Anyone have luck buying grain/hops/yeast from local breweries?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

aeonderdonk

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
311
Reaction score
2
Location
Morrisville, NC
I've heard of people buying bulk grain/hops/yeast from their local breweries? What are your stories? How did you approach the brewery? Costs? Etc...
 
Yeast, I used to give to anyone who asked nicely and brought their own clean, unscratched container. As long as I had enough time to pull some yeast, they could have as much as they wanted. Of course, they had to take what they could get, whatever I had ready for harvesting...

Bob
 
I had great luck when I lived near Dolores, Colorado. Mark is a great man, who helped me setup a kegging system for wholesale and would give me yeast whenever I needed it. Great Brewpub.
 
I inquired at Bell's about buying grain in quantity, and since all their deliveries are in bulk, they didn't have the means (or the inclination) to provide any.

They are some of the friendliest people one can meet.
 
First place I checked here said they get grain delivered to a silo, once sold it to a homebrewing friend and found it had bugs in it within 2 months. Not sure if that is a product of the silo or the storage by the friend.
 
First place I checked here said they get grain delivered to a silo, once sold it to a homebrewing friend and found it had bugs in it within 2 months. Not sure if that is a product of the silo or the storage by the friend.

I suspect storage by the friend - it's not a question of bugs getting in, but them hatching out. If the grain is kept too warm, weevils will hatch out - it's a certainty.
 
One of the microbrews in Bloomington sell some stuff.... it's where I buy my grain from, they charge $45 for 55# bags. Granted the guy that works there is kind of a tool, so I try not to go in while he's there. Other than that, it's not a bad place to buy from.
 
You can go to Hops Direct and get them for $1 an ounce... there is no one that can beat that. Get a group buy together and you can get them for about $1 an ounce SHIPPED! :D

HB stores are about the worst places to buy hops, go to the farms like Puterbaugh (Hops Direct) and you will do alright.

I bought 50 pounds there about $950 shipped... that is under $1.20 shipped.
 
You can go to Hops Direct and get them for $1 an ounce... there is no one that can beat that. Get a group buy together and you can get them for about $1 an ounce SHIPPED! :D

HB stores are about the worst places to buy hops, go to the farms like Puterbaugh (Hops Direct) and you will do alright.

I bought 50 pounds there about $950 shipped... that is under $1.20 shipped.

As an employee of a homebrew store, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. I've bought from Puterbaugh, they're real good, but most homebrewers don't buy or need a pound of hops at a time. Sure, there are lots of bad homebrewing shops, but there are also lots of good ones.
 
As an employee of a homebrew store, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. I've bought from Puterbaugh, they're real good, but most homebrewers don't buy or need a pound of hops at a time. Sure, there are lots of bad homebrewing shops, but there are also lots of good ones.

I've been to some good homebrew shops- FH Steibart's comes to mind. I still haven't seen hops for $1/ounce at a LHBS. I can think of all sorts of ways to spend the money I save buying a few pounds at a time instead of piecemealing hops at $3/ounce, and it's not like freezing hops is hard to do.
 
+1 dwarven,

the big order i placed from an online retailer first week in october had ingredients for 7 brews. Just the necessary hops for those brews ( i think 14 or 15 oz) would have been over 32 bucks at per/oz prices. so i got 4 lbs from hops direct for $36 shipped, and they're in the freezer. I'll brew using those hops for the next several months, have plenty to share with friends, and make a killer IPA without spending a fortune on hops.

But this thread is a great idea, i'm gonna check with some local breweries on yeast and grains... i hear the guys at Sweetwater are pretty cool, and Terrapin is quite close too... any one every tried to buy from them?
 
There is a misconception that you have to buy a full pound of a variety at Puterbaugh if you are going to buy there. Well, you have to order a full pound, but if you have friends, you simply split them.

Our Indianapolis hop buy this summer netted 50 pounds of hops, split among about 8 brewers. Some people bought 10 pounds, others bought a few ounces, all for $1 an ounce.

Also, since shipping is aggregate, it costs less than $1 per pound to have 50 pounds shipped across the US instead of $12 for 2 pounds if you are buying for yourself. The group buy, is really the way to go.

I still say that LHBS are the worst place to buy hops. It doesnt mean that they are bad stores, I never said that, it just means that by the time the hops get to them and get split, too many people are taking a profit.

Do a group buy if you want hops from Puterbaugh, I picked up about 8oz of 20 different varieties this year doing so for about $1 an ounce shipped.
 
I completely understand that those who own or work in a HBS would want to protect the interests of that business, but I'd rather pay $14 for a pound for hops, use 6oz and give the rest away than to buy 6oz at $3 an ounce.
 
I completely understand that those who own or work in a HBS would want to protect the interests of that business, but I'd rather pay $14 for a pound for hops, use 6oz and give the rest away than to buy 6oz at $3 an ounce.


This I am in agreeance with
 
So? When I can buy a pound of Willamette for $6.99 at HopsDirect, or $3.99 an oz at the HBS, I'm buying the pound, whether or not I need it.

That is true.

6oz for $3 an ouce for my IAPA at $18?
Or a full pound at HD for $12?

Heck, I will start selling TO my LHBS :D
 
Heck, I will start selling TO my LHBS :D

Funny you should mention that. I was buying some specialty grains and yeast at my LHBS last night, and she asked if I needed any hops. I told her that I was fine, the prices online were just far too good to pass up. She claimed the prices I got them for was far less than she could buy them for from her supplier.
 
She claimed the prices I got them for was far less than she could buy them for from her supplier.

Thats because most mom and pop shops are too lazy/ignorant to use multiple suppliers.

I've seen this same comments in pretty much every hobby I've been in, when discussing LxxS's. If I can buy from HopsDirect/MarineDepot/Grainger/McMaster-Carr/USPlastic, so can they.
 
My local microbrewery gives me yeast for free. I simply called up the business line, told them I'm a homebrewer and wondered if I could get some leftover yeast from them, they were very enthusiastic and made a point to say they are always willing to help out homebrewers.

I called another brewery and they were very cagey and non-responsive. I think they may use a proprietary strain, which would explain their reluctance.

I bring a sanitized mason jar to the brewery and they have it waiting for me in the pub's fridge later that day. They use Wyeast 1056 for all their american style ales and Wyeast 1007 for all their german style ales. Not exactly the most exciting choices, but it works perfectly for me since I pretty much only brew the spectrum from blondes to IIPAs.

I haven't asked them about piggybacking on to their grain or hop supplies, but maybe I'll ask when I drop off some bottles of my Wet Hop Cascadian Dark Ale I made with their yeast.:mug:

Hate to see this become another :off: threadjack where everyone talks about how awesome HopsDirect is... but I can't resist! No one's mentioned on this thread yet about how not only is HD supercheap, but their pounds are HEAVY! I think I got about 22 ounces in each pound in my recent shipment. I doubt a local microbrewery would be willing to part with their hops to the public for cheaper than HD.
 
As an employee of a homebrew store, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. I've bought from Puterbaugh, they're real good, but most homebrewers don't buy or need a pound of hops at a time. Sure, there are lots of bad homebrewing shops, but there are also lots of good ones.

maybe not all in one beer but it freezes well and if you buy an a few once's this month and then a few more of the same they are 99% of the time all from the prior years harvest so they aren't any fresher.


I am lucky my son worked the Hyde Park Brewery and even though he left there I still cane pick up items if I need to. I don't get sacks of grain maybe a pound or two and some yeast if needed never had to pay anything. I do bring them some HB from time to time... Another friend was a partner in the Gilded Otter in New Paltz and I can pick stuff up there also.
 
To bring up another point related to supplies and hop selection - can you order Boadicea, Lublin, Marynka, Saphir, Strisselspalt, Argentinian Cascades, as well as Centennial, Warrior, Summit, EKG, Fuggles, and Northern Brewer all from one supplier? I think this is where a really good homebrew shop comes in handy - they'll more than likely have anything you could possibly need all in one place.
 
I used to get yeast from one of the local brewpubs, but they went out of business. Haven't even tried to find a replacement, though I keep promising myself to ask the owner of a start-up micro about it.

Regarding hops, I buy a pound and then subdivide and vacuum pack them. Off to the back of the freezer after that, and since they are generally used up quickly, no problems there.
 
Funny you should mention that. I was buying some specialty grains and yeast at my LHBS last night, and she asked if I needed any hops. I told her that I was fine, the prices online were just far too good to pass up. She claimed the prices I got them for was far less than she could buy them for from her supplier.

I had a similar conversation with the owner of my LHBS. He asked if I needed hops and I explained that I had just ordered several pounds from hops direct for between $7 and $13/lb. He said he couldn't get those prices either. But he went on to explain that most of his customers buy by the ounce and he would have to vacuum seal them up himself to re-sell them. Apparently he didn't think it was worth his time and/or the hassle. And I suppose if he was selling one pound bags of hops for, say, $16 a lb, and then also selling one ounce packages for $3/oz, many of his customers might "wake-up" to the fact that they are getting hosed.
 
I had a similar conversation with the owner of my LHBS. He asked if I needed hops and I explained that I had just ordered several pounds from hops direct for between $7 and $13/lb. He said he couldn't get those prices either. But he went on to explain that most of his customers buy by the ounce and he would have to vacuum seal them up himself to re-sell them. Apparently he didn't think it was worth his time and/or the hassle. And I suppose if he was selling one pound bags of hops for, say, $16 a lb, and then also selling one ounce packages for $3/oz, many of his customers might "wake-up" to the fact that they are getting hosed.

My LHBS just puts them in little zipper baggies. No neutral gas, no vacuum sealing. But they have a pretty good turnover on most varieties, so I doubt they're going bad. That said, I order most of my hops from HD.
 
I think the hops discussion has been beaten to death, but as far as getting in on some grain, I would think you would have to find a brew-pub with a smaller system that was buying grain by the sack. The big micros that have been discussed here def don't get it by the sack. I have heard a rumor about one of the breweries getting started up in this area has ordered grain for HBers. It doesn't seem like it would be too hard to ask them to order an extra sack or 2 and just pay them like you were ordering a beer at the bar. I have never done this, but it can't be that difficult.
 
Back
Top