No LHBS : (

[rycov]

so, i dont have a homebrewstore anywhere near me i can order my stuff off line but it costs so much to ship it here. i just put in an order for a few things and it cost ten dollars just to ship. it was only sixteen for my order. i was wondering if i could set up some bins for different grains and order a bunch all at once. how long would they keep? and is there a good way to do this with yeast and hops too? please help!

 

[bob1852]

Many on-line places have ~$7.99 flat rate shipping...

Or do what I do - buy over $100 worth at Austinhomebrew.com - shipping is free on everything if you spend more than $100....

Hops keep well in the freezer, yeast in the fridge, and grains in a cool dry place.

 

[Yooper]

so, i dont have a homebrewstore anywhere near me i can order my stuff off line but it costs so much to ship it here. i just put in an order for a few things and it cost ten dollars just to ship. it was only sixteen for my order. i was wondering if i could set up some bins for different grains and order a bunch all at once. how long would they keep? and is there a good way to do this with yeast and hops too? please help!

The nearest LHBS to me is over 150 miles, so I order online. The "big" online homebrew stores- northernbrewer.com, austinhomebrew.com, and brewmasterswarehouse- have flat rate shipping. It's $6.99 or $7.99 for the flat rate shipping. Midwest charges actual shipping charges- for small items that may be very inexpensive.

Hops will last for years in the freezer. Dry yeast will last a couple of years in the fridge. Liquid yeast will last a couple of months (make a starter!). Grains will last a long time, unless they are crushed. Once crushed, they have a limited shelf life. DME will last for years, if kept closed tightly in a dry place.

 

[rycov]

nice. i figured there would be a way to do it like that. its cheaper to buy in bulk anyway. how cool do the grains have to be kept. my basement stays pretty cool. even in the summer its around room temperature. (its real cold now though). should i keep grains in the fridge too? not too much space in there

 

[bob1852]

I store my bulk uncrushed grains in homedepot buckets with lids in my garage - 50-80*F

If you decide to get into bulk grain, you really should look to buy uncrushed grain and get a grain mill...

 

[peachwein]

last time i checked, Morebeer.com offered free shipping on orders over $60. At least i think it was 60. Just order a bunch at once.

 

[rycov]

nice. also i could probably figure out what i want to do, but any suggestions on which grains to keep around? i guess which are more versatile so i don't end up with more than i need of one thing not enough of the other. like what types of specialty grains i should keep on hand (if any?).

i'm pretty excited about this. should save some money and waiting time. how cool would it be if i was just like "i think i wanna brew today" and didn't have to wait. thanks for the info guys.

 

[marcycaulkins]

keep a sack of base grain of your choice, several pounds each of a couple different lovibond crystal malts to start (I like 20L, 60L and 120L). Then look ahead at what styles/recipes you will be brewing and get those specialty grains. I usually order extra on the specialties for use in other recipes, or for improvising.

 

[rycov]

true. i guess having some extra wouldn't hurt. if i have too much leftovers sitting around i can always scrape together a bunch of extra stuff and brew a frankenbeer or something.

 

[BendBrewer]

Hops will last for years in the freezer.

Is this really recommended?

Hops and Marijuana are related and I know that storing Marijuana in the freezer is highly frowned upon as the delicate oil glands become brittle and it loses potency. I would think that storing hops in the freezer would have a similarly degrading effect on the quality of the hops.

 

[Walker]

I would think that storing hops in the freezer would have a similarly degrading effect on the quality of the hops.

To the contrary, actually.

The BEST way to store hops to maintain their bittering potential, flavor, and aroma is to vacuum seal them and store them as cold as you possibly can.

 

[BendBrewer]

I still don't see how freezing hops would do anything but hurt their quality. I have never bought them frozen and have never seen them in a freezer at a brewery.

 

[skeeordye11]

Go to Liberty in Myrtle and see what they can do for you. Can't hurt to ask!

 

[Ben_Persitz]

I still don't see how freezing hops would do anything but hurt their quality. I have never bought them frozen and have never seen them in a freezer at a brewery.

I'm fairly sure that most hop processors store them cold. Like 10-18 degrees. I'll ask though.

 

[BendBrewer]

From somewhere out there:

It seems certain that the freezing of hops will rupture the glands. My limited experiments to prove / disprove this have been inconclusive due to not having enough hop samples and not checking them to see if they were ruptured before I put them in the freezer. I need to do more experiments with proper controls, but I am tied up writing my book. Hop merchants do not freeze whole hops, but it seems that home brewers have not picked up on this. Googling just now, I can only find one reference to it in home brewing, but only one line at the very bottom of THIS page and even then the author of the page doesn't seem to believe it. One thing is certain though, and that is that if the glands do rupture during freezing they will oxidise very rapidly once they come out of the freezer. The encapsulated protective effect of the glands is lost. They are best kept frozen in this case.

 

[bob1852]

Bend - start a thread outside of this one about this topic...

It'll be interesting to see the responses (especially from Revvy )

 

[BendBrewer]

Bend - start a thread outside of this one about this topic...

It'll be interesting to see the responses (especially from Revvy )

Good idea. Even I keep forgetting what thread this discussion is in.

 

[TheMan]

I don't understand how no LHBS is an issue...Shipping has become a non factor to me. If you live outside the state of the online merchant you don't pay tax so in essence you are paying shipping instead of tax. Also, factor in the gas to get to them, I just paid $3.30/Gal! PLUS most LHBS charge far more than any online retailer. I have 3 LHBS within 30 minutes of where I live, I do not buy from them. It's cheaper to save my gas, pay the minimal $6.99 shipping charge, and get my ingredients for cheaper elswhere.

 

[mikeysab]

I also have no LHBS, so I plan ahead on what batches I'm going to make. I usuallyget 2 recipes together, then whatever odds and ends I need, ill throw it into that order. If I happen to need something on a whim, which is rare, ill order co2 carts, or a couple different specialty grains to have on hand, or any other recurring items I'm low on, caps, corn sugar, couple packets dry yeast. I like to get my moneys worth when I pay shipping so my orders are usually 60 to 100 dollars.

 

[jamie3]

Dude.

I wouldn't complain.

I live in Canada. Everything is almost DOUBLE the cost of what you pay in the U.S. And shipping from the U.S. to Canada is on average $40-50 plus duty fees (if you can find a supplier that will ship).

 

[rycov]

see what your saying about the tax. but i also dont like waiting the few days, sometimes i just wanna brew. but if i had grain yeast and hops on hand then i could brew at the drop of a hat. there used to be a store in myrtle beach but it closed. (also good tip about asking liberty skeeordie11).

 

[BrewThruYou]

What I would do if I were you:

1. Get a mill if you don't have one.
2. Order grain and hops in bulk (hops from hopsdirect) and mill the grain yourself
3. Start washing yeast and making starters.

Make sure to include any auxiliary disposable items in your order (caps if bottling, muslin bags, etc.)

 

[marcycaulkins]

What I would do if I were you:

1. Get a mill if you don't have one.
2. Order grain and hops in bulk (hops from hopsdirect) and mill the grain yourself
3. Start washing yeast and making starters.

Make sure to include any auxiliary disposable items in your order (caps if bottling, muslin bags, etc.)

+1 to all of these!

Sometimes I buy stuff specifically for a recipe, sometimes I just use what I have on hand and see what I get, but I pretty much always have the necessary components for at least a 5 gallon batch of beer on hand.

 

[TheMan]

+1 to mikeysab.

Just plan ahead a little. Order a few different recipes worth at once. When you are down to just two recipes left to make, then order more.

OR, like others have said, buy bulk. You'll save more and be ready to brew on the drop of a dime. I always have two row, a few spare dry yeasts, and tons of hops around. In the case I decided to brew and didn't plan ahead, I can come up with something. I usually have a few odd measurements of random grain left that help me put something together. This does, however, limit me to normal ales since I don't keep specialty yeast on hand. But it works for me.

 

[djt17]

I usually order 3 recipes at a time; when the last one goes in the fermenter, I order 3 more.

 

[skeeordye11]

I usually order 3 recipes at a time; when the last one goes in the fermenter, I order 3 more.

This is what I used to do before I got a mill and started buying in bulk. I kinda feel bad that I haven't ordered from some of our more popular vendors in quite a while. It works though. I just go to the LHBS for specialty grains and yeast when I occasionally need it.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Is this really recommended?

Hops and Marijuana are related and I know that storing Marijuana in the freezer is highly frowned upon as the delicate oil glands become brittle and it loses potency. I would think that storing hops in the freezer would have a similarly degrading effect on the quality of the hops.

Nope. Hops do well frozen.

 

[rycov]

yeah. i think ordering in bulk would work well for me. im not so concerned with specific styles. i reall just want to be able to make good beer and brew when i want. any reason i should use two row as a base instead of six? i think i've seen it some where before, maybe the two row has more enzymes for better conversion or something? anyway, thanks guys!