What to Buy for Bulk Acquisition?

[superslomo]

Instead of ordering kits, I'm thinking I'm going to try and replicate kits for a moderate variety of styles by order the 6x6lb. case packs of Northern Brewer LMEs for the Gold and the Wheat.

I'll just go get the milled specialty grains from my local homebrew shop, and get yeast at the same time if it's something other than S-04, US-05, and Safale T-58 (I think that's the number for the Saison I've done dry yeasted).

The question is: what hops would be good to buy in bulk for the widest applicable variety for these styles...

-Brown (domestic as well as british)
-Wheat (American as well as Hefeweizen/Dunkelweizen)
-ESB
-IPA
-Non-Imperial density stout (Irish stout level, not high gravity.)

I am happy to get the odd kit for specialty ingredients, but would like to save a little bit more, and get supplies laid in so that I would always have a few stock batches to brew of the stock ESB/IPA/Guinnes-Style/Petite Saison/Honey Wheat/Hefe.

Cascade/Willamette/Tettnang/Fuggles/Goldings...

Decent array? More of anything? Less of anything?

I don't mind getting the extra ounce of things here or there, but if I'm going by the pound for some hops... what's essential?

 

[Srceenplay]

Where would be the best prices of lme be

 

[superslomo]

The best I've found for extract I trust is northern brewer so far. I've had good experiences with their stuff, and their extracts are pretty fresh and all to be had on hopville. Takes a few bucks off each jug, so I'm happy with that.

I think it's around $80-$90 for 36 pounds, and it's packed in airtight 6 pound increments. I don't want or need a 50 gallon drum of LME, it'll just go to waste... I'm figuring do 6 pounds, make up extra bits with DME, and buy hops by the pound, and I'll have the ingredients for the stock stuff I like doing, and save a few extra dollars along the way, while also always having stuff around to brew with.

 

[IffyG]

I don't know that you'd find a single (or two hops) that would work for your various styles. Why not buy from Farmhouse Brewing Supply, one of the vendors here and get hops in 4 ounce packages nearly as cheap as by the pound?

 

[superslomo]

ah, good to know!

There is some crossover, which I'm looking to kind of work through, and I understand that pellet hops keep pretty well in ziplocs in the freezer (we have a big frost-free upright chest freezer in the basement...)

 

[ACbrewer]

My only caution on getting a lot of LME is that it has a shorter shelf life than DME. Although if you are going to brew the next 6 weekends, then that should be fine. Probalby next 3 months. I know taht if I don't know when I'm going to use a kit, I order dme and skip the yeast.

Also unless you are using a massive amount of LME in a batch, 50gallons=~650 lb or about 100 5 gal batches at 6.5lb per batch. Which while cool, would probably go bad before you reached your multi year legal limit.

 

[Pappers_]

. . .
Cascade/Willamette/Tettnang/Fuggles/Goldings...

Decent array? More of anything? Less of anything?

Looks good. Two thoughts:

- I use EKGs and Fuggles interchangeably, usually only keep one or the other on hand

- I usually keep a supply of high alpha acid hops on hand. Right now, I've got Bravos, last year I had Pacific Gems.

 

[superslomo]

I doubt I'm ordering 650 pounds of LME.

This is lots of 36 pounds at a shot. I'll brew enough in the next three months to go through 36 pounds of Wheat LME and 36 pounds of Gold LME...

 

[ACbrewer]

Well then I'm just jealous.... 1, I doubt SWMBO would permit, 2 If she did, I doubt I could drink that much. But I find making pretty cool to do so I'd do it just for that if I had the ingreidents.

 

[superslomo]

This would be just 36 pounds of extract at a time... it's packed in air-tight 6 pound jugs, each of which covers approximately one batch of Hefeweizen or lawnmower American Wheat, or a batch of ESB or Irish Stout from the gold. Add in the specialty grains a pound or two at a time, and it's pretty versatile.

I've got as many as five fermenters going at the moment, so I could pretty easily see going through 12 batches in the next two or three months... if I'm going to buy a pound of hops at a time, I'd like to know what covers the most ground.

 

[IffyG]

I still wouldn't by LME unless I was going to use it within a month or keep it in the fridge. Any aversion to DME? I buy that 12 lbs at a time split into 3 lb bags for PM beers.

 

[superslomo]

I've not had good luck keeping it from turning into a sloppy, sticky mess, and while I didn't originally expect I'd say this, it's a more aggravating thing to mix into the batch... foamier etc.

Also, the LME comes out cheaper in this case, even with shipping, and even counting the adjustment for water volume/equivalent fermentable quantities.

 

[Malticulous]

NB's extract is Briess, just like almost everyone else. Williams is the only place I know of that has their own extract.
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/SYRUP-MALT-EXTRACT-32-POUND-PACKS-C271.aspx

 

[superslomo]

Not so sure I would want 32 pounds in a single pack, as opposed to splitting things per NB into 6 pound sealed quantities. Seems like having to measure out of a 32 pound drum of LME would be a little bit of a headache.

 

[ACbrewer]

Not so sure I would want 32 pounds in a single pack, as opposed to splitting things per NB into 6 pound sealed quantities. Seems like having to measure out of a 32 pound drum of LME would be a little bit of a headache.

It only requires 5 pots and one heck of a brew day :cross:

But seriously I'm with ou on the LME less $$ than DME and getting a 6lb container (aka about 1 batch) is more useful than a 30lb container.

 

[subliminalurge]

before you reached your multi year legal limit.

Do people actually pay attention to that?

I guess I've been vaguely aware that there is a limit, but I can't honestly say I've ever given it much thought. In fact, I honestly don't even know what the limit is. I'm sure I've probably exceeded it many times.

 

[ACbrewer]

Do people actually pay attention to that?

I guess I've been vaguely aware that there is a limit, but I can't honestly say I've ever given it much thought. In fact, I honestly don't even know what the limit is. I'm sure I've probably exceeded it many times.

Well the limit is 100 gallons for an adult before you have to register and pay taxes. 200 per houshold with 2 or more adults in it.

As to 'worry about it' personally not yet as I've not gotten to 50 for a year and my household has 2 adults, so I can go 200. (I bet most can go 200). I wouldn't advertise getting close or going over. It is unlikely that anyone would be able to do anything failing an admission of the brewer.

 

[superslomo]

Is that a one-year limit? Is it a rolling limit, or just per calendar year? I have to figure a good number of folks around here have broken that pretty regularly. Didn't even know it was an issue.

 

[subliminalurge]

Well the limit is 100 gallons for an adult before you have to register and pay taxes. 200 per houshold with 2 or more adults in it.

As to 'worry about it' personally not yet as I've not gotten to 50 for a year and my household has 2 adults, so I can go 200. (I bet most can go 200). I wouldn't advertise getting close or going over. It is unlikely that anyone would be able to do anything failing an admission of the brewer.

Ahh... Yeah, the first couple years of brewing I was a single guy, and I'm sure I did a good deal more than 20 batches per year. When I first started I was going nuts and brewing every chance I got.

But now that I'm married, I don't see myself exceeding 200 gallons for awhile, at least with my current setup. May be more of an issue soon as I'm planning to upgrade to bigger batch sizes.

But you're right, aside from an admission from the brewer I don't see how this would be enforceable. It's not like I'm stockpiling hundreds of gallons in my basement, and even if I was there's no way to tell when it was brewed....

 

[superslomo]

I guess I have four fermenters plus a secondary that I'm going to do cider in, so I suppose I could imagine breaking 200 gallons if I made a point of it. Never realized it was a tax issue.

 

[ACbrewer]

I guess I have four fermenters plus a secondary that I'm going to do cider in, so I suppose I could imagine breaking 200 gallons if I made a point of it. Never realized it was a tax issue.

Well Cider might count as a wine, not a beer. I've never figured out if the federal law is 100 beer and 100 wine, or 100 total. They are seperate chapters, but >shrugg< I'm no lawyer. When I asked one he said 'yup that's ambigous' - to make it more fun, some states are worded like the Federal's, other are explicit '100/year total'

It is a 'gallons per year' but I don't know if that is defined Jan to Jan, or rolling or what. I'd assume Jan to Jan, but see not above about not being a lawyer.

As to it being a 'tax issue'. I think the idea is that 'over 100 gallons/year' is for sale/trade or similar and no longer a hobby. Thus they want their money. Most of the info when you google this come from the TTB (aka irs/treasury) website. Any criminal penalties (jail time) are listed somewhere else I guess.


NOTE: on previous post I mentioned the 100/200 single/houshold with 2 plus addults. I used the 100 for ease of typing.