Weighing the cost of milling your own?

I did a spreadsheet. I pay roughly $1.89/pound for 2-row pale malt at LHBS and it gets milled. I can pick up $50# for $60 though unmilled. They charge .10 per pound to mill.

If I pay $179 for a mill (which I can adjust and even get better efficiency from) if I average 10# base malt per batch my break even point is 7 batches.

Also if you can increase your efficiency with a tighter mill and only need 9# per batch base malt then you're looking at breaking even at 6 batches.

At batch #20 you're up about $1700 buying bulk.

Feel free to tell your wives

You pay $1.89# for milled grain. OUCH!!!

You definitely are getting run through the mill.

I think you are paying too much. I pay $35.75 for a 55lb sack of Great Western 2-row

I have ONE LHBS. No lie.

+1 on mills being cheaper than $180

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/products/Barley-Crusher-7-lb-Hopper-0101877

petep1980 said:

I did a spreadsheet. I pay roughly $1.89/pound for 2-row pale malt at LHBS and it gets milled. I can pick up $50# for $60 though unmilled. They charge .10 per pound to mill.

If I pay $179 for a mill (which I can adjust and even get better efficiency from) if I average 10# base malt per batch my break even point is 7 batches.

Also if you can increase your efficiency with a tighter mill and only need 9# per batch base malt then you're looking at breaking even at 6 batches.

At batch #20 you're up about $1700 buying bulk.

Feel free to tell your wives

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The numbers (atleast for me) are better than that.


$25 for Corona mill (although A barley Crusher/etc would be nice).

$37 for 55lbs of 2-row.

Sounds good to me. I didn't spend that much on my mill though. I think I paid $120 plus shipping for my Barley Crusher. When I decided to take the AG route, it wasn't really about the cost as much as the control. I never really even calculated the cost differences beyond the cost of extracts vs the costs of grains, which was significant in itself. I wanted the mill so I could buy my grains and then brew whenever I felt like it. If I bought milled grains, I would need to brew rather quickly and it would also keep me from buying anything in bulk...

petep1980 said:

I have ONE LHBS. No lie.

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I have NO LHBS. Not within 150 miles, anyway. But, you can order online and do ok. I bought a 55 pound bag of MO including shipping for around $75, and a bag of 2-row for $57. Shipping was $6.99, flat rate from austinhomebrew.com when I bought Vienna malt and pilsner malt.

My barley crusher was $125.

The best part isn't the savings, really, though. The best part is I can say, "Hmmmm- I want to brew!" and I can run to the basement and whip up a pretty nice grainbill. I have a few pounds of most specialty malts, and plenty of hops in the freezer. To me, that's the most wonderful part of buying in bulk and milling my own.

Well it's clear my next purchase is a mill.

I pay $42 for 55# US 2-row, LHBS.

I bought a used MaltMill for $60. No brainer for me.

YooperBrew said:

I have NO LHBS. Not within 150 miles, anyway. But, you can order online and do ok.

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Same boat here (maybe not quite 150 miles, but still). I look at it this way: for $7, Ed at Brewmaster's Warehouse weighs my grain, crushes it in his mill, packages it up nice, and ships it to my door.

I balance the slight premium over wholesale with not having to hide large buckets of grain from SWMBO...

Both LHBS around me sell a 50# sack for $50 or $61.95. I would love to pay $37 but that's not happening for me.

$1.89/lb is quite a bit. I think for 2-row my LHBS has it for $1.09 regardless of whether it's milled or not. However, like others, I can find 55# bags of 2-row for $0.60/lb or so. According to my calculations, it will take about 30 batches to cover the cost of my barley crusher.

Well, I'm really at the point w/ LHBS that I'll only go there for emergencies.

I'm with BreckBastion. .60 or .65 a pound for 55lb sacks. Plus a discount for AHA. 1.89/pound...ouch. But I still think it's worth it to mill your own. better effciency, and better yet, more consistant efficiency. which means, more consistant beers.

Well, I'm really at the point w/ LHBS that I'll only go there for emergencies.

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Totally, lately ive been takin a hard hit from my lhbs and am also thinking about going bulk. Although I did get a pound of cascade for 24$ from there and thats not bad.

petep1980 said:

Well, I'm really at the point w/ LHBS that I'll only go there for emergencies.

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Me too. Everything I get now is online. Even with the $7-8 shipping still works out cheaper. For example I called last week and asked how much for a secondhand 5g keg. They said $50 plus the o-rings needed changing.

If you buy in 50# increments from my lhbs, it is only 32.50 for 50 pounds, so I get a good deal on that. I am just limited in the specialty grain that I can get and I am really considering ordering more of that in bulk. I'd love a bag of Maris Otter and then like 10 pounds of a bunch of different grains.

I mill my own, and often shop around online for cheaper ingredients and supplies. However, I also have a little Munsoned sitting on my shoulder that says "Even if it costs more, you should support your LHBS." Bastard.

BreckBastion said:

I think you are paying too much. I pay $35.75 for a 55lb sack of Great Western 2-row

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That's a good price. Where from?

spiny_norman said:

That's a good price. Where from?

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Homebrewmart in San Diego. Best price I have found.

EDIT: Spiny...You're in SD..Where do you go?

Munsoned said:

I mill my own, and often shop around online for cheaper ingredients and supplies. However, I also have a little Munsoned sitting on my shoulder that says "Even if it costs more, you should support your LHBS." Bastard.

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I support my LHBS with some occasional purchases but I can't afford to buy everything from them. They don't sell 50lb sacks of 2-row... just 10lb, and they get $16 for those. The specialty grains are all in 1lb bags and they are $2.50 per pound.

BreckBastion said:

Homebrewmart in San Diego. Best price I have found.

EDIT: Spiny...You're in SD..Where do you go?

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I have a 300 pound grain cert. that I got from them. Every time they cross off some grain, they laugh at me.

Specialty grains local would be a good idea. I don't need 50lbs of crystal malt.

$50 for second-hand kegs someone said? That's ridiculous.

carnevoodoo said:

I have a 300 pound grain cert. that I got from them. Every time they cross off some grain, they laugh at me.

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Was that a gift or a contest win or something? That would be pretty awesome.

BreckBastion said:

Was that a gift or a contest win or something? That would be pretty awesome.

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I had a 40% off coupon and I went crazy in their store. I brew a LOT, so it was a wise purchase.