieved by running the grain through a two roller mill twice. This makes the price savings worthwhile for homebrewers on a budget.

Cons of Two Roller Grain Mills

• To get the same husk removal effect as a three roller grain mill, grain must be run through a two roller grain mill twice, once at a larger gap setting to remove the husk, and then at a small gap setting to crush the kernels.
• Two roller grain mills operated at a gap setting intended to crush the grain will shred the husks, which reduces the grain bed’s ability to filter the wort, which can cause a stuck mash or stuck sparge.
• Two roller grain mills generally result in a slightly lower efficiency than three roller grain mills.

Pros and Cons of Three Roller Grain Mills

Pros of Three Roller Grain Mills

• Three roller grain mills are more convenient and last longer than two roller grain mills on average.
• Three roller grain mills remove the husk without damaging it more effectively than two roller grain mills. This helps avoid stuck mashes and stuck sparges.
• Because the husk is removed more effectively, three roller grain mills generally provide a better efficiency than two roller grain mills.
• Three roller grain mills have a higher output than two roller grain mills when milling at the same RPM

Cons of Three Roller Grain Mills

• Three roller grain mills are more expensive than two roller grain mills, but only offer relatively minor advantages over two roller mills.

The Pros and Cons of Two vs Three Roller Grain Mills for Homebrewing Infographic

What is the better choice between a two vs three roller grain mill?

Ultimately, three roller grain mills are easier to use and are more efficient than two roller grain mills. However, the additional cost may not be worth it for the average homebrewer. We use a three roller grain mill here at BrewTogether HQ. We have been very happy with it, but there are some great two roller options that would work just as well.

Which grain mill should I buy?

Now that we’ve discussed the pros and cons of two vs three roller grain mills, it’s time to choose the right mill for you! Click here to check out our guide to the best grain mills for homebrewing to get started!

Affiliate Disclosure: BrewTogether is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. BrewTogether is also a participant in an affiliate program with MoreBeer, our favorite online homebrewing equipment/ingredients retailer. Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase after clicking the link, I will earn a  small commission at no additional cost to you. Please feel free to reach out with questions. Thank you for your support!

Thanks for Reading!

Have a strong opinion as to why a two vs three roller grain mill is the best choice? Still have questions about which you should choose? Leave a comment below or post in the forums! 

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