castillo83

Recipes 

Hi,

My LHBS sells flaked corn at $1.80/lb, his cheapest 2-row is at $1.45/lb.

I thought corn was used partly to lighten the body, partly to bring down costs, but if I can't find something cheaper than 1.45lb, then I will just go all-malt (what's normal, hehe).

I am trying to do a lot of low gravity cheap beer to get good and time efficient with my mashes and extraction efficiency good before I start spending money on ingredients for barleywines and stuff.

Varmintman

Recipes 

Try walmart. Instant grits are dang cheap and do the same thing as flaked corn.

On a side note though toss in a couple of handfuls of rice hulls to make sparging easier

BorealBrewer

Recipes 

Do you have a bulk foods store, like Bulk Barn, close by?

I know Bulk Barn is a Canadian chain, but I seem to recall seeing a few in the States...safe assumption you're in the US?

Bluk Barn, though def. not at homebrew store, sells all sorts of things, including flaked grains, even Irish Moss if you find the right outlet, and is generally cheaper than any other option.

If you have the room, and the inclination, corn grows nicely. Can't get much cheaper than a package of seed...just means you'll have to wait a few months.

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Boreal Brewer

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MBTB

Recipes 

All malt is cheaper and tastes better too. If you buy 2-row in bulk, you can almost always get it for under $1.00 a pound. The only issue then would be crushing it (you would also need a mill). But with all grain brewing, thats the best way.

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castillo83

Recipes 

@ I am in the rural part of Northern Virginia, never heard of Bulk Barn, which there was one nearby.

@ MBTB , yeah, I thought about that, but I don't have much space that molds won't get into :-(

@ Varmintman, thanks, I'll check it out

Misplaced_Canuck

Recipes 

x2 on the grits, and x4 on using rice hulls!

MC

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CDGoin

Recipes 

What about cheap corn flakes (Walmart brand or something)..? Not sure how much they cost..

Speaking of which what if you used frosted corn flakes..?

Also as for Grits.. lb for lb in a recipe ? OR because they are denser you need more or less.?

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BEER - Some call it a problem, I call it a Hobby

1. In the primary : MarZzzzen Ale
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Varmintman

Recipes 

Not sure about the corn flakes or not. I know that corn flakes cost a heck of a lot more though than instant grits do.

Pound for pound. Density does not matter in this case. Kind of like what weighs more a pound of popcorn or a pound of popcorn kernels.

You have to make sure though that you are using instant grits. Same with rice when you use them. If you do not use instant grits or instant rice then you have to do a cereal mash and having done one once I will not do it again.

beaksnbeer

Recipes 

I haven't tried it yet but I did some reading on using corn starch (can get 5lb at Sam's cheap)

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StMarcos

Recipes 

If it doesn't need to be pre-gelatinized you could use cracked/whole corn from a farm supply outfit. Should be $0.20/lb or thereabouts. Some more rural areas might have it for half that. Would have to cook it first though, which is a pain.