Tips for buying in bulk

I starting to buy ingredients in bulk and could use some pointers on where to buy and how to store, etc...

I scored a nice digital scale on amazon.com so the weighing thing is covered.

But I could use some tips.

Hops? Where is the best deal? How do you store them after you break the seal on those mylar bags?

Grains? I'm an extract brewer so I only use small portions on grain. I'll probably never need to store more then 1 lb of any type. What sort of container is good for storing grain? Air tight plastic buckets? Store cold? Store crushed or uncrushed?

Extract? I'm guessing dry is way easier to deal with but the liquid is a better price and there is much more variety in liquid.

TIA

I highly suggest purchasing a food saver. It will serve a purpose for everything you mention above.

I buy my hops from hopsdirect.com as do a lot of people buying bulk. They are by far the cheapest I've found. I break them down into 1oz bags using my food saver to vacuum seal them and put them in the freezer.

I store my grain in Homer buckets from HD. Of course, I buy 50lbs at a time. If you're just storing a lb. or two, those clear plastic storage bins with the flaps that seal them closed are great. Store all grains unmilled when possible in a dark cool area.

Liquid extract, I believe, can be frozen to keep it good. You'd probably have to seal it in food saver bags again. Dry extract can be kept at room temp in a cool dark area of the house, but try to keep it airtight. The containers mentioned above for hops might work well, but I've never tried it. I never bought enough extract to bother saving the leftovers when I was doing extact brewing.

wow, that hopsdirect site look like an awesome resource.

what is the best deal on a food saver? the bigger ones look to be fairly expensive and posibly over kill for small packages of hops.

The best option for hops and smaller sized grain is a Ball mason jar vacuum sealed with a Foodsaver in my opinion. Don't waste your time with the bags. A quart sized mason jar will hold exactly 1 lb of hops or 1 lb of unmilled grain and can be opened and resealed many times. For base grain, dog food containers at Petco or Walmart work well for me. Vittle vaults are the best, but they are expensive. I freeze my hops and store my grain in the basement. I got the mason jars at Ace hardware and Kmart.

how does the foodsaver work with the mason jars? On the website it appears that you need to use the foodsaver brand containers, bags, etc...

What about infomercial pump and seal?

You need the mason jar sealer. I was only able to find it online, not in a store, but it is well worth it. I can open and reseal a mason jar in a matter of seconds with the foodsaver and the jars last forever. It is much easier than messing with the bags for me.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12479239

one note about the mason jars and hops....the 1 pound per quart is only good for pellets. There are a couple threads going around, but you can fit about 5-6 oz of leaf hops in a quart jar IIRC. Also, craigslist is a great resource for foodsavers.

Heres a tip for those using the mason jar vacuum sealer. Get the Ziploc bags that have the vacuum pump with it. Works great and is 1/5 the cost. If you are buying in bulk to save some cash, i highly recommend going allgrain. Since I started storing grains and hops in bulk, my batches cost between $10-15 plus the add ons such as propane (I can get a good 5 batches out of one 20# tank). The most expensive part for me right now is the DME I use for my starters, which I would also like to buy in bulk instead of 5# bags (where can I get it in bulk??)
tom

TomRep said:

Heres a tip for those using the mason jar vacuum sealer. Get the Ziploc bags that have the vacuum pump with it. Works great and is 1/5 the cost. If you are buying in bulk to save some cash, i highly recommend going allgrain. Since I started storing grains and hops in bulk, my batches cost between $10-15 plus the add ons such as propane (I can get a good 5 batches out of one 20# tank). The most expensive part for me right now is the DME I use for my starters, which I would also like to buy in bulk instead of 5# bags (where can I get it in bulk??)
tom

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I can't see buying bulk extract just for starters being worth it. I can get about 20 1L starters out of a 5#bag of DME. Unless you're brewing two or three times a week, it'll take you close to a year to go through it. Technically, 5# IS bulk for starters only.

I bought this: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00869943000P?keyword=food+vacuum+sealer

Couldn't tell the difference between that and this: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00869341000P?keyword=food+vacuum+sealer

Worked great for 8 lbs of hops. Also pork chops, Filets cut from a beef loin, etc.
Just sayin'....


Dave

I still don't understand how you suck the air out of the mason jars. Can somebody explain that?

I use a Pump-N-Seal on my mason jars for storing hops. It's really easy. Close it up, poke a hole in the lid with a push pin, stick one of the tabs over the hole and use the pump to suck the air out.

maida7 said:

I still don't understand how you suck the air out of the mason jars. Can somebody explain that?

Click to expand...

You need this attachment with a foodsaver:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12479239

It sucks the air out and seals the pop lid.

SkiSoloII said:

I bought this: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00869943000P?keyword=food+vacuum+sealer

Couldn't tell the difference between that and this: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00869341000P?keyword=food+vacuum+sealer

Worked great for 8 lbs of hops. Also pork chops, Filets cut from a beef loin, etc.
Just sayin'....


Dave

Click to expand...

You can find deals on Foodsavers all the time. I got my v2040 for around $70.

EvilGnome6 said:

I use a Pump-N-Seal on my mason jars for storing hops. It's really easy. Close it up, poke a hole in the lid with a push pin, stick one of the tabs over the hole and use the pump to suck the air out.

Click to expand...

So the pump-n-seal really works? How long have you been using it? Any comments? It's certainly the most affordable option. I guess I'm skeptically cause it's one of those infomercial type products that usualy never live up to the hype.

HarkinBanks said:

You need this attachment with a foodsaver:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12479239

It sucks the air out and seals the pop lid.

Click to expand...

I take it you one for each jar?

maida7 said:

I take it you one for each jar?

Click to expand...

No, you attach the Foodsaver hose to it and it seals each jar. The attachment is reusable.

I can't speak to the pump and seal, but I did make a DIY "Alvin" vacuum seal mechanism with a brake bleeder and it broke within a week. For me, the foodsaver was the way to go and got very good reviews from many members here on HBT.

I wonder if, in lieu of vacuum sealing, you could keep hops fresh by flushing the container with CO2 (which I have plenty of), sealing and freezing? Is it the oxygen that you're trying to remove primarily?

maida7 said:

So the pump-n-seal really works? How long have you been using it? Any comments? It's certainly the most affordable option. I guess I'm skeptically cause it's one of those infomercial type products that usualy never live up to the hype.

Click to expand...

Yep, it really works. I've had mine for several months with no issues. It's a very simple device. It took about 4 weeks for delivery but other than that, no complaints.

Just bought bulk grain card @ my LHBS! Now even though I don't own a mill, I get a heck of a deal on grain! 1.25/lb for import!! I can get as much as I want at a time with a punch card. I am so stoked! This plus hops direct and washing yeast -- I am finally going to get my $ down.

electric_beer said:

Just bought bulk grain card @ my LHBS! Now even though I don't own a mill, I get a heck of a deal on grain! 1.25/lb for import!! I can get as much as I want at a time with a punch card. I am so stoked! This plus hops direct and washing yeast -- I am finally going to get my $ down.

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Did the same thing, just bought 50lbs 2-row, got 4-5lbs bulk hops, a grain mill, harvested/washed yeast, and I'm goo to go. Kind of limited to what hops I have and what kind of beer to make with the yeast I got, but I already got 5 brews set up. I can buy the specialty grains/malts for the 5 recipes (the only thing I don't have) for only 26 dollars!

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

I can't see buying bulk extract just for starters being worth it. I can get about 20 1L starters out of a 5#bag of DME. Unless you're brewing two or three times a week, it'll take you close to a year to go through it. Technically, 5# IS bulk for starters only.

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I brew typically once a week, sometimes twice. Most beers I make use gallon starters, especially with lagering. Gallon starters use 4 cups of DME at a time. A 5# bag lasts me about a month and a half at most. I'd like to buy some 15# bags or so if they are available and worth the savings.
Tom

TomRep said:

I brew typically once a week, sometimes twice. Most beers I make use gallon starters, especially with lagering. Gallon starters use 4 cups of DME at a time. A 5# bag lasts me about a month and a half at most. I'd like to buy some 15# bags or so if they are available and worth the savings.
Tom

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I routinely make 2-2.5 liter starters for ales. I save about a half-liter in a sterilized mason jar for reuse at a later date. I use 10 oz of DME per starter, so 5lbs only makes 8 starters, or about 2-3 months of brewing.

So, I guess I'm saying that I'd buy cheaper DME in bulk if I could. I guess I should consider brewing starter wort and freezing it in single batch containers.

I hadn't heard of hopsdirect.com until now. Jesus those prices are AWESOME. However, the alpha range is fairly large. Do you get the specific Alpha % when you order/when they are delivered?

The alpha % should be fairly consistant for the labeled year. If a 2008 Amarillo pellet hop is listed at 4.5% AA, it should be fairly consistant for that year. However, a 2009 Amarillo pellet may come in a little higher (or lower).
On the starter note, I was saving half a gallon of wort from my brews to use as starters but have since gotten away from that. If your brewing a 5 gal batch of a DIPA and save a half gallon for a starter, til you dry hop and what not, your only ending up with about 4 gallons of beer, which plain sucks in my opinion. Since then I have gone to all DME and as mentioned above, I go through it rather quickly.
tom

Doc Robinson said:

I hadn't heard of hopsdirect.com until now. Jesus those prices are AWESOME. However, the alpha range is fairly large. Do you get the specific Alpha % when you order/when they are delivered?

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Yes. Each vacuum packed bag is labeled.

I burned through a number of Food Savers over the years before I bought a bit beefier machine (I vac pac venison & Elk as well as dehydrated veggies quite a bit). Cabellas carries an industrial model that I have used for years which is a beast. I bag my bulk hops with this in 2-4 oz packages. If you bag 4 oz of hops and use 1-2 oz then you can use the same bag and reseal it. I also re-use the Mylar bags that Hopsdirect sends. Montanaandy

TomRep said:

The most expensive part for me right now is the DME I use for my starters, which I would also like to buy in bulk instead of 5# bags (where can I get it in bulk??)

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I get in bulk from North Country Malt when local brewers do group buys. I get 55# for $98.

Thanks for the tip there bakins! I've bought grain off North Country, but never thought about checking for DME there.
tom

I just found out FoodSaver sells something like the Vittle Vaults that can be vacuum sealed. I think I might invest in 10-20 of these things to store my specialty grains in.