Grain question

[GeorgiaTiger]

as someone who usually does extract beers but now have a Robobrew, I’m ready for all grain and brewing real beer. Lol. Anyway, my questions are -
1. Where do you buy your grains? If online, can you tell me where/
2. Are there certain ones that are staples that you always have on hand? Should I buy just what I need or in bulk?

So much stuff to learn...I appreciate you guys and your help.

 

[Jag75]

Do you have a mill? How much do you brew ? If it's quite a bit I'd get a mill and buy bulk . As for myself I like using my LHBS . I brew all kinds of different stuff and dont have space for grain in bulk. So I go in he mills the grain I want and we sit and share beer sometimes .

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

You likely have a LHBS in or near your city. You still have the option of getting kits which for grain should be a little less expensive than extract. Should you decide to stock grain the majority of a recipe is “base malt” 2 row, Pilsner etc. buckets with gamma lids or Vittle vault pet food bins are great for storage.

 

[sicktght311]

I was buying at my LHBS for the first few months of All Grain brewing, and having them mill it there. They closed up shop so i ended up buying my own Cereal Killer grain mill, and now i buy 10lb bags of grain from Morebeer and take advantage of their free shipping over $59. I buy around 40-50lbs at a time of 2-row and store it in a vittles vault container, and i've been milling my own grain since

 

[Pappers_]

What I do:

Buy three base malts by the 50 lb bag - Pilsner, Munich and Pale - via my homebrew club's group buy
Order specialty grains from a close-by online homebrew store, in my case, that's Farmhouse Brewing Supply, in one to five pound increments, and try to keep what I mostly use on hand. That is a variety of caramel malts,aromatic, biscuit, melanoidan, roast, chocolate, and Black Prinz. Flaked barley or oats.

What you could do, until you get a good feel for how much you're going to brew, etc. is to order what you need for each batch separately, either milled or not if you have your own mill, from a close-by online homebrew store.

 

[bgmac]

You could buy bulk but then you have to worry about storage, grain weevils, moisture, temperature etc... Best to keep malted grain 50-70F. Lower end is better. If it gets warm and exposed, the weevil larvae can and will start hatching. They can reduce your grain pretty quick if left un-checked, and the gross factor. I leave it to the Brew Supply Stores to worry about that.

I buy just what I need for each batch crushed and have it delivered within a few days of Brew day. Have been using Atlantic Brew Supply out of Raleigh NC for over a year. Very quick turnaround on the order and $8 flat rate shipping. Some of the best by the pound prices online IMO. They also have a double crush option if you BIAB and are looking for a small crush. No extra charge for crush or double crush. Grain comes in a large thick plastic bag twisted and wire tied closed. I usually double bag it once I get it to keep it fresher if its going to be more then a day or so before I use it. Wont go more then about 5 days at the longest. Never had an issue with freshness.

 

[kh54s10]

If you brew enough I suggest stocking a sack of two row at least. Of course this requires that you have a mill. I take a recipe that I want to brew and buy at least twice what I need and store the rest. I use buckets with Gamma Lids for base grains. I buy those at the LHBS. Shipping is usually a killer for online ordering. Though with some sites you can get flat rate shipping by buying multiple 10 pound bags.

I use different sized lock and lock style food storage boxes for the smaller amounts.

I like having a good supply of grain on hand, then I can brew on the spur of the moment. Or I can change my mind on style at the last minute.

I have never had any weevils that I have noticed. I keep my grains in my garage that gets well over 90 degrees in the summer. I am sure that cooler would be better but I still get good results.

For 10 pounds or less I like Farmhouse Brewing Supply. I also love their 4 ounce hop packs. I usually need more than an ounce of a particular hop and I store those, vacuum bagged in the freezer. I keep a selection for the same reason that I keep a selection of grain. The 4 ounce bags keep you from having dozens of 1 ounce packs to fish through when putting your recipe together. I bought some pounds, but they get quite old before I use them all.

 

[mashpaddled]

Depends a lot on what you intend to brew and how quickly. If you brew beers with grain bills all over the map it might not make sense to buy anything in bulk. OTOH if you tend to use the same one or two base malts you probably want to look at buying those in bulk at some point and then buy specialty grains as needed or at least in smaller quantities.

As a new all grain brewer I would suggest buying as you brew for a while so you can experiment with different grains and different brands. Just the difference between pale malt across brands and regions can be significant and you should take the time to experiment and learn what you like not just what you can buy in bulk the easiest.

 

[kevin58]

When I first started brewing all grain I went a little overboard in stocking up on specialty grains. My shelves looked like a homebrew supply store. It didn't take long to realize I wasn't going to be able to use it all up before it went stale. I wasted a lot of money and good malts that way.

Now the only thing I buy in bulk and keep on hand is base malt. I buy 2 row in 50 pound sacks and on occasion a sack of Maris Otter. I am blessed to have a very good local store with owners who are willing and happy to help out their customers so everything else I need I buy from them as needed. They will weigh out anything I need for a recipe even if its just 2 ounces of something.

There is no shortage of online homebrew suppliers you can order from. Northern Brewer and Morebeer are two that are well known. I hear good things about Atlantic Brew Supply and Adventures in Homebrewing and my local store, Hop Craft Supply.

 

[kh54s10]

Take care to seal your grains and they will last years. I am somewhat careful that I don't go overboard, but I always have a good selection of specialty grains on hand, just in small amounts. My 2 row is now almost 3 years old, stored in buckets with Gamma Lids, it is still not stale. Though I do need to brew more so that my grain doesn't sit around so long. Maybe electric soon to come inside where it is not close to or over 100 degrees while brewing.