what grains to keep in stock?

i know it is subject to what you like to brew/drink.
what i'm trying to get at is a list of grains to keep on hand to do a decent variety, then pick up some specialty items in smaller amounts when necessary.


or just post what you keep on hand and i'll figure it out from there..
Slainte

Well, I guess that depends on if you're an extract or all grailn brewer first of all

I brew all grain, so I buy 2 and 6 row by the sack to keep the costs down. I should probably buy Vienna that way too, since I use a lot of it. I keep most of the lighter crystal malts on hand in smaller amounts. I always have a few pounds of dextrine/carafoam on hand. Biscuit and Victory for IPA's.

I kind of brew on a spur of the moment and don't like having to run to the local for things. I keep all the specialty grains in plastic pails with gamma lids on them.

switching to all grain, which is why i'm trying to figure out what to bulk order. i too am spur of the moment and dont want to go to my lhbs and hope they have what i need in stock, every time i do i always end up with substitutions. i absolutely hate fizzy yellow "triple hopped" lol crap. like ipas but not quite a hop head. tend to make bigger beers last two brews were 9 and 8 abv.
also have tons of fermentors and kegging equipment and a brew room now, would like to get a decent pipeline moving while keeping things different.

get some pale 2-row, munich, crystal 40 or 60. that's the base for a decent big pale ale

I buy big in pilsner, pale, malted wheat. I usually order in 10 to 15 bags from NB (because of cheap shipping) in Munich and other specialty malts. I try to plan my next 5 brews in advance so I know hops, yeast and specialty stuff to get on hand. I've made some interesting brews with what's left in my storage bin.

My normal rule of thumb is to avoid buying bulk until you've actually gone through as much as you'd get in a bulk purchase during what would've been that bulk purchase's shelf life. You could look back at what you did as an extract brewer and see what grains you'd need for AG versions of those recipes but even that might leave you with surplus or suboptimal ingredients. In my case, I came off my IPA kick and started my German beer kick right around the time I went AG. If I had bought based on my IPA kick, I might've regretted not having more pilsner malt on hand. I might've also tried more pilsners with 2-row malt which IMHO is not nearly as good for that purpose.

So I guess my advice is to hold off for a little bit. If you want to be able to brew at moment's notice, just plan batches 2-3 in advance for now. When you blow through 50-100 lbs of grain, start looking back and seeing what you used to predict what you'll need.

I try to buy a years 2 row supply and pilsner at 1 time. keeps my cost down as have to drive aways to pick up grain. average 250 lbs of 2 row 50 lbs pilsner. Speciality malts go to local lbs buy in 5 or 10 lb pkgs so always have something onhand to be able to brew.
When i decide what I want to brew or to just throw something together to brew. Buy my hops from hops direcect try to keep at least 5 varietys onhad at all times. Good luck enjoy.

at all times i try to keep in stock:

* at least a bag of two row pale, hopefully more
* a couple pounds of crystal 15L, i think it's the most versatile
* a couple pounds of crystal 80L or 120L
* chocolate malt
* roast barley

the grains i'm gonna start keeping around more regularly are:
* torrefied wheat
* rye
* honest to goodness Maris Otter

that plus a good quantity of high alpha hops, and a good quantity of say kent goldings makes me a happy brewer