Bulk Grain Buying Tips

[EdWort]

I go through an online store, why? Because I cannot use a pallet of grain and there is simply no way to organize a bulk buy here in Indy. My LHBS is deplorable when it comes to pricing, I have never approached a craft brewer here about buying with them.

You would be surprised how easy it would be to organize a bulk buy in Indy. There are folks here who would partake and other brew boards, plus a notice in Craigslist would add.

The thing is you need folks to step up and buy 4 bags to make it worth the effort. Onesie Twosies mean you have loads of people and lots of headaches. With a 4 bag minimum, you have 10 folks max as there will be people who will take more than 4 in most cases.

I have solved the money issue with North Country Malt. I provided a list of all the buyers with their credit card billing address and the amount of their share of the order. Each buyer then calld NCM with their CC number and was charged that specific amount. I did cover a few people I know personally because they were out of town and could not call NCM in time to get our pallets shipped out.

The biggest issue is delivery for most, but that is solved by having it delivered to a terminal. You then pick it up and have them forklift the pallet on to a trailer or the bed of a HD pickup truck. Then you are off to you distribution site and pass out the grain.

 

[bluehouse]

Ed, how often do you organize one? I missed the oportunity last time, I am in San Antonio so if you are organizing another one give us a heads up ahead of time. Hopefully my brew space will be completed and I can take advantage of the opportunity if you need another person on your list.

 

[TexLaw]

I'd love to see the details in a post, but I don't think it needs to be a sticky. Maybe, you can put a link to the post in one of the existing stickies, or put the info in the Wiki. While it is some great information, it doesn't come up very often. Even in a community this size, there would only be a handful that would organize a group buy.

I look forward to seeing what goes into it!


TL

 

[Bobby_M]

Ultimately organizing group buys is a huge pain in the ass and there's always a couple people who want in and act like they are doing YOU a favor.

 

[Jaybird]

I am doing one right now. Order will probably go in Mon or Tue. It's not a PITA if you have everybody pay up front and have everybody at the drop off site to pick up grain. This is my second that I have put together. The first from the supplier though, and I see this going very well. There is only 4 or 5 of us in on the buy though.

 

[hcarter]

I would love to do a group buy in Ohio, but, just like BBQ I feel as if I am alone in the brewing. It just never seems to work out.

 

[Bobby_M]

I am doing one right now. Order will probably go in Mon or Tue. It's not a PITA if you have everybody pay up front and have everybody at the drop off site to pick up grain. This is my second that I have put together. The first from the supplier though, and I see this going very well. There is only 4 or 5 of us in on the buy though.

This plays into what Ed said about not letting people line up for just ONE sack. It adds too much administration with very little gained in getting the pallet filled.

 

[kcstrom]

If not a sticky, or perhaps in addition to it, the wiki seems like a good idea. It can be more easily searched and organized than a thread.

kcstrom

 

[Jaybird]

This plays into what Ed said about not letting people line up for just ONE sack. It adds too much administration with very little gained in getting the pallet filled.

Oh ya I totally agree. 3 or 4 is a minimum

 

[EdWort]

If not a sticky, or perhaps in addition to it, the wiki seems like a good idea. It can be more easily searched and organized than a thread.

kcstrom

Works for me. I'll type up notes as to the process and suggestions for making it go smoothly.

It's not for everyone, but folks who do brew lots of all grain beer. I find that I go through 1/2 a bag of base malt for a 15 gallon batch.

 

[The Pol]

I go through about 110 - 150 pounds per YEAR total... I guess a bulk grab is not in the cards for me, ever.
How the hell do yall drink all this beer? Really?

 

[nosmatt]

Ultimately organizing group buys is a huge pain in the ass and there's always a couple people who want in and act like they are doing YOU a favor.

WORD!


yep.

not for brwein, but i have organized, and these guys think their 2% entitles them to all kinds of ****...


anyway, not to discourage..... if you have the petience, goferit!!!!



me, i dont.


i can but a sack of 2 row for 50 bucks a 55lb sack. not the deal you get in a group buy, but i cannot foot the bill for dead beats who dont have the cash "right now"...



anyway, i think group buys are GREAT for the guy who gets in on it, but did not coordinate it! no work, only benifit! WOOT!


be careful guys! i have done many group purchases on mustang suff ( all hte way to 5k turbo kits!!) and i always ended up short, and financing **** for deadbeats.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

I go through about 110 - 150 pounds per YEAR total... I guess a bulk grab is not in the cards for me, ever.
How the hell do yall drink all this beer? Really?

A pint a night, plus a night cap, plus SWMBO's pint is about 1100 pints a year, or 22 - 5 gal batches which at ~10lbs a grain for a middle of the road beer puts you at 4 sacks of grain a year.

Now add in weekends, friends, the occasional breakfast beer, perhaps a lunch... Oh and "smoke" breaks, can't forget about those....

I ordered 8 bags last year, and still have a little left over, so I went with 7 this year. The bulk buy is GREAT for brewers like me, because I have all my hops and grains right here already and on that odd Monday morning when I do not get called in to clinics I can pull out my stuff, brew a batch, and be good for school in the afternoon!

 

[The Pol]

Ahh, SWMBO doesnt drink... and yall are home about 3x as often as I am. I suppose that is why.

 

[flyangler18]

I go through about 110 - 150 pounds per YEAR total... I guess a bulk grab is not in the cards for me, ever.
How the hell do yall drink all this beer? Really?

Between the quick turn-around, easy drinking session beers and the LONG aging big beers, I have a backlog of kegs. I have 3 kegs that I won't even think about hooking up to the gas for at least another 3 months.

Doubling up on common quaffers and doing larger batches is a good way to rip through some base malt quickly.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I go through about 110 - 150 pounds per YEAR total... I guess a bulk grab is not in the cards for me, ever.
How the hell do yall drink all this beer? Really?

I don't drink enough by myself to make it worth it, and my SWMBO doesn't drink either. But I brew regularly w/ friends and we always split what we brew, so we just bought the grain & hops together. We have our own little brewers co-op going.

Get some friends to go in on an order w/ you and you're set.

 

[AnOldUR]

Get some friends to go in on an order w/ you and you're set.

Cyber-friends don't count?

 

[The Pol]

I don't drink enough by myself to make it worth it, and my SWMBO doesn't drink either. But I brew regularly w/ friends and we always split what we brew, so we just bought the grain & hops together. We have our own little brewers co-op going.

Get some friends to go in on an order w/ you and you're set.

I dont really like brewing with other people (dont know any other AG brewers in Indy to begin with anymore). But I find that brewing with other people turns into a tutorial and ends up eating up a lot of time and saps some of the fun out of it. Not to mention nearly every time I have had people coming over to brew, they either never show, or get here about the time I am chilling the wort... very unreliable.

I literally dont know a single all grain brewer in the Indy area anymore (he moved to Hawaii), and if it takes 4 sacks min. to make a group buy work, I am about 100 pounds of grain off that mark, oh and about 10 buyers.

This is not an issue this year, as I got a good deal at an online HBS and I am set for 2009 grain and hops, but in the future it would be great to buy some Pale and MO for a buck or less per pound.

I have several kegs that have been waiting for about 5-6 months, I have larger beers that are just resting, but they are still there... three kegs is about 6 months of consumption around here.

 

[Yunus]

Here is the spreadsheet I made for Bulk Grain buys. It allows for things like surcharges on split bags, takes into account shipping costs dynamically so its always correct for what the order is so far, no guessing in how much shipping will actually be per bag. Plus its a google doc so everyone can view it online. This is a heavily modified version of one that the Maryland grain buy used and we got it from the Atlanta group.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pyWxRY-_0ZLAVutjVoOlYDg

Instructions can be found in this post

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/bulk-grain-buy-spreadsheet-100026/

 

[Baja_Brewer]

I'd love some extra info on a bulk buy. I know that people have organized them in Toronto and in other places around here, but North Country Malt would work while I was home in VT

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I dont really like brewing with other people (dont know any other AG brewers in Indy to begin with anymore). But I find that brewing with other people turns into a tutorial and ends up eating up a lot of time and saps some of the fun out of it. Not to mention nearly every time I have had people coming over to brew, they either never show, or get here about the time I am chilling the wort... very unreliable.

I literally dont know a single all grain brewer in the Indy area anymore (he moved to Hawaii), and if it takes 4 sacks min. to make a group buy work, I am about 100 pounds of grain off that mark, oh and about 10 buyers.

This is not an issue this year, as I got a good deal at an online HBS and I am set for 2009 grain and hops, but in the future it would be great to buy some Pale and MO for a buck or less per pound.

I have several kegs that have been waiting for about 5-6 months, I have larger beers that are just resting, but they are still there... three kegs is about 6 months of consumption around here.

No brew buddies? That's too bad. I think it's great brewing w/ friends. I think it's probably better when they're your friends first, then you get them to brew w/ you. It's easier to put up w/ your friends itchues, ya know.

 

[EdWort]

I go through about 110 - 150 pounds per YEAR total... I guess a bulk grab is not in the cards for me, ever.
How the hell do yall drink all this beer? Really?

Yeah, I brewed up a big blonde beer with two year old malt. It turned out pretty tasty, so time is not a big factor if your malt is stored properly. Mine was in sealed bag inside an aluminum trashcan in my garage. Dry, but not cool year round. No weevils.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Ahh, SWMBO doesnt drink... and yall are home about 3x as often as I am. I suppose that is why.

If you were closer I'd help you drink it no doubt.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Yeah, I brewed up a big blonde beer with two year old malt. It turned out pretty tasty, so time is not a big factor if your malt is stored properly. Mine was in sealed bag inside an aluminum trashcan in my garage. Dry, but not cool year round. No weevils.

That was a fantastic blonde and I must say it was completely flawless. :rockin:

Thanks to your beer I won't worry much about storing my grains in the garage now, but I am going to make sure I get airtight containers for storage.