Grains to keep in stock

I have recently paid off some land, so have some extra cash flow until I find a better need for it. I'm thinking I might as well stock up on grains & hops. I've got a good in on deals for base grains, so I'll stock 2-row, MO, wheat, and pilsner. My question is:

I really brew a lot of different stuff. I haven't been brewing long enough to have 10 or 12 I do over & over, I actually only have 4 or 5 so far I brew a lot of. What grains does everybody keep around? I have storage space so I can go ahead & get 5 lbs of this or 10 lbs of that. ...but do I really need 5 or 10 lbs of peat smoked malt or rye malt?

What do ya'll keep in stock besides crystal & vienna & the normal stuff?

Hops will be coming from hops direct & fresh hops, specialty grains will be coming from the cheapest source.

thanks.

I haven't started stockpiling grains yet. Besides a few different shades of crystal malt, I'd personally keep some Chocolate, Black Patent and Roast Barley around for those darker beers. I'd probably also have a fair amount of wheat, carapils, or whatever other grain that you might use specifically for head retention.

I thought you said you were going to start sending me a couple hundred per month to help with my brew ventures.... Maybe I was mistaken.

Bull,

I would, but you had to go post up that dorky car!

You could come help me brew.......

FWIW I always *try* to have a sack of 2-row, a sack of MO, 20# each of Vienna, Munich, Pils, and Wheat.

After that I always make sure I have at least 1-3# of Crystal 20/60/90, chocolate, biscuit, aromatic, special b, rye, cara-pils, roasted barley & black patent and then I always seem to have random amounts of stuff like caramunich, caravienne, carafa II, carafa III and special roast.

That's way too much crap, I know, but I like to be able to brew pretty much whatever crazy idea I get and not have to wait for grain to come. Speaking of which, I need to place a grain order...

Another question:

How big a container do I need to put a 5 lb bag in? How about a 10 or 20 lb bag?

I'll be using an old chest freezer for the bulk grains. Don't worry, its broken.

Ohio, thats what I'm thinking, having enough stuff around so I can brew whenever I get a chance. Right now if I pick my stuff up, its a 4 hour round trip, plus the lead time to order it.

I'd like to get to where I can brew most anything I want, but not have grains sitting around here for a year, although I have let them sit in paper bags for months with no ill effects, even crushed.

FWIW, here are my thoughts, in no particular order.

You've already listed the base malts. +1 to Munich and Vienna. I keep 2-row, Pils, wheat malt, light Munich and Vienna.

I always keep British Crystal (~55L) and Special B on hand, because I have yet to find a combination of crystals I can't mimic with those. Okay, a pound of 10L Crystal is something I can't approximate, but nothing I make calls for that.

Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Carafa II and Black Patent. Different dark beers call for different roasted malts and combinations thereof.

I toast pale malt if I want the flavor of Biscuit or Aromatic; it's different, but I prefer the characteristics of freshly-toasted pale malt.

CaraPils isn't necessary if you're mashing; you can adjust the saccharification rest for body-building dextrins and add a small amount of wheat if you're having problems with foam retention.

Turbinado sugar. A very slight color & flavor addition if used in quantity, gravity boost, and carbonation sugar source, all in a 2 lb box from the grocery.

I like to challenge myself to make the widest possible variety of beer with the fewest ingredients. That's why none of my recipes involve singular grains; there's at least two in the library that use an ingredient. Moreover, the two that use the singular ingredient - Oatmeal Stout and Witbier - have the added benefit that the ingredient is something I can pick up at any corner grocery (flaked oats).

Wait - I tell a lie. I have one recipe that uses an exlcusive ingredient - my 1950s Brooklyn Lager calls for flaked corn. One unique ingredient in two dozen tried and true recipes? I can live with that.

Bob

zac said:

Another question:

How big a container do I need to put a 5 lb bag in? How about a 10 or 20 lb bag?

Click to expand...

I've heard that a 50# bag fills two home depot Homer Buckets. So 25# in one 5 gallon bucket, I'd venture to say roughly about 5# per gallon.

DUH! I read that on here, didnt even think of it.

So I reckon 3 or 4 5 lb bags would fit in a bucket. That might work, I was looking for airtight canisters.

If you are going to be in the DC area we are going to be doing a group buy. Just to let you know

Appreciate it. DC is about 6 hours away from me, but SWMBO has always wanted to go to DC. Keep me in the loop if you do another one, ok?

zac said:

Bull,

I would, but you had to go post up that dorky car!

You could come help me brew.......

Click to expand...

DUDE! I love my little car, thank you very much!
I would run over your foot if I wasn't worried about getting it high-centered!

I have some big rubbermaid containers. The larger ones are perfect for 50 pounds of grain. I have several types of grain (individually in plastic) in one big container, and 40 pounds of 2-row and 50 pounds of MO in the others. I have a 20 pound bag of crystal 40L, and then one pound bags of flaked barley, etc. I don't have a huge selection, but I have what I need.

I have something like 20 pounds of vienna, munich, pilsner malt and then the base grains I already mentioned. I don't make many stouts or porters, so I'm limited in my darker grains but I do have some chocolate malt for browns. I guess you could look at some of the recipes you hope to do, or to consider the styles you prefer making, and then buy according your preference.

Bull,

How bout I make a speed bump with my F-250? He he he

Yoop, I'm thinking of using an old broken down chest freezer, reckon that would work? Just sit the bags in the freezer?

UPDATE:

I ended up buying 5 lbs of everything that Asheville Brewing had in stock, and supplimented with everything else that Brewmasters Warehouse had that ABS didn't have.

Anybody know what to do with 5 lbs of Peated or Smoked malt?

If i WERE to keep a stock, it would be the following:

2-row Pale Malt (marris otter & domestic)
German Pilsner Malt
Wheat Malt
Vienna Malt
Crystal 40L
Crystal 50/60 (British)
Chocolate Malt (British)

I think that's about it. Obviously, I would want every grain imagineable on hand, but those are my top doggs. Munich Malt may be the only other I add (but since I have Vienna, i don't absolutely NEED it.)

I think I'll just buy a sack of wheat next time too....

zac said:

UPDATE:

I ended up buying 5 lbs of everything that Asheville Brewing had in stock, and supplimented with everything else that Brewmasters Warehouse had that ABS didn't have.

Anybody know what to do with 5 lbs of Peated or Smoked malt?

Click to expand...

lol - I think that takes the old expression of "I will take one of each" to a whole new level.