Cheapest brewing ingredients in Toronto, Ontario?

[coolmug]

Hey just wonder if any fellow canucks or (anyone else for that matter!) knows of the best and cheapest brew ingredients here in Toronto? I'm thinking something that works out to about 50 cents a pint (with tax), for a 5 gallon kit.

Much appreciated!

 

[brew_darrymore]

I live in Toronto and I shop from ontariobeerkegs.com and torontobrewing.ca

You can save on shipping costs if you physically go to torontobrewing.ca store near Downsview.

With yeast, Starsan, hops and grain included, my cost is around 60c a pint. I can probably bring it down by reusing yeast.

 

[coolmug]

I live in Toronto and I shop from ontariobeerkegs.com and torontobrewing.ca

You can save on shipping costs if you physically go to torontobrewing.ca store near Downsview.

With yeast, Starsan, hops and grain included, my cost is around 60c a pint. I can probably bring it down by reusing yeast.

Sweet man. Do you buy in bulk or a kit?

Cheers

 

[brew_darrymore]

Sweet man. Do you buy in bulk or a kit?

Cheers

I don't have the space, so I plan in advance and buy enough grains for 2-3 batches. I buy hops in bulk in 1lb packs and store them in the freezer. Buying hops in bulk saves a lot.

Are you using extract at all? Extract is expensive, so going all-grain is the way to go.

 

[coolmug]

I don't have the space, so I plan in advance and buy enough grains for 2-3 batches. I buy hops in bulk in 1lb packs and store them in the freezer. Buying hops in bulk saves a lot.

Are you using extract at all? Extract is expensive, so going all-grain is the way to go.

Good to know. I haven't used extract before. I used to buy wort in a bag, and then I did my first grain brew, but for a 1 gallon batch it took up my biggest pot. How do people brew grain efficiently for 5 gallons?

 

[plan_ahea]

FYI - if you're ordering from OBK, be aware that ordering a kit usually costs more than ordering each of the ingredients in the kit individually.

I recently jumped to all-grain BIAB. I buy my base grains in bulk from my LHBS (Edmonton, $50/55 lbs 2-row) and get everything else from OBK, buying enough for 5-6 recipes at a time to reduce shipping costs. Depending on the recipe, my costs are down to ~$20/5 gallon batch, or about $0.50/quart.

 

[coolmug]

FYI - if you're ordering from OBK, be aware that ordering a kit usually costs more than ordering each of the ingredients in the kit individually.

I recently jumped to all-grain BIAB. I buy my base grains in bulk from my LHBS (Edmonton, $50/55 lbs 2-row) and get everything else from OBK, buying enough for 5-6 recipes at a time to reduce shipping costs. Depending on the recipe, my costs are down to ~$20/5 gallon batch, or about $0.50/quart.

Cool thanks. Do you brew BIAB for convenience? I'm assuming you're buying yeast and hops from OBK right?

 

[pwnshop]

If you live downtown I 100% recommend noble hop on dundas and dufferin. The owner is the nicest guy ever and while its a small store he has great stock for basically everything. Torontobrewing is a cool place but getting out to downsview is a pain in the ass if you live downtown and TTC like I do.
I think if you go to noble hop and talk to Dave the owner you will have a good experience. They also have bottle swaps and stuff apparently though I have never been to one.

 

[plan_ahea]

Do you brew BIAB for convenience?

I brew BIAB for a number of reasons:

• I live in a small apartment and don't have room for a traditional 3-vessel system
• It's the cheapest way to get into AG brewing; it required no additional equipment except a grain bag
• IMO, it's also the simplest way to start brewing all-grain
• Brew days stay under 4 hours
• Efficiency is between 75-85%

If it's something you're interested in, check out biab-brewing.com for custom-made bags fit to your kettle. They're well made and the cheapest a Canadian can get for a custom bag.

I'm assuming you're buying yeast and hops from OBK right?

Yep. I use dry yeast since it keeps for months without losing significant viability. I haven't jumped into buying bulk hops yet since every batch I brew is a very different style with very different hops.