Purchasing All Grain Ingredients

Making the jump from extract and PMs to AG for my next brew! In the past, I would always buy kits from my LHBS for whatever it was I was going to brew next and never had any kind of inventory.

In moving to AG and starting to use brewing software, it seems I'd be better off always having certain things on hand. I'm picturing... hops in the freezer, big bags of grain, DME (for starters and to bump up OG if needed), Irish Moss, etc.

What do you AG brewers typically keep on hand?

Well I live pretty close to my LHBS so i don't keep tons of stuff on hand but one thing I will say is that I always have a yeast starter on hand. Having a healthy yeast culture on hand is something I always strive for.

That being said I do keep a 50lb bag of 2-row on hand.

I also live near my lhbs, but have stocked up on grain and hops since bulk=discount. I have a bin for both bulk marris otter and us 2-row, and a freezer full of hops.

i have 3 airtight bins for keeping my base grains fresh, pilsener, 2row and marris otter. each bin is large enought o hold 55# of grain. i also generally keep an assortment of specialty grains on hand, basically a pound or so of most available. if i use a lot of it i increase the amount i keep on hand, vienna and munich and wheat being the 3 that qualify for this and those are generally 10-20# each.

I am also considering buying some bulk items for my jump to AG. For those that buy hops in bulk, how do you store them? I am considering buying a few pounds from HopsDirect but I am worried about spoilage. I have a deep freeze unit in my garage so I can keep things cold and I brew maybe once a month. Do you break up the hops into 1 oz. packs or keep them all in one container? Do you vacuum seal the packs?

well the first time i bought bulk hops i just resealed the bag as tight as possible after each use. i dont think there was any diff between the first and last of them but is was only like 2 mo also.

I used to keep my hops in a freezer. Plastic PET screw top container. And just vent some CO2 from my quick connect into the top of the jar before sealing to displace the air.

Unfortunately...Life gets in the way of brewing...so I now just buy the ingredients for the batch I'm making. I've thrown away a lot of bulk hops and grains...because I just didn't get to them in time.

The stuff you need for stock...would be stuff like Lactic Acid, Epsom Salt, Gypsum, Baking soda for making water adjustments. Some PH papers for testing your mash...(if you're not getting good efficiency) Iodophor for sanitizing and testing the mash for conversion completeness. Whirlfloc is nice to have on hand. Everything else is just equipment that you use.

I go in with a recipe...and my LHBS measures out each malt...and adds it to my little white bucket. I then get a slap pack of yeast...and some hop pellets in 1 oz packets...and off I go. Nothing gets wasted.

If you find your life allows it...then by all means...keep those things you use over and over again on hand. 50 lb bag of pale malt divided into 2 gallon zip lock bags. Buy your favorite hop pellets by the pound. Keep some DME on hand for starters, if you're building up for a nice lager...or culturing your own yeast. Pail of priming sugar. Rice hulls if your using a lot of flaked barley or oats...to prevent a stuck mash. It's really up to the recipes that you use the most.

I always bottle some of the wort before pitching yeast in a bottle...fill it to the top and put a crown cap on it. Keep it in the fridge for making yeast starters later on.

It's pretty simple, buying grain and hops in bulk saves money. If you buy grain in bulk, just have an airtight container to hold it, and you'll be fine. As far as the hops go, I buy em by the pound then turn around and repackage them with my vacuum packer in 1 and 2 ounce packages.

cheers

~r~

I have a 5lb bag of DME that I bought for starters. It is still unopened, but it is useful for emergencies. For starters I calculate a bigger batch and hold back a couple of litres of wort and freeze it for future starters.

Countrymaltgroup.com i paid $44 for 55lbs CMC 2 row and 5lbs of Munich....Buy in bulk and put it in bins.........It is nice to support your local LHBS but buying grains i would buy from these guys your LHBS is going to charge upwards of $2.00 a pound

I have these as staples:

• Bag of 2 row
• dry packet of yeast (Safeale 04, 05, windsor, Notty, Munich)
• Spray bottle of star san and distilled water for emergency sanitation
• extra hydrometer (I always break the damn things)

Outside of these items, I go by the recipe. I always have some remnant hops, because I only buy them 1 oz quantity and use .7 oz or 1.2 or some other partial amount. Sometimes they come in handy.