Bulk grain etiquette

My LHBS sells grain by the oz, but also sells big 50+lb bags.

I usually just buy and mill (they have a mill available for use in the grain room) my grains for each specific batch.

If I buy the 50lb bag would it be rude to take it back there to mill as needed for my brews? I would still be buying some specialty grains each time, just wondering what the etiquette is for buying in bulk and using their mill.

I would consider that ungentlemanly to ask that of the LHBS.

Pardon me while I use your electricity to mill my grain that I brought along with me.

I'd be surprised if the shop owners were OK with that practice.

Bulk grain (all pre-packaged grain really) is typically meant to be milled at home. Your shop owner may not mind though. If I were you I'd ask them first.

I don't know that there is a protocol...

If you buy the sack of grain from them, I don't think it would be rude to ask; ask when you buy it. Then buy something (specialty grain or yeast) each time you use their mill.

IMHO, it would be rude to bring the grain in and just assume you can use their mill, or to bring in grain that you bought someplace else.

z-bob said:

I don't know that there is a protocol...

If you buy the sack of grain from them, I don't think it would be rude to ask; ask when you buy it. Then buy something (specialty grain or yeast) each time you use their mill.

IMHO, it would be rude to bring the grain in and just assume you can use their mill, or to bring in grain that you bought someplace else.

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Grain from somewhere else would be definite *****ery.

Brew on

I second the others responses. Definitely ask first. Most shop owners are pretty chill so Im sure wouldnt mind, but you never know. I found though, that when I switched to buying 50lbs sacks of base malts that the cost savings vs buying in bulk paid for a Cereal Killer in like 2 or 3 sacks.

It is, of course, far more convenient to mill bulk grains at home rather than to run them back and forth to the LHBS (it is one of the primary benefits of buying grains in bulk). For that reason, I didn't start buying bulk grains until I had a mill. When I was deciding about a mill, I did ask one of the LHBS's (there are three within driving distance) and was told that it would be fine to bring grains purchased there to mill there.

Gavin C said:

I would consider that ungentlemanly to ask that of the LHBS.

Pardon me while I use your electricity to mill my grain that I brought along with me.

I'd be surprised if the shop owners were OK with that practice.

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Just to clarify, I would be buying the big bag of 2-row from them. I'm going to be milling my grains there anyways, whether I buy 10lbs in 5 trips or 50lbs in one trip.

That would be rude?

I suppose I could mill it all at once but I've read that milled grains do not store as long.

I'd just ask them right up front.

"Hey I'm thinking about picking up a sack of grain from you guys, but don't have a mill. Would you be cool with me bringing it back here to mill or should I stick with buying what I need?"

I know I've bought unmilled grain from my LHBS because I wasn't sure when I'd get around to brewing (I've got a kitchenaid mill so I can do it on my own, it just takes forever) and the guy said without asking if I needed it milled to just bring it back.

Cheesy_Goodness said:

I'd just ask them right up front.

"Hey I'm thinking about picking up a sack of grain from you guys, but don't have a mill. Would you be cool with me bringing it back here to mill or should I stick with buying what I need?"

I know I've bought unmilled grain from my LHBS because I wasn't sure when I'd get around to brewing (I've got a kitchenaid mill so I can do it on my own, it just takes forever) and the guy said without asking if I needed it milled to just bring it back.

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Glad to know other stores are OK with it. I'll ask next time I go. I need to go there each time I brew anyways to pickup specialty grains + yeast.

my lhbs has a mill that folks can use but you have to use it at time of purchase. they don't want outside grain being brought into the store, even if it is purchased there. they don't want to risk any contamination from 'bad' grain.

If you buy it from them, I'd ask first. I assume most shop owners would be okay with that, but it's just proper etiquette to ask first.

If you bought the grain elsewhere, definitely a no-go.

itsnotrequired said:

my lhbs has a mill that folks can use but you have to use it at time of purchase. they don't want outside grain being brought into the store, even if it is purchased there. they don't want to risk any contamination from 'bad' grain.

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Like everyone else said: it depends.

The expectation is that you can mill the grain at home. Perhaps that (in part) is why you pay less when you buy in bulk.

Maybe they could come up with a surcharge to grind your base malts. $3.00 or so?

You can buy a corona mill with what you're saving by buying in bulk. That is the route I'd recomend. I understand your logic, but I think it is also logical to assume you buy in bulk to keep and mill the grain at home. You could ask them and if you are also picking up hops, yeast and misc. other grains, they might be alright with it. It doesn't hurt to ask, but if you are honestly brewing enough to buy in bulk than you should also own your own mill.

My $99 cereal killer paid for itself in just a few months. Buying 2row at $30/55lbs versus the $1.30/lb or so the store charges is pretty damn significant.

The Corona seems like a great cheap solution as well, and at that price you'd probably recoup your investment after one or two batches...

Or better yet, ask your LHBS if they offer a "grain bank". My store will allow you to buy base grain in bulk (50LB-100LBs) at bulk prices, and they keep it at the store. Every time you go in, they just subtract the base grain from what you already bought. It also makes for a great Xmas gift idea (my folks bought me 100 Lbs of base grain for Xmas last year, and I didn't pay for 2-row until like July). My batches were $10-18 a batch.

Kind of off topic, but just a thought.

My LHBS offered for me to bring back however much of the 50lb sack I bought from them to mill whenever I want. They won't store bought grains like other LHBS stores in Portland do.

douglasbarbin said:

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no joke, from their website:

If you aren’t ready to pull the trigger on your own grain mill (by the way, we sell those too), you can use ours. That’s right we have an in-house grain mill for you to use–free of charge! Only one catch–you gotta grind it before you leave with it. For health reasons, you can’t bring bring raw grain back into the store.

maybe they had a bad experience in the past, i've never asked.

If you've reached the stage in brewing where you're buying bulk grain, then you've reached the stage where it's time to buy your own mill.

"In theory" I believe the sack of grain at a LHBS is priced for cash and carry. The owner may agree to anything beyond that, but I'm pretty sure that was not his intention when offering full sacks for sale.

Let's say a bar that sells packaged goods, can you buy a 6 pack and bring back a few beers to be served to you when you're thirsty?

corycorycory09 said:

Just to clarify, I would be buying the big bag of 2-row from them. I'm going to be milling my grains there anyways, whether I buy 10lbs in 5 trips or 50lbs in one trip.

That would be rude?

I suppose I could mill it all at once but I've read that milled grains do not store as long.

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It's not the same thing at all. You buy in bulk and get a bulk discount but then ask the store owner to use his mill for free. His mill, his wear and tear his electricty to run it, other customers having to wait as you mill grain.

Bringing in grain to be milled also poses a few potential problems to the store owner.

• He has no idea if it's the grain you bought in the store
• Is the grain dry/damp. He has no clue how well you've stored it. Will it gum up the rollers.
• Does the grain contain potentially harmful parasites or mold that could place his stock in harms way.

I think it's bad form to do, and I think it's bad form to ask to do it as if you look at it from the vendors point of view he has two choices.

1. Say yes and take all the points mentioned on the chin. Sucking it up to keep your business.
2. Say no, and piss off a customer who has unrealistic expectations of what services should be made available.

It is IMO ungentlemanly to put folks in a bind like that.

DoomRider said:

Or better yet, ask your LHBS if they offer a "grain bank". My store will allow you to buy base grain in bulk (50LB-100LBs) at bulk prices, and they keep it at the store. Every time you go in, they just subtract the base grain from what you already bought. It also makes for a great Xmas gift idea (my folks bought me 100 Lbs of base grain for Xmas last year, and I didn't pay for 2-row until like July). My batches were $10-18 a batch.

Kind of off topic, but just a thought.

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Not off topic at all and would solve the problem.
It's exceptional customer service. I only wonder how many LHB stores would allow this arrangement.

I'm sure customers love the idea but I wonder what the actual bulk price is. We run a very thin margin on a full sack. It's 33% cheaper than by the pound. Being that thin of a margin, you take the bag away with you and we never see it again or have to pay a kid to sweep up the grain dust in the mill area spread out over the course of 4 months. If a shop is willing to reserve a sack for bulk prices and continue to dole it out over perhaps 5 visits at pricing similar to ours, it's at a loss on the grain. Of course it assumes that with each visit you'll be buying hops, yeast, and just maybe a Blichmann pot.

Maybe I'm a jerk customer, maybe shop owners are just friendlier here idk...


I've bought sacks of base malts from four different home brew stores, and all of them have had some sort of communication that it's cool to use the mill whenever your there as long as your buying something.

Usually they weigh the grains I bring in, and weigh it afterward. As long as it matches up we're good.

Recently moved to another state, and bought some 2 row through a group buy and asked the lhbs when I was there what their policy was. They said, "As long as your buying stuff it's cool. If you just came in and milled some grain and left, it might be awkward but we probably wouldn't care"

Typically my homebrew shopping consists of
basemalt from bulk sack (usually from lhbs, but now from group buy). Milled as needed at lhbs

Specialty from lhbs. Milled as needed. Purchase by fractional lb x $/lb.

Yeast from lhbs. harvest from atarters, and have started a yeast bank and swapping with nearby homebrewers so I probably won't buy any yeast again for a long time.

Hops from online. Lhbs simply cannot compete with pricing.

Equipment from lhbs, or AiH if it's a big ticket item like kegs.

My local more beer shop actually told me it was cool and I am nowhere near buying bulk or a mill

Bobby_M said:

I'm sure customers love the idea but I wonder what the actual bulk price is. We run a very thin margin on a full sack. It's 33% cheaper than by the pound. Being that thin of a margin, you take the bag away with you and we never see it again or have to pay a kid to sweep up the grain dust in the mill area spread out over the course of 4 months. If a shop is willing to reserve a sack for bulk prices and continue to dole it out over perhaps 5 visits at pricing similar to ours, it's at a loss on the grain. Of course it assumes that with each visit you'll be buying hops, yeast, and just maybe a Blichmann pot.

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I was thinking the same thing. As a customer, the LHBS will never tell this information, but if a fellow owner asked, I will bet it would have mixed emotions about it.

Most stores and shops look for ways to entice customers to visit more, because visits often turn into buys. I would think most owners would think of a mill in that way.

Last time I was at my LHBS, I had to wait for a brewer from a local brewpub to grind a bucket of grain he brought over! Now I'm sure they pay him in beer, being next door! Maybe that would be nice to do if your using the mill, just drop a homebrew bottle or 2 by for the owner!

+1 to whatever the smartest response was/is/will be.

BBBF said:

You can buy a corona mill with what you're saving by buying in bulk. That is the route I'd recomend. I understand your logic, but I think it is also logical to assume you buy in bulk to keep and mill the grain at home. You could ask them and if you are also picking up hops, yeast and misc. other grains, they might be alright with it. It doesn't hurt to ask, but if you are honestly brewing enough to buy in bulk than you should also own your own mill.

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kombat said:

If you've reached the stage in brewing where you're buying bulk grain, then you've reached the stage where it's time to buy your own mill.

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What these guys said.

With what you'll save buying in bulk, buy your own mill. A) your crush will better, more controllable, and more consistent. B) grains crushed IMMEDIATELY prior to brewing C) no having to lug grain back and forth.

I save 30-40%, neighborhood of $40 per sack, buying in bulk. One sack, and you've almost saved enough for a corona mill (not ideal, but it works). Three sacks and you've saved enough to buy a very nice mill.

As far as I'm concerned, there is absolutely zero excuse for an all-grain brewer at all, let alone an all-grain brewer buying base malt in bulk sacks, to not be milling their own grain.

My LHBS would have no issue with it. I'm on a first name basis with all of them. I don't buy grain anywhere else. I would always ask first though. The grains, scale and grain mill there are "help yourself" anyway.

For me, a grain mill is an unnecessary expense. I pick up my recipe a day or two before brewing, mill it at the LHBS, go home and make my starter. Worst case, I've brewed a week after picking up the grains.

I wouldn't do it. There's a reason they sell bags cheaper, it's not because they can purchase more efficiently due to that.

Qhrumphf said:

As far as I'm concerned, there is absolutely zero excuse for an all-grain brewer at all, let alone an all-grain brewer buying base malt in bulk sacks, to not be milling their own grain.

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could not agree more with this point.

It's entirely to your benefit as a brewer to have total control over the crush.

One of the biggest all-grain variables one cam eliminate.

Mill your own.

Now I would love to buy a mill, but I've moved three times in two years. All have been to decreasingly smaller sqft. We will be moving again in about 8 months once our sublease expires. Where? No idea.

Once I have a dedicated brewing location and actually have some room to put a mill in, I'll be buying one for sure. Until then I doubt that will change. My 6-8 gallon fermenters, heat sticks, propane burners, 9 gal brew kettle are all in storage back home. we just don't have the room to spare for all our stuff.

A mill takes up the space of 1 size 12 shoe. The hopper is bigger, it's about 4 shoes.

It's entirely understandable that hese kind of space issues should be in play. BUT tasty beer is tasty. Budget be dammmned.

Gavin C said:

A mill takes up the space of 1 size 12 shoe. The hopper is bigger, it's about 4 shoes.

It's entirely understandable that hese kind of space issues should be in play. BUT tasty beer is tasty. Budget be dammmned.

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That's significantly smaller than i thought. Might "need" to get one then. Sure would be way more convenient to order grains online rather than heading up town 30-60 minutes to buy some specialty grains and mill(traffic times swing the commute hard)

I've been doing it 5-6 recipes in advance atm so I don't go there super often but still would be nice.

I'll have to recheck the lease agreement, as this might fall under the provision of power tools, freaking contracts... Normally I wouldn't care but she comes into the apartment sometimes to do maintenance while we're not there and she works for the univ. the gf is getting her masters at.

homebrewers over think everything, just ask, it's not that big of a deal. As a data point, I asked this question at my homebrewshop, they didn't give to sh1ts either way.

pricelessbrewing said:

That's significantly smaller than i thought. Might "need" to get one then. Sure would be way more convenient to order grains online rather than heading up town 30-60 minutes to buy some specialty grains and mill(traffic times swing the commute hard)

I've been doing it 5-6 recipes in advance atm so I don't go there super often but still would be nice.

I'll have to recheck the lease agreement, as this might fall under the provision of power tools, freaking contracts... Normally I wouldn't care but she comes into the apartment sometimes to do maintenance while we're not there and she works for the univ. the gf is getting her masters at.

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You bake bread

You enjoy multigrain bread

You enjoy wholegrain bread

You purchase your own grains for said task

Feck off landlord. You don't dictate my fibre intake.

Feck off landlord cent

di I sayfeck off yet, ya cent

dos cent


i would respectfully reiterate you grow a mathematical pair. nut up.

Gavin C said:

You bake bread

You enjoy multigrain bread

You enjoy wholegrain bread

You purchase your own grains for said task

Feck off landlord. You don't dictate my fibre intake.

Feck off landlord cent

di I sayfeck off yet, ya cent

dos cent


i would respectfully reiterate you grow a mathematical pair. nut up.

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Thanks for the chuckle Gavin.

pricelessbrewing said:

Thanks for the chuckle Gavin.

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No worries priceless.

Happy thanksgiving