Buying ingredients

[richm20]

So im looking to start using recipes and not kits. Any advice as to where I can source ingredients on the web. Im looking to buy exact amounts, or close to exact. For example 5.5 lbs of LME, 2 .5oz crystal malt....like that

prost

 

[duboman]

All of the major suppliers on line sell what you are looking for although they may not break the packages apart in the specific amounts you are looking for. For grains they will sell either in 1/2 or 1 lb increments, not to the ounce or gram.

Northern Brewer, Midwest Supplies, Austin, AIH, etc are some of the major players, I'm sure I've left some off the list as I buy at my LHBS and have for a long time now.

 

[richm20]

I plan on buying mostly from my BM store but he is limited

Thanks for the input.

 

[MVKTR2]

There's a great website called 'google', try it!

Sorry, had to. :fro: If you're asking for recommendations those conversations have been had over and over on here just use the search function. As for putting in tiny amounts of grain into a recipe brewmasters warehouse does a fine job of that and it's owned by HBT alumni.

 

[Yooper]

There are a couple that I keep coming back to, although I do spread my orders around.

I like morebeer. com, as they have free shipping over $59, and I buy a lot from austinhomebrew.com as well. I'm not sure they sell in ounce increments, though.

Lately, I've been buying most of my items at Ritebrew.com. The prices (like on wine kits) are cheaper, but I'm not sure if he sells grain by the ounce, either.

Northernbrewer.com is one of my other favorites- they have flat rate shipping and a good inventory.

 

[kh54s10]

I have been using Farmhouse Brewing Supply lately. They do not do fractions of a pound but they have great prices.

When I started making recipes I went the opposite route to what you want.

I buy more than I need for a recipe. I now have a good stock of base, specialty, crystal etc. plus hops and frozen and dry yeast. I can make up a recipe on the morning of brewday from the ingredients on hand. Often I don't have to make substitutions.

Large amounts (base grain) come from my LHBS (no shipping). Odd stuff and things I can get cheaper come from online sites.

 

[user 198378]

I just did a cost analysis a few days ago for 1# varieties of hops and settled on Farmhousebrewing as the best. They are currently receiving 2014 harvests as well.

I determined that they had more varieties, at better prices than everything else I could find (shipping costs as factor too)

 

[richm20]

LOL. I know all about google and the search function..... I'm the first guy to point that out.
Its hard to find an online vendor who will sell anything other than predetermined amounts

 

[chickypad]

Brewmasters warehouse has a recipe builder and I'm pretty sure you can plug in a complete recipe with odd amounts and order it as is. Never used it as I tend to buy in bulk but that's the only one I've heard of like that.

 

[richm20]

Buying in bulk brings up a question. Do you brew the same recipe often? If not, how do you make use of bulk purchases?

 

[RM-MN]

Buying in bulk brings up a question. Do you brew the same recipe often? If not, how do you make use of bulk purchases?

I have a tub full of miscellaneous ingredients. Kept dry, they will be fine for quite some time. I make a variety of beers and somehow I keep using up most everything in that tub. The 2 things that I don't try to store for too long are yeast and hops. Hops lose their aroma with time, yeast dies.

 

[hottpeper13]

I go thru the same ones as Yooper. Whats great about Ritebrew is you can have the recipe of grains all milled together and shipped in one bag.

 

[chickypad]

Buying in bulk brings up a question. Do you brew the same recipe often? If not, how do you make use of bulk purchases?

I think it's most useful for all grain when you crush your own as the unmilled grains will keep for a very long time. I do a big hop buy at the beginning of the season so I only end up having to buy the odd oz or two here and there. My "house" liquid yeasts I reuse by making a bigger starter than I need each time and saving some back.

 

[JR_Brewer]

Austin Homebrew used to allow you to buy by the ounce on some grains, by the half pound on others. I can't access their website right now to confirm, but I would check them out.

 

[user 198378]

Buying in bulk brings up a question. Do you brew the same recipe often? If not, how do you make use of bulk purchases?

I bought in bulk Amarillo/Citra because this duo makes a great IPA and Cascade because I can use this for everything just about. If you have bulk hops that have similar alpha acids composition to the recipe you have, why not use it as a substitute!? Saves money and time.

 

[MaxStout]

Since most brew suppliers sell malt extract in certain sized packages, you could calculate your recipe to use mostly LME, based on the size jugs sold, then top off with the equivalent amount of the same variety of DME. For example, if your recipe calls for 7 lbs. LME and it comes in a 6 lb jug, add in the amount of DME you need to equal the 1 lb. LME to "top off." One lb. of LME is roughly equal to 0.8 lbs. DME. So 6 lb. LME, plus 0.8 lb. DME.

If you have some DME left over, you can use it for making yeast starters. DME generally has a longer shelf life than LME. Seal up the remainder in a ziploc and put it in your fridge, and it will last quite a long time.

 

[JimRausch]

I have 1 lb , uncrushed quantities of a lot of different specialty malts- usually ordered from NorthernBrewer. Then when I plan a recipe, the bulk grains I get crushed from my LHBS(45 miles away). The specialty malts that I add, I crush at home with the old rolling pin method. LHBS also has a pretty decent supply of hops, so I generally get those for the next 3 planned batches or so. Although, I will admit that I sometimes get complete kits from NB.
Yeast, I usually get from either LHBS or sometimes NB. And I plan out 3 related batches in a row, to reuse the yeast from one batch to another. I also tend to keep on hand a couple lbs. of DME and some honey, just-in-case. With a little planning, it works for me.

 

[Jim_Holmes]

i use ritebrew for most of my ingredient pu8rchases you just have to look around see what the shops offer then how much shipping is and pick the best one for you. as for the leftover ingredients if you cant get down to the ounce. i just had a friend gave me some old ingredients that he had leftover and i entered them into brewsmith and came up with a recipe using them all. it was low gravity but tastes pretty good