In the world of craft brewing, precision is everything—from recipe formulation to grain preparation. The quality and consistency of milled grain directly impact flavor, yield, and production efficiency. For breweries looking to optimize their process, Schutte Hammermill offers a proven path to higher efficiency and better beer.
Why Grain Processing Matters
Grain processing is more than just the first step in brewing—it’s the foundation for everything that follows. The goal is simple: achieve a uniform, fine grind that enables complete enzymatic activity and maximum sugar extraction during mashing. Inconsistent milling, however, can lead to inefficiencies, lost sugars, and reduced quality in the final product.
The Schutte Hammermill Advantage
With nearly a century of experience in size reduction, Schutte Hammermill designs equipment that delivers consistent, high-quality results for breweries of all sizes. Our mills are built for:
- Precision and Consistency: Engineered for uniform particle size to ensure efficient extraction and predictable mash performance.
- High Throughput: Full circle screen designs maximize grinding area, allowing more product to evacuate the chamber quickly—translating into the industry’s best throughput-to-horsepower ratio.
- Durability and Low Maintenance: Heavy-duty construction and abrasion-resistant components guarantee long service life and reduced downtime.
- Custom Configurations: Each system is tailored to the customer’s material characteristics, capacity goals, and desired particle size.
Case Study: Tin Man Brewing Company — Evansville, Indiana
Tin Man Brewing Company has always been ahead of the curve. As one of the first craft breweries in the U.S. to incorporate a mash filter into its process, Tin Man’s team—led by Head Brewer Sean O’Rear—needed grains ground to an exceptionally fine, consistent size to reach their full potential.
Initially, they relied on a two-roller stripper mill, but results were inconsistent, producing everything from uncracked kernels to flour. The variation caused backups in the mash filter and limited their mash efficiency to just 87%, far short of the 98% potential offered by their mash filtering technology. To compensate, Tin Man had to add nearly 10% more grain to every batch—a costly inefficiency.
Enter Schutte Hammermill
To solve the issue, Tin Man installed a Schutte Hammermill Model 18-7-301B Circ-U-Flow Hammer Mill, equipped with a 10 hp motor, abrasion-resistant hammers, and a ⅛” screen. The mill’s full circle screen design—with 300 degrees of screen coverage around the rotor—provides superior discharge area and the highest throughput per horsepower of any mill design.
The results were immediate and impressive:
- Mash Efficiency Increased from 87% to 94%
- Grain Usage Reduced by 8.5%, significantly lowering production costs
- Consistent, Fine Grind with no additional milling time or labor
- Smoother Mash Flow, faster loading, and no filter backups
“The grains are now processed to a very fine, consistent particle size with no extra milling time,” said O’Rear. “The improvements were instantly remarkable.”
Proven Equipment. Proven Results.
Tin Man’s experience illustrates how precision size reduction can dramatically impact brewing efficiency and profitability. For breweries seeking to maximize sugar yield, reduce material costs, and maintain product quality, Schutte Hammermill equipment offers a proven solution.
Whether you’re a growing craft brewer or an established operation upgrading your process, our custom-configured hammer mills are engineered to deliver performance you can taste.
Ready to elevate your brewery’s efficiency?
Contact Schutte Hammermill today to learn how our grain processing solutions can help you get the most out of every batch.