bulk grains

[Newb_Englander]

Hey all - looking to start up a pantry and want to have 3 types of base grain that I buy in bulk. I brew a lot of pale ales, ambers, and saisons; so I was thinking 2 row, pilsner, and Vienna. Then keeping 10 lbs of wheat and MO Crisp on hand. Any thoughts?

 

[lumpher]

Biggest question is what type of beers do you like? English, German, Belgian, American? Reason I ask is, if you like English or Belgian Pale Ales instead of APA's, you might want to make Maris Otter 1 of your mainstays.

 

[greengt]

Best advice I had found was: try to plan out or think of your next 10 recipes and make you're choice of base grains based on that

 

[IslandLizard]

Just store you grains cool and dry, and away from mice. +1 to bulk buy!

 

[cubalz]

I also bulk buy a whole bunch of different kinds of grain as well as hops and dry yeast. It gives me flexibility, lower per pound grain cost and I can brew anytime I want. (which I do) My wife says that it looks like we are a small HB shop.

 

[Newb_Englander]

Biggest question is what type of beers do you like? English, German, Belgian, American? Reason I ask is, if you like English or Belgian Pale Ales instead of APA's, you might want to make Maris Otter 1 of your mainstays.

I am kind of all over the board. We like APA's the most, followed by Belgian, and I brew one to two lagers a year.

I was figuring I would keep 10-20# of MO Crisp in the pantry just in case.

 

[Newb_Englander]

I also bulk buy a whole bunch of different kinds of grain as well as hops and dry yeast. It gives me flexibility, lower per pound grain cost and I can brew anytime I want. (which I do) My wife says that it looks like we are a small HB shop.

I am looking at buying some 1lb packages of hops (on sale) - Also have four plants that I started from crowns last year (1 chinook, 2 NB,and 1 Tett) and planting 4 more this year.
Yeast is a little tough as I got hooked on the liquid

 

[lumpher]

In that case, yeah, I'd keep 2-row, since not only will it fit better in an APA, but is MUCH cheaper. I think you've got the right idea for 3 main grains.

 

[Calder]

2-Row/Pale, Pilsner, and Maris Otter. You brew up a couple of English ales, and you will not have enough MO out of a 10 lb bag. Do you really plan to use that much Vienna?

Hops by the lb is a great investment. Just store in freezer. Biggest issue with buying by the lb, is that you quit buying small amounts, and every time you want to try a new hop you buy a pound. I think I have 20 to 25 lbs in my freezer right now ........ and I had to stop myself from buying another 4 last week ( great price, but really didn't need them) .... I kept telling myself I really don't need them, and I have many I still need to use up. It gets addictive.

Yeast: I find yeast is just about the cheapest ingredient in my brews. I exclusively use liquid. I save some of my starter for later use, and re-use some of the slurry for any subsequent brews. I buy about 1 yeast a year, but make 15 to 20 brews a year. I will use 4 or 5 different yeasts over the year. I find it works out about 50 cents a brew for yeast.

 

[chickypad]

2-Row/Pale, Pilsner, and Maris Otter. You brew up a couple of English ales, and you will not have enough MO out of a 10 lb bag. Do you really plan to use that much Vienna?

That's what I was thinking too. I like Vienna but I think it would take me a long time to go through 50 lbs. I've always stocked 2-row, Pils, and MO as my three bulk grains but lately I've let the 2 row run out and have been using MO as a base in my American ales. As others mentioned, it might make more sense for you to map out your upcoming brews and decide. Or go historically if you don't expect your brewing patterns to change.

 

[specharka]

I am looking at buying some 1lb packages of hops (on sale) - Also have four plants that I started from crowns last year (1 chinook, 2 NB,and 1 Tett) and planting 4 more this year.

Yeast is a little tough as I got hooked on the liquid

Yeast is easy. Overbuild your starters and decant a few oz of slurry each time you pitch to a sanitized bell jar (there are 4-8 oz jelly jars out there). Over time, you can add or remove strains from your lineup and use them as needed. No need to wash or rinse yeast between cycles. And if you only stick to a few styles, it's very easy to keep your yeast library going.

+1 to buying a bigger bag of Maris Otter. It's incredibly versatile and you will find yourself using it waaaay more often than Vienna.