How do you buy ingredients?

[dyqik]

All of them except in bulk at the LHBS, as they don't give much of a price break on bulk purchases (e.g they want $90 for a 55lb sack of MO, and charge $1.95 a lb)

Online per recipe for occasional kits, particular IIPA clones, if I happen to be buying equipment at the same time.
Online in bulk for hops.
At the LHBS on a per recipe basis, as it's only a mile from home, and on the way from work.
Just joined the NE Group Buy for base grain, so I'm now switching to yeast and speciality grains and hops from the LHBS on a per recipe basis, bulk hops online and group buy for base grain.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Is he eccentric? Might have a new Burt's Bee's like company on your hands.

haha! not really. I've given him a few bottles of my mead & pyment and he hasn't had much else. I think it's more like, "You brew your own beer? You should open a brewery!" kind of things. I tend to make 4-5 gallon batches maybe once a year. if mead making was gun slinging, I'd be that kid that gets gunned down in the beginning of the movie. hahahaha!!!

 

[AnOldUR]

this poll needs to allow multiple choice.

I agree. When I answered I was only thinking grain which I buy bulk from my LHBS. Hops and yeast, I will more often go to an on-line vendor for. Hops in bulk. Yeast after running through many generations of an original purchase.

 

[dkevinb]

I just compared what I pay at my LHBS on a per-recipe basis to what Northern Brewer charges online. The LHBS was cheaper for everything - base malts, specialty malts, hops and yeast. And that doesn't include the shipping. And the LHBS owner weighs out my malts for me and grinds them the way I ask. And it's only 2 miles from work. I am very pleased.

 

[IslandLizard]

Sacks of grain through Group buys.
Sacks of specialty grains are split among group buy participants through sign-up sheet.
Other specialty malts from LHBS, usually by the pound as needed.

Hops by the pound, online usually. Incidentally from LHBS by the ounce or 2 ounce packs.

Yeast from LHBS, large selection of WYeast and White Labs. Not worth shipping in, unless it's exclusive like ECY, etc.

Sanitizer, salts, brewing spices, adjuncts, chemicals, etc., mostly from LHBS, spice stores, or online.

 

[chickypad]

Sacks of grain - LHBS to avoid shipping
Hops - majority once yearly bulk online
Occasional orders online with morebeer for the free shipping over $59 (I use for grains in <= 10lb increments, yeast, and smaller quantities of hops, odds and ends)

 

[krackin]

I buy bulk online for everything. I can order at 4:30 AM with coffee and get delivery dropped off when I'm elsewhere. I don't have any place local.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I've been shopping at the same LHBS since 1997. The people there are always good to chat with, they have a great selection of grains,hops(pellet and whole cone) and yeast(White Labs, Fermentis, Still Spirit, Danstar, various wine yeasts) and other necessities. One of the big pluses is that I can get my own grains and set the crush on their mill to what I want. I buy one or two batches at a time.
Price comparison for many common items, my LHBS is cheaper than NB.