twalte

Recipes 

Thanks for all of the replies. Just returned from the Home Brew Store...went with the 50# of American 2 row based on price. (I forgot to take the extra 5 pounds into consideration when evaluating the price)

I think I will try two BIAB small batch pale ales with American 2 Row vs. Marris Otter and see which one I prefer side by side. They should last a year, so having both on hand would not be that bad.

Thanks again!!

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"You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline – it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons but at the very least you need a beer"
- Frank Zappa

lunshbox

Recipes 

I keep a sack of MO, a sack of Pale Ale malt, and a local maltster 6-row Heritage malt that tastes like a cross between MO and Munich. I would say the Pale Ale malt gets used the most.

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Primary: Old Bootlegger Imperial Porter, Mill Worker's Breakfast Oatmeal Coffee Porter
Secondary: Oud Bruin, Berlinner Weisse, Apfelwein
Barrel: Whiskey :P
Kegged: Mill Worker's Breakfast Base
Planned: Pure-T Pale with Citra, G-Town Brown 2.1, Muddy Banks Irish Red

onthekeg

Recipes 

I have made side by side beers with MO and American 2row but couldn't justify 2x the price for the slight flavor difference.

Golddiggie

Recipes 

I paid <$40 for each sack of MO via the group buy. I would be very surprised if there's not a homebrew club in your region. It could be a drive, but you should be able to easily save enough, per sack and total, to make it worth it. I plan on getting at least one sack of TF Maris Otter with the next group buy. I expect it to be under $45 for the sack (TF MO is more expensive than the others). IF I was buying it from a LHBS, or online, that would easily be twice the cost.

I'm about to join up the HBC that covers most of New Hampshire... Since they do two group grain buys per year (not like the four for the one based in the Boston area) I'll still be ok. I normally plan my purchases so that I have enough to last until the next buy happens. I've also joined in on HBT organized grain buys before. So crying over not being in a metro area is just being a defeatist IMO. If it was me, I'd try to organize one via HBT, find someone that has an account with a distributor (or get one yourself) and get a pallet or three of grain delivered. Even if it's only once a year, the cost savings is significant.

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Hopping Tango Brewery

跟猴子比丟屎 ・ Gun HOE-tze bee DIO-se

On Tap: Caramel Ale, Mocha Porter II, MO SMaSH IPA
Waiting/Carbonating: 12.5% Wee Honey II, 8.9% Old Ale, English Brown Ale, Lickah ESB, Mocha Porter II
Fermenting
K1: MO SMaSH IPA
K2:
K3: TripSix
On Deck: Caramel Ale
Aging:mead
Mead [bottled]:Oaked Wildflower Traditional, Mocha Madness, Blackberry Melomel, maple wine


...the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed

Beer_Eugenics

Recipes 

I live a 180 miles from an “American” city where I could do a group buy so calculating gas ($60.00) and time (five hours), it would not be worth it for me and others in my position.

Golddiggie

Recipes 

Well, not everyone lives in BFT...

I've found that you don't need to be near a 'city' to get into a group grain buy. Provided there's enough home brewers in your area. If there are any brew pubs close by, see if you can get some grain from them.

BTW, do you drive like a little 'ol lady? 180 miles in 5 hours? I went to college 300 miles from where my parents lived and we could easily do that in about 5 hours. With a trailer full of stuff behind us. That was including non-highway time too.

Also, that $60 could easily be recovered with two sacks of grain (or less). For what most places sell MO for (sacks or not) just one almost completely covers that cost. Get a few people together to drive in shifts, and it's a hell of a lot easier.

Just saying, if you really want to save on the grain cost, it doesn't take much effort. If you're ok with paying double what you could, for whatever reason, then that's fine. Just don't whine about how much grain costs you.

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My RocketHub Project

Hopping Tango Brewery

跟猴子比丟屎 ・ Gun HOE-tze bee DIO-se

On Tap: Caramel Ale, Mocha Porter II, MO SMaSH IPA
Waiting/Carbonating: 12.5% Wee Honey II, 8.9% Old Ale, English Brown Ale, Lickah ESB, Mocha Porter II
Fermenting
K1: MO SMaSH IPA
K2:
K3: TripSix
On Deck: Caramel Ale
Aging:mead
Mead [bottled]:Oaked Wildflower Traditional, Mocha Madness, Blackberry Melomel, maple wine


...the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed

onthekeg

Recipes 

I live 125 miles from NB and Midwest brewing. I like that I don't live in a populated area as well. I am quite happy with my beers and when I have used MO, it wasn't worth it.

Beer_Eugenics

Recipes 

Between Laredo to San Antonio there is nothing but ranches. Brew pub in Laredo aka. Mexico, now that’s funny and as for home brewers I know of one other All Grain brewer in Laredo who doesn’t brew very often again I live in what is basically Mexico and people here just love their Bud Light It’s an EXTREMMLY different culture then America.
180 miles one way equals 360 round trip so I feel five hours is pretty good.
You stated you get a good deal at $40 when I can get it on line for $70 so for me and my time I would need to buy four bags at once to save $60, I brew a lot but not that much.
Also not whining just stating my opinion.

aubiecat

Recipes 

I like to brew but drive in shifts to go get some malt? No thanks, it' worth the extra to have it delivered to my work place.

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Electric BIAB Build | BIAB Mesh False Bottom | Controller/Fermentation Chest

Grannyknot

Recipes 

Lunshbox, assuming you mean riverbends heritage malt, do you ever use it as a base malt?

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Bottled: House Stout, Greenbriar Session IPA, Arsenal ESB
Kegged:
Secondary:
Fermenter:
On Deck: Death by Hops Clone