MaryB
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YIKES that has gone up since I last ordered it 4 months ago! $10 higher from NB who is my cheapest source when you add in shipping...
Malt(Golden Promise) price
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My semi-local online store, Farmhouse Brewing Supply, is where I buy most items other than the grain I'm able to buy in bulk via a group buy and I see they are selling Golden Promise for $1.59/lb. I have no idea if that's gone up recently or not, I haven't bought Golden Promise in a long time. I see that's a savings of $1.20/lb over NB, but I'm not factoring in the shipping costs. Buying base grains by the sack saves me a ton of money - I usually buy Pale, Pilsner and sometimes Munich by the 50 lb bag, usually for significantly less than $1/lb.
I get most of my grain through a local (DC area) group buy. We do it about 3-4 times a year, each time until we reach a minimum of 40-50 sacks, to make it worth the effort. We also do splits for malt no-one wants 50lbs of. The pricing has been lucrative enough to make the drive.
bassmang4
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Prices on things go up over time. That’s life. Gas isn’t $1.12 a gallon anymore. I’m lucky that I live a couple miles from a NB so no shipping. But here’s a NB tip. Buy the gift cards when they do the get $20 when you buy a $100 card. Then buy sacks when they do a 20% off your order or one item sale. If not that they do a 10% AHA discount. Do the math. That’s 1/3 off. So even if they’re prices are higher, the cost in the end is usually less that anywhere else. Even from ritebrew. I’ve only paid w gift cards at NB for a good year and a half. It came up when there and the local guys didn’t care at all. They said - that’s smart.
I just bought some at my LHBS and it was $2.79/lb which floored me. I had ideas of making a 100% Golden Promise beer but ended up buying only 10 lbs of it. I know that it is imported which drives the price but to make a 5 gallon batch using only GP would cost well over $40.00 in grain alone.
Obviously they're price gouging. Someone needs to pay to keep their lights on.
Maybe ask them you want to buy a whole sack and see if they'll sell it for a much better price. Or shop elsewhere. Join a group buy.
Northern_Brewer
British - apparently some US company stole my name
It could be that stores are having to buy where they can until the new harvest has arrived Stateside.
But generally it seems that it's not been a great barley harvest in a lot of places, which won't be helpful for prices. In England it was actually pretty good, but Scotland may have been caught by the crummy August weather - I know some people are having quality problems even if the yield is pretty good.
Similar story with UK hops - the hot spring/early summer has meant some great yields, but the dull August has meant flavour development hasn't been great, or at least it's emphasised the earthy/spicy end of the spectrum.
The UK online store I use has Golden Promise by the 25kg sack for about US$0.80/lb, ex shipping, Maris Otter for US$0.75/lb....
But generally it seems that it's not been a great barley harvest in a lot of places, which won't be helpful for prices. In England it was actually pretty good, but Scotland may have been caught by the crummy August weather - I know some people are having quality problems even if the yield is pretty good.
Similar story with UK hops - the hot spring/early summer has meant some great yields, but the dull August has meant flavour development hasn't been great, or at least it's emphasised the earthy/spicy end of the spectrum.
The UK online store I use has Golden Promise by the 25kg sack for about US$0.80/lb, ex shipping, Maris Otter for US$0.75/lb....
Many LHBS will sell whole sacks at a much better price than they sell per pound. Not rock bottom, but more appetizing. Some breweries will sell grain.
Chicago area has a large group buy...
Have you checked RiteBrew.com? I get some malts from them I can't get anywhere else, like Oat Malt. I get 20# or so. Their pricing and shipping is quite OK, much better than NB <ugh>.
Morebeer will ship grain for free if you order them in 10# increments and you exceed their minimum of $59. See if that's a better deal.
Chicago area has a large group buy...
Have you checked RiteBrew.com? I get some malts from them I can't get anywhere else, like Oat Malt. I get 20# or so. Their pricing and shipping is quite OK, much better than NB <ugh>.
Morebeer will ship grain for free if you order them in 10# increments and you exceed their minimum of $59. See if that's a better deal.
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MaryB
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I only buy bulk for base malts, sack of GP lasts 2 months or so...
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MaryB
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I got sack of GP from Ritebrew and wasn't happy, stuff was filthy, dusty, full of stems and trash, different brand than (ugh) NB sells
I've got some twigs in Thomas Fawcett malt too, but it's minor. At least there aren't rocks in it. Maybe you got the bottom of the silo?
Simpsons has always been very clean.
You're looking at this all wrong. Those stems and "trash" are there to help form the filter bed in your conventional mash tun.
Unless you got an extreme amount those stems and trash are some of the lightest part of the grain and wouldn't amount to much weight compared to the grain. Dust is part of the normal grains and if you get to the right part of the container it will have more dust. It's part of grain handling.
I looked at Northern Brewer's per pound listing for Golden Promise and compared it to Rite Brew and found there to be a difference of (shock) $1.34 per pound. That could pay for a lot of shipping and I've found Rite Brew to be pretty cheap on shipping.
It will depend on where you are, but for me it's almost $29 for shipping a $60, 55# sack from RiteBrew. The price for the sack is very reasonable, but to obtain it runs $89. For 2 sacks it doubles.
Otherwise, yeah, RiteBrew has very decent shipping on most items, it's my go to place.
So glad we have this group buy here. And my #1 LHBS isn't really gouging on sacks of grain either, they just have a different choice of maltsters.
I should check with them what a sack of that oat malt is gonna run me, it's just a lot of oat malt to have on hand. I use up that GP much quicker.
Oldskewl
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Morebeer is cheaper and if you spend $59, shipping is free. 10 lb sack is $16.69.
Maybe you should move closer.
Shipping on full sacks may be high because some shippers have weight restrictions and that 55 pound sack puts it in a different class for shipping.
Derp
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(I thought) there's only one HBS in my city, and their grain prices have been getting ridiculous. About 2 years ago I could get a 55-pound sack of GP for about $65, but now it's up to $99! They'll give a 20% discount if you prepay, but that's still $79 and sometimes it takes a month or more to arrive.
Yesterday a friend and I went to a local chain liquor store to pick up a keg and I noticed a sack of GP on the shelf with a pricetag of $68. With a 5% military discount, it came to $64.60 out the door. I chatted with the beer manager (a long-time home brewer and familiar face in the local beer scene) and he told me that he'd match any online price. I only saw a few sacks of grain, but then he showed me a back room with dozens of containers of specialty grains, yeast, etc. I've found a new LHBS and it's cheaper and 6 miles closer to my house. Score!
Yesterday a friend and I went to a local chain liquor store to pick up a keg and I noticed a sack of GP on the shelf with a pricetag of $68. With a 5% military discount, it came to $64.60 out the door. I chatted with the beer manager (a long-time home brewer and familiar face in the local beer scene) and he told me that he'd match any online price. I only saw a few sacks of grain, but then he showed me a back room with dozens of containers of specialty grains, yeast, etc. I've found a new LHBS and it's cheaper and 6 miles closer to my house. Score!
brick_haus
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Morebeer has GP on sale for $60 per 55# sack.
This thread reminds me of why we no longer grow malting barley on our farm. Cash prices in this region are currently around $7.00/cwt ($.07/lb). A 55 lb bag of malt would contain $3.85 worth of barley. The rest is processing, packaging, transportation, and markup.
Seven cents a pound, with average yields, is almost a break even proposition. Planting a crop which has almost no chance of showing a profit is known as "recreational agriculture". Good for an investor looking for a tax shelter, not so good for a full time, for profit farm.
Mark
Seven cents a pound, with average yields, is almost a break even proposition. Planting a crop which has almost no chance of showing a profit is known as "recreational agriculture". Good for an investor looking for a tax shelter, not so good for a full time, for profit farm.
Mark
isomerization
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And you can buy as many 10 lb bags as you like and still get free shipping. Small bonus of each bag stays sealed instead of having to work with air tight containers.
Geez. I just picked up 250#of grain from Ritebrew less than 2 hours ago. Then i see this thread. Should have ordered some GP to try.
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MaryB
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I will try Ritebrew one more time... if the GP is full of trash I will go back to NB Simpsons GP which is usually very clean.That last bag was dirty enough it affected the flavor of the beer... I could screen it but then I am paying for dust and dirt and labor to clean it...
It may have been a fluke, I got a sack of TF Optic that was wonderful. Yeah, there were a few twigs in it, but clean otherwise.
The most important factor is that you should like the malt, taste wise.
Although I've never used GP from another maltster, I really like that Simpsons GP.
That comes out to $92 for a 55# sack's worth though... The shipping maybe "free," but it's not that great of a deal then. Looks more like the per pound pricing at my LHBS for base malts, if buying 10# or more.
Oldskewl
Well-Known Member
Group buys are definitely the cheapest way to go if you can use 55 # of grain. I prefer buying in 10# bags. Morebeers price is still over a dollar cheaper per pound than NB and shipping is free if you order $59. By the time I drive to my LHBS I spent $4-5 in gas plus an hour of my time.
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MaryB
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Price it by the bulk bag, it is far more expensive 10 pounds at a time. Since a bulk bag is 3 batches of my house ale plus 7 pounds it only lasts 6 weeks at best... And two 5 gallon kegs of my house ale MIGHT last 2 weeks...
Oldskewl
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Sounds like you need a 55# sack. It would last me over 2 years
csurowiec
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I just bought 10lbs of Golden Promise yesterday from my lhbs and paid $1.87 a pound. Not the best price in the world but they are 5 miles from my house and busy so there is good turnover.
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MaryB
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How I buy it, 55 pounds every 6 weeks or so LOL and a 50 pound sack of Victory once a year, 50 pounds of 2-row for IPA's, 55 pounds of Belgian Pilsner for Belgian ales... I have 12 5 gallon buckets of various malts, 2 of them hold 10 pounds of specialty malts like UK Extra Dark Crystal(160l)
If you find a more reasonable source, it's worth buying a year's supply at a time. Cool and dry storage (like 3/4 of your seasons are), is all you need. You can probably stock up for 2 years if you're desperate. I leave mine in the original bags. I "found" half a sack of 2-row that was over 3 years old. Worked great!
bassmang4
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Last time I got grain from NB, I noticed the price hike too. This was not Golden Promise, but basic 2-row. They also seem to have inflated shipping costs too.
I've bought my bulk grain from them for a while, and they were the cheapest for me for a while (20% discount + 17% savings on gift card), but the inflated shipping and now the $10 increase in almost all grain, no longer makes them the cheapest. InBev seems to be trying to push the profit margins. For me they pushed too far and I'm not buying from them again.
MoreBeer with $11 shipping (for me for a full bag) easily beats NB even trying to figure the cheapest product (20% off sale + gift card savings).
Yes, I used to do it that way, and it was the cheapest (easiest) way to buy grain for a few years. But they have pushed their grain prices and inflated their shipping prices, and they no longer are attractive (price wise), even with the gimmicks.
For me in Southern Ohio, it is cheaper to get a bag of grain shipped from MoreBeer at their standard prices vs NB with a 20% sale , and the 17% discount for using Gift Cards.
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MaryB
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I need to make the 250 mile round rip into the Twin Cities and do a bulk buy... maybe in Dec when I have some money coming in...grab 6 sacks of GP, 2 victory, 2 2 row... Simpsons GP blows away the others I have tried. Ordered 10 pounds from Ritebrew to see if quality was any better... still looked like bottom of the grain silo sweepings... dusty, dirty and full of debris. Pass! I cleaned it best I could and lost 1/2 pound to trash.
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MaryB
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Yeah but shipping kills it! If they even ship to the USA!
That sack price is more like it!
madscientist451
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The above is why we are now seeing some small, farm-based specialty maltsters. If they sell base malt for $40/bag, there's a pretty big margin available.
250 miles sounds very doable. Our group buy is only an 80 mile RT for me, I go once or twice a year.
Make sure to pre-order/call your supplier well, well ahead (2-3 weeks), so they can order it from their distributor, while allowing enough time for getting it delivered. Then double check they actually got your full order in hand before venturing out.
Unless your supplier's shop is very large, I doubt they keep enough stock for those kinds of orders at any time.
Don't forget to negotiate a bulk discount before ordering anything.
I'm serious, 10 sacks is a fairly big order.I hear you on the Simpsons GP, I would not want anyone else's GP either.
Sad to hear your TF from Ritebrew was so dust and dirt laden again. 1/2 a pound of debris in a 10# order is totally ridiculous and inexcusable! There's no good reason for that. You should talk to them about that.
I just checked the bottom of a half used sack of TF Optic, it's clean as can be. I found one 1 inch twig in it, and a little bit of clean grain dust.
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MaryB
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I buy from Northern Brewer, living in MN they end up cheapest when shipping is added in... I should see what SpeeDee Delivery would charge to pick it up and deliver it... they can be pretty cheap on large items.
