Bulk Grain Places near Maryland

I'm looking around for a group purchase, but don't know where to go.

I did look at North Country Malts, and they are in way upstate New York. Any other bulk places closer to Maryland? Or just any other places on the east coast?

Anyone know how to get Cargill malts to sell to homebrewers?

jezter6 said:

I'm looking around for a group purchase, but don't know where to go.

I did look at North Country Malts, and they are in way upstate New York. Any other bulk places closer to Maryland? Or just any other places on the east coast?

Anyone know how to get Cargill malts to sell to homebrewers?

Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure but you might want to check with Flying Barrel in Fredrick Md, (www.flyingbarrel.com). I know they carry some bulk grains but not if they do group purchases

I'm up near Harrisburg myself. I used North Count Malts for two bags, and even with the shipping for two bags, it was cheaper than buying small quantities locally (and my LHBS has living creatures in their grains).

Our club does group buys through North Country/Mid Country and the shipping on a full pallet isn't bad at all. Less than $5 a bag. I picked up a bag of german wheat malt for $38. The LHBS wanted $70. Since you are closer in Maryland, I'm guessing it would be a little less. Plus they will through any small items like chemicals and hops on top of the pallet saving you even more.

Call MDHB in Columbia. I'm sure they'll sell you a few bags and their prices seem to be pretty good.

****, if I had a mill I'd get some grain with you guys

adx said:

Call MDHB in Columbia. I'm sure they'll sell you a few bags and their prices seem to be pretty good.

Click to expand...

MDHB will order/sell you in bulk at a reduced rate. I asked them a while ago, just to feel out crushing my own grain. Unfortunately I can't remember what the price was.

Don't be afraid to ask, they are very friendly. If you call on a weekday, ask for Chris or Thad.

Every local homebrew shop I've dealt with has been more than happy to order bulk grains. Chances are, yours would be too. I'm not sure how much of a reduced rate I got. I think I paid $55 for a sack of Dingemans Pilsner malt. It was well under the rate per 1 lb bag, so I was happy.

adx said:

Call MDHB in Columbia. I'm sure they'll sell you a few bags and their prices seem to be pretty good.

Click to expand...

Thats where I buy mine. 55# bags are about $50

EDIT, wrong thread

I'm not sure if anything here answered the OP's question though and if my interpretation is correct, I'd like to know the answer.

I think the OP is trying to set up a bulk order directly from a Maltster. Most LHBS will sell grain by the sack but I think he wants to have several people go in on a pallet of grain.

EdWort organizes these kind of buys in his area and gets grain for under a dollar a pound but he knows which Maltster is able to deliver to his drop point.

Kevin Dean said:

I'm not sure if anything here answered the OP's question though and if my interpretation is correct, I'd like to know the answer.

I think the OP is trying to set up a bulk order directly from a Maltster. Most LHBS will sell grain by the sack but I think he wants to have several people go in on a pallet of grain.

EdWort organizes these kind of buys in his area and gets grain for under a dollar a pound but he knows which Maltster is able to deliver to his drop point.

Click to expand...

I think if all of us MD'ers got together we could get a pretty good deal....MDHB might be the central location for all of us to meet in The City of Circles...aka, Columbia

I checked North Country out, and they'll deliver for $135/pallet to Maryland. $33/37 per 55# bag. At 42 bags per pallet, shipping would be just over $3 per bag.

So that would be about $0.70/lb shipped.

Just need a place that can handle a pallet delivered.

jezter6 said:

I checked North Country out, and they'll deliver for $135/pallet to Maryland. $33/37 per 55# bag. At 42 bags per pallet, shipping would be just over $3 per bag.

So that would be about $0.70/lb shipped.

Just need a place that can handle a pallet delivered.

Click to expand...

so wait, it's $135 to ship said pallet of grain?

98EXL said:

so wait, it's $135 to ship said pallet of grain?

Click to expand...

I read that to be $135 shipping plus $33-37 per sack.

42 bags of grain x $33 per bag = $1,386

$1,386 for grain + $135 for shipping = $1,521

$1,521 to have a pallet of grain dropped off / 42 sacks of grain = $36.22 per #55

$36.22 for a sack / 55 pounds = $0.66 per pound.

next question is what to get.....guess it's time to figure out what the house beer will be

Does it all have to be the same grain? What are the options?

shaggymatt said:

I'm up near Harrisburg myself. I used North Count Malts for two bags, and even with the shipping for two bags, it was cheaper than buying small quantities locally (and my LHBS has living creatures in their grains).

Click to expand...

Harrisburg, MD? Or Harrisburg, PA?

Just curious...

Pretty much anything is available, however buying a 55# sack of chocolate means you're making a LOT of dark ass beers.

Now, I'd be willing to work with people and split up some 55's into 5 or 10 pounders to split up some specialty.

jezter6 said:

Pretty much anything is available, however buying a 55# sack of chocolate means you're making a LOT of dark ass beers.

Click to expand...

My experience buying grain is limited to the bins of my LHBS and the drop down menus of Austin Home Brew. I wasn't sure if North Country (Just to confirm - is this their website http://www.countrymaltgroup.com/ ?) handled British grains - I like MO as my base.

If this actually IS their site then this is looking QUITE nice right now.

*bump*

So, just for Shnitzenzengiggles, is this something that we could realistically do? I don't have a grain mill but I'm really hoping to have one by January.

If we worked it out right we could also get some specialty stuff and divide it up so one of us isn't sitting on 55# of black patent.

I'm also not sure, but I wonder if certain LHBS might not be willing to 'add on' here. I know Flying Barrel doesn't seem to have too much storage to stock grains so I'm not sure if they're essentially paying full shipping on half a pallet of grain - it might be cheaper for them to do a week's order at our prices but that could be off.

1) Yes, the website you listed is correct.

2) LHBS buy from these suppliers - on pallets anyways. Why wouldn't they already be getting this same (or better) deal?

3) The deal is based on a flat shipping, no matter how much you buy up to 2300lbs, so we can order as much or as little as we want, shipping (per pound) increases, but the total bill is the same.

4) The whole price break is multiple people can get cheap grain close by at cheap (relative) shipping. I'm not trying to dis-invite you or anything, but I'm concerned that the amount of gas you would spend in picking up grains would probably not save you much unless you bought about half the pallet. It's up to you, though.

5) Yes, we can do it. A number of group buys have happened around the boards. I just need some place near one of us that they can drop off a pallet (IE - with a dock - not your house). The rest I can take home and split up as needed and we can plan a big meetup day where everyone comes and picks up grain.

jezter6 said:

2) LHBS buy from these suppliers - on pallets anyways. Why wouldn't they already be getting this same (or better) deal?

Click to expand...

The concern isn't so much that they aren't getting the deal. The concern is that, by not having enough storage to accept, say, a full pallet, they're paying more per bag than they would if they ordered, say half a pallet from the buy. I hope that makes sense.

If they're saving more because of, say, a contract to purchase X amount in a year then yeah, not only would they not be thrilled to do this but might actually cause them to lose business. I'm not sure about what my LHBS is paying to get a sack of grain on the floor so...

jezter6 said:

3) The deal is based on a flat shipping, no matter how much you buy up to 2300lbs, so we can order as much or as little as we want, shipping (per pound) increases, but the total bill is the same.

4) The whole price break is multiple people can get cheap grain close by at cheap (relative) shipping. I'm not trying to dis-invite you or anything, but I'm concerned that the amount of gas you would spend in picking up grains would probably not save you much unless you bought about half the pallet. It's up to you, though.

Click to expand...

I commute 110 miles a day to drop my wife off at work, get to work and reverse that. I can do this trip for under $22 and Columbia (for example) is only 82 miles from Frederick. If the group filled out an ENTIRE pallet I'd just about break even if I bought 1 sack. My LHBS is currently at $65 for a #55 sack of Maris Otter. Assuming I could get TWO sacks at $45 each, it would be a savings. I'd probably get 4 sacks.

shweet. I'll work on something for the new year.

Perhaps coordinating with 98EXL to do the Maryland Brew Day 2008 and this might kill two birds with one stone.

I'm not sure what I'll be able to do until January, obviously and I'm sure most people here don't either but I'm certainly interested in doing this unless something dramatic changes (like sacks go BACK down at Flying Barrel. )