aeonderdonk
Well-Known Member
I've heard of people buying bulk grain/hops/yeast from their local breweries? What are your stories? How did you approach the brewery? Costs? Etc...
First place I checked here said they get grain delivered to a silo, once sold it to a homebrewing friend and found it had bugs in it within 2 months. Not sure if that is a product of the silo or the storage by the friend.
Here in Bozeman MT, Madison River Brewing Company (Madison River Brewing Company, Trading Post) sells grains, hops, and bottles. $0.60/lb of 2-row, $1.25/lb specialty, 2.00/oz hops.
$2 an ounce for hops? That seems awful high.
You can go to Hops Direct and get them for $1 an ounce... there is no one that can beat that. Get a group buy together and you can get them for about $1 an ounce SHIPPED!
HB stores are about the worst places to buy hops, go to the farms like Puterbaugh (Hops Direct) and you will do alright.
I bought 50 pounds there about $950 shipped... that is under $1.20 shipped.
As an employee of a homebrew store, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. I've bought from Puterbaugh, they're real good, but most homebrewers don't buy or need a pound of hops at a time. Sure, there are lots of bad homebrewing shops, but there are also lots of good ones.
I completely understand that those who own or work in a HBS would want to protect the interests of that business, but I'd rather pay $14 for a pound for hops, use 6oz and give the rest away than to buy 6oz at $3 an ounce.
but most homebrewers don't buy or need a pound of hops at a time.
So? When I can buy a pound of Willamette for $6.99 at HopsDirect, or $3.99 an oz at the HBS, I'm buying the pound, whether or not I need it.
Heck, I will start selling TO my LHBS
She claimed the prices I got them for was far less than she could buy them for from her supplier.
As an employee of a homebrew store, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. I've bought from Puterbaugh, they're real good, but most homebrewers don't buy or need a pound of hops at a time. Sure, there are lots of bad homebrewing shops, but there are also lots of good ones.
Funny you should mention that. I was buying some specialty grains and yeast at my LHBS last night, and she asked if I needed any hops. I told her that I was fine, the prices online were just far too good to pass up. She claimed the prices I got them for was far less than she could buy them for from her supplier.
I had a similar conversation with the owner of my LHBS. He asked if I needed hops and I explained that I had just ordered several pounds from hops direct for between $7 and $13/lb. He said he couldn't get those prices either. But he went on to explain that most of his customers buy by the ounce and he would have to vacuum seal them up himself to re-sell them. Apparently he didn't think it was worth his time and/or the hassle. And I suppose if he was selling one pound bags of hops for, say, $16 a lb, and then also selling one ounce packages for $3/oz, many of his customers might "wake-up" to the fact that they are getting hosed.
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