Buying Grains from LHBS

I'm thinking of moving into all grain, but I want to put off getting a scale and malt mill for the first couple of brews. I also don't want a bunch of crushed grain lying around getting stale.

I was wondering does your LHBS cut smaller amounts than a pound for speciliaty grains. Do they charge (Pounds of grain) * (cost per pound)? Just wondering...

I currently use the Brewer's Apprentice as my LHBS.

Mine goes as low as a pound and they want 25 cents per pound to mill it. The price per pound is quite a bit higher than if I buy a whole sack.

My LHBS measures out and mills what ever you want. Flat rate.
If there is only a few oz of specialty malt, he'll let it slide.

Mine charges by the fractional pound and mills for free.


TL

mine says whats grain?

TexLaw said:

Mine charges by the fractional pound and mills for free.


TL

Click to expand...

Mine doesn't charge me separately for milling, either. Given his per-pound prices, though, I consider than more of a "non-itemized expense" than a freebee!

D*Bo said:

My LHBS measures out and mills what ever you want. Flat rate.
If there is only a few oz of specialty malt, he'll let it slide.

Click to expand...

The one on the south side of Atlanta mills for no extra charge.

His specialty grain goes for the same price as the main grain.
If you buy all you grains for the entire brew from him.

Edit: Just Brew It Fayetteville,GA. Thought Doug could use a plug. He'a a good guy.

abracadabra said:

His specialty grain goes for the same price as the main grain.

Click to expand...

That's a good deal. This place charges $1.75 (probably more now) per pound for some of the specialty grains. It would stink if they charge me full price for a 1/4 of black patent. Maybe I should get a mill.

My LHBS is self-serve, buckets of grain, scoops, bags, and a hand-crank mill. Granted, it's only got a single roller about 3" long so it's slow as death, and it's bolted to a really wobbly table so it almost takes 2 people to operate it, and it gives a poor crush - it's supposedly adjustable but there's no visible means to adjust it. Oh, and the scale that's right next to it is broken so you have to carry your grain all the way across the store to weigh it. And, their grain selection isn't great.

But on the plus side, you stick it on the scale and it prints you a label, and you pay the exact amount based on the per-pound price - and they're still charging only 99 cents a pound for almost all the grains. It sucks significantly less now that I have a barley crusher so I don't have to deal with their crappy mill.

I'm kinda like FunkenJaeger here..

My LHBS is pretty self-serve as well and they have the big creeky mill, but it's motorized and can go pretty quickly. The crush is pretty close to that from Austin Home Brew - good or bad, I'm not sure since they're the only places I've seen crushed grains from.

I've never bought in anything less than a half pound but I think that "fair" rounding works, I've never had to pay for 5.05 pounds of grain.

My LHBS also has a decent selection. I've actually been surprised that I'm able to find grains there not listed on their site.

There are several around here. The better ones have bins of grains, so you measure what you need and mill it. One actually has two mills: the "pure" one, for Lovibond 10 or less and the specialty grains one.

Charging to mill, that's a new one.

At my homebrew store, we sit down, have a beer and design a recipe. He has a bunch in the recipe database and I usually choose a stock one he's made before. He crushes the grain and bags it while we chat about brewing techniques.

the lhbs i frequent lets me be with the grain... i usually just round the additions of specialty malt up to the nearest pound. if i did a splash of special b and then half a pound or so of caramel malt, i'll say i crushed the base malt, and about a pound of specialty malt. they're pretty good about that, and they will break it down into tenths of a pound if you're that nitty gritty.

Rich the Brewer said:

At my homebrew store, we sit down, have a beer and design a recipe. He has a bunch in the recipe database and I usually choose a stock one he's made before. He crushes the grain and bags it while we chat about brewing techniques.

Click to expand...

God I wish my local was like that. They're adding a tap room because they're micro too. Perhaps that will help.

My LHBS has grain in 1# bags, some base malts in 10# bags. There is a hand mill in the back you can use and even separate bags to crush into. Prices are reasonable but selection is not great. They sell way more beer and wine than brewing supplies.
I often order from thegrape.net online. They sell grains by the oz, pound and 5 or 10 pound sizes. Milling is free but it is milled on the safe side (I only get 60-65% efficiency using precrushed grains). Prices are better than the LHBS by a small amount.
Craig

the_bird said:

Mine doesn't charge me separately for milling, either. Given his per-pound prices, though, I consider than more of a "non-itemized expense" than a freebee!

Click to expand...

We are in the same boat. Definitely a "non-itemized expense."

Rich the Brewer said:

At my homebrew store, we sit down, have a beer and design a recipe. He has a bunch in the recipe database and I usually choose a stock one he's made before. He crushes the grain and bags it while we chat about brewing techniques.

Click to expand...

I'd say you're going to the same place as me.
Steve is a great guy and runs a phenominal shop.

TexLaw said:

Mine charges by the fractional pound and mills for free.

Click to expand...

Same here.

Boy, I'm really starting to appreciate my LHBS. Everything is in bins, and you simply weigh out what you need for your recipe and put it in the provided paper sacks. Milling is free, and also self-serve. On your first trip to the shop, they walk you through the process. Once you're ready to checkout, you just tell them how much of each grain you have. Hops are handled the same way...measure, bag, hot-seal and label the amounts with a marker. Bulk LME & DME can also be measured out and purchased in whatever quantity you need.

Domestic base malt is $0.99 a lb, and specialty grains are $1.25. You can also buy a prepaid "grain card" for $50, get a 20% discount...whatever you buy each visit is subtracted from the card.

Rich the Brewer said:

At my homebrew store, we sit down, have a beer and design a recipe. He has a bunch in the recipe database and I usually choose a stock one he's made before. He crushes the grain and bags it while we chat about brewing techniques.

Click to expand...

My LHBS is pretty good but that is downright awesome.

Cool.

BlindLemonLars said:

Boy, I'm really starting to appreciate my LHBS. Everything is in bins, and you simply weigh out what you need for your recipe and put it in the provided paper sacks. Milling is free, and also self-serve. On your first trip to the shop, they walk you through the process. Once you're ready to checkout, you just tell them how much of each grain you have. Hops are handled the same way...measure, bag, hot-seal and label the amounts with a marker. Bulk LME & DME can also be measured out and purchased in whatever quantity you need.

Domestic base malt is $0.99 a lb, and specialty grains are $1.25. You can also buy a prepaid "grain card" for $50, get a 20% discount...whatever you buy each visit is subtracted from the card.

Click to expand...

That sounds exactly like the joint I have been frequenting, but I doubt you drive to Culver City from Encino.

Poindexter said:

That sounds exactly like the joint I have been frequenting, but I doubt you drive to Culver City from Encino.

Click to expand...

You would be correct! I shop at the Woodland Hills store, which is just 10 minutes or so away from me. I've been meaning to check out the Culver City shop though, next time I'm "over the hill" I'll have to stop by.

Lousy website, great little shop!

BlindLemonLars said:

Boy, I'm really starting to appreciate my LHBS. Everything is in bins, and you simply weigh out what you need for your recipe and put it in the provided paper sacks. Milling is free, and also self-serve. On your first trip to the shop, they walk you through the process. Once you're ready to checkout, you just tell them how much of each grain you have. Hops are handled the same way...measure, bag, hot-seal and label the amounts with a marker. Bulk LME & DME can also be measured out and purchased in whatever quantity you need.

Domestic base malt is $0.99 a lb, and specialty grains are $1.25. You can also buy a prepaid "grain card" for $50, get a 20% discount...whatever you buy each visit is subtracted from the card.

Click to expand...

In addition to the things I mention earlier about Doug at "Just Brew It" Fayetteville. Ga (Atlanta's southside) he does the same thing as Lar's LHBS. Except his hops are packaged and preweighed. And I don't know if his prices are still that good.

Man, I used to have it good. The only LHBS in Boulder (yes, the city that was the center of homebrewing and was the place where Papazian wrote his damn books) was great, base malts $1.00-$1.30/#, most specialties $1.35/#, and their selection of grains, hops, and yeast were great and affordable. You weighed your own grains, milled them in their mill (which they let you adjust to the crush you liked), and just told them what you bought to the 1/8th of a #, they just pro-rated everything.

Well, it is closing on the 30th, but they ran out of anything useful two weeks ago....so now the nearest brew store is 40 minutes from my house and I will never go back, grain prices were way too high (could have gotten the same grains from AHS milled to my door for $10 less) and their mill sucks, it is slow and not adjustable, missed the OG on my Imp. Stout by 0.04 (1.080 instead of 1.120). The next nearest store (which has a good reputation) is about an hour from my house...

yes, I live in the city that helped start the homebrewing craze, and we no longer have a LHBS. :sadsmiley:

The easiest way to go about this is to stick with kits. They're no more expensive than buying the individual ingredients and come with the exact grain bill. Then again, even if you had to throw out a half pound of specialty grain, it's only 75 cents.

BlindLemonLars said:

You would be correct! I shop at the Woodland Hills store, which is just 10 minutes or so away from me. I've been meaning to check out the Culver City shop though, next time I'm "over the hill" I'll have to stop by.

Lousy website, great little shop!

Click to expand...

Yup, I have been to both. Culver City is 7 miles from my house, Woodland Hills about 25 miles. If I _have_ to have glass today I take the 101 north. I find the grain and hops selection is a _little_ better on the CC side.

I get along a little better with the staff in CC, but I am a bit of a Richard to start with, so that shouldn't count against WH. If the mileages were reversed I would shop WH happily.

EDIT: Lousy web site, great little shop, open late Thursdays:
http://www.brewsupply.com/

Fairly nice shop here. Several bulk grain bins available with a scale that measures to 0.01 pound. Two motorized mills, one for chocolate and darker - both self serve. The crush is ok, but not great. I get in the low 70s for efficiency and on occasion, I will run it through twice. Prices are average, haven't been there in awhile, but base grains were in the $1.20 range last I checked. I just mill everything up, then hand them a sheet with the weights to the 0.01 pound and bin numbers and a credit card.

Bobby_M said:

The easiest way to go about this is to stick with kits.

Click to expand...

This is especially true now with the hop supply as low as it is. Many places reserve their hops for kits.

Kevin Dean said:

This is especially true now with the hop supply as low as it is. Many places reserve their hops for kits.

Click to expand...

Are the Midwest all grain kits any good? Their prices seems pretty reasonable. It also seems like they give a bit of grain. How's their crush?

My LHBS has bins and bins of grain. I have yet to need a grain that they did not have. They also have two corona mills setup for you to use. I do 10 gallon brews so I will spend a good 2 hours there crushing my grain the night before I brew.
Their prices range from $.90 for pale 2-row on up to $2.50 for some of the other grains.
It's all self serve and the hops and yeast are in a walk-in cooler. They have an "open door" system there. You just walk into the back room and into the cooler and get what you need. You don't have to ask for anything. I have had some time where I need a lot of stuff, then I give one of the works a list and he/she will get it for me while I get other stuff.
They are great and they all brew so if you need help, they gave give it to you.

I'm truely blessed to live so close to such a great place.

FSR402 said:

My LHBS has bins and bins of grain. I have yet to need a grain that they did not have. They also have two corona mills setup for you to use. I do 10 gallon brews so I will spend a good 2 hours there crushing my grain the night before I brew.
Their prices range from $.90 for pale 2-row on up to $2.50 for some of the other grains.
It's all self serve and the hops and yeast are in a walk-in cooler. They have an "open door" system there. You just walk into the back room and into the cooler and get what you need. You don't have to ask for anything. I have had some time where I need a lot of stuff, then I give one of the works a list and he/she will get it for me while I get other stuff.
They are great and they all brew so if you need help, they gave give it to you.

I'm truely blessed to live so close to such a great place.

Click to expand...

Yeah. People are more trusting in the mitten. I miss that. Such a place couldn't exist in NJ.

HomebrewHQ has always treated me great! I walk in, weigh out the grains I need, run them through the mill 2x label the bag and pay for what I used, no rounding. Shoot the breeze with the staff for an hour or so if they are slow then jet. Sorry to hear there are LHBS's that charge to mill your grains. Sounds like time to buy a mill.

Mine only sells specialty in sealed 1lb bags (for $3/lb) as well as 2-Row in 1lb, 10lb and 50lb bags ($2, $15, $48). They have a mill but it's a hand crank you do by yourself, I've never seen a scale but if you asked you'd probably get one to weigh stuff out. I have a mill and scale at home so never needed to use it.

I tend to buy my specialty grain from Larry's in Seattle as I go to Seattle once a month generally and it's pretty close to the airport. Milling is free there I think and you can get any amount you want. A lot of people just take a big sack and toss all the grain they need in it and I think they charge $1.50/lb when you don't seperately bag otherwise base malt is $1/lb and specialty malts are $1-$1.50/lb depending on what you buy. They also have 50/55#lb sacks of base/specialty malt available... Base Malt tends to be around $28-34, specialty $34-40.

There are 2 LHBS near me.

One has the grains pre-measured in 1lb bags and they take it in the back and crush it for you. It can be a waste of money if you use a lot of specialty grains and have no way to store it. I only bought from here once.

The other LHBS(It's a little farther and have to pay a $3 toll to get there) lets you measure and crack your own grain. He charges a flat $1.50 per lb, I think. I like that one much better.

I have two LHBSs too. The closed one doesn't have a crusher though. And I know more than them. There not just a brew shop. More like a make your own foods store with beer included. The one that is a further drive crushes for free. Awesome place.

Free Plug! Niagara Traditions in Tonawanda, NY. http://www.nthomebrew.com/catalog/index.php