How many different grains do you keep "in stock"?

[Onkel_Udo]

I buy at irregular intervals. Sometimes recipe driven, sometimes for restock and sometimes just on a whim.

I am becoming more and more of a buy what is on sale guy (supporting the LHBS) and then figuring out what to make based on what I have. Not fully converted to that yet because I still have those house varieties I like to have two of on tap at any one time but when I am doing a non-pipeline-maintenance brew session...it is grab-bag time.

Edit: My Oatmeal stout is a great example...I was low on base malt but still wanted to make 9 gallons of something and LHBS was closed. Grab a 48 oz drum of quick oats to flesh it out without stealing the Munich I planned to use the next weekend for my Redneck Pale Ale since Munich is a 5 day lead time for full sack.

 

[Terek]

i just started keeping many on hand. Not only is it cheaper, but you have more flexibility. Mabe tom. i get a bug to brew. I can walk out to my brew room and just make something up, or do something i have a recipe on.
I keep arount 10-12 on hand. Its everything i need for the 4 brews i prefer to do (brown, ipa, stout, and rye) and with that broad of a selection, it lets me make up a lot of diff. styles as well.
I usually will buy 4-5 lbs and when i run out of that kind, and go till i run out again.
I keep an open bag of 2-row in a bin, and an un opened bqg under the bin. When i open that bag, i will usually take stock of what specilty grains im out of and go re stock

 

[kh54s10]

Edit: My Oatmeal stout is a great example...I was low on base malt but still wanted to make 9 gallons of something and LHBS was closed. Grab a 48 oz drum of quick oats to flesh it out without stealing the Munich I planned to use the next weekend for my Redneck Pale Ale since Munich is a 5 day lead time for full sack.

I did something of the same... Shortly after I started buying grains instead of kits I ended up with and assortment of shorts. I worked up a recipe for a brown ale. Brown Eyed Girl. It turned out awesome. I later changed it up a bit. I did not like it as much as the first so I went closer to the original for the third go round. I need to work it into the schedule again!

 

[Qhrumphf]

I usually have on hand in varying quantities:

• Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter
• Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate
• Crisp 45L Crystal
• Crisp 77L Crystal
• Crisp Brown Malt
• Crisp Amber Malt
• Dingemans Munich
• Dingemans Biscuit
• Dingemans Special B
• Dingemans Cara 45
• Dingemans Aromatic
• Muntons 150L Crystal
• Muntons Roasted Barley
• Muntons Chocolate
• Muntons Black Malt
• Muntons Mild Malt
• Flaked Oats
• Flaked Wheat
• Flaked Barley
• Briess C40
• Briess C60
• Briess C120
• Briess Victory
• Briess Special Roast
• Briess Carapils
• Weyermann Caramunich II
• Weyermann Bohemian Pils
• Avangard Light Wheat
• Avangard Vienna

 

[Spartan1979]

I buy Pale Ale Malt and Pils Malt by the sack.
I split a sack of Light Munich Malt 2 ways
I split a sack of Vienna and Dark Munich 3 ways.

Everything else I buy buy the pound or less as I need it.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I usually have on hand in varying quantities:

• Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter
• Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate
• Crisp 45L Crystal
• Crisp 77L Crystal
• Crisp Brown Malt
• Crisp Amber Malt
• Dingemans Munich
• Dingemans Biscuit
• Dingemans Special B
• Dingemans Cara 45
• Dingemans Aromatic
• Muntons 150L Crystal
• Muntons Roasted Barley
• Muntons Chocolate
• Muntons Black Malt
• Muntons Mild Malt
• Flaked Oats
• Flaked Wheat
• Flaked Barley
• Briess C40
• Briess C60
• Briess C120
• Briess Victory
• Briess Special Roast
• Briess Carapils
• Weyermann Caramunich II
• Weyermann Bohemian Pils
• Avangard Light Wheat
• Avangard Vienna

Holy cow, and I thought my ingredient shelf (singular, not "shelves) was cluttered with:
Special B
Honey Malt
English Medium crystal
Midnight Wheat Malt
Pale Chocolate
Munich 10L
Red Wheat
Rye
Pale Ale Malt
Pilsner

 

[schematix]

I typically keep the important base malts around all the time (pale, german pils, vienna, munich) and buy the really small quantity things from the LHBS a little in advance.

Also keep everything in a spreadsheet so i know what i have at all times.

Malt Type Qty (lb) Purchase Date
Best Pilsner 30 11/14/2015
Cargill Special Pale 31 8/15/2015
Weyermann Pilsner 3.1 8/15/2015
Weyermann Munich II (9L) 4.75 8/15/2015
Weyermann Munich II (9L) 13.75 11/14/2015
Weyermann CaraMunich II (45L) 3.5 8/15/2015
Weyerman Vienna 13.75 9/5/2015
Special B (115L) 1 8/15/2015
Acid Malt 0.2 ?
C10 1? ?


Hop Type Qty AA Purchase Date
Saaz 7 (3x2,1x1) 3.6 12/26/2012
Belma 8oz(4x2) 11.3 11/24/2012
Cluster 1oz 8.1 2/24/2015
Hallertau Mittelfruh GR 3oz 3.5 11/14/2015
Magnum GR 1.5oz 10.5 9/5/2015
Citra (CY2015) 32oz 14.1 10/23/2015
Simcoe (CY2015) 16oz 13.3 10/23/2015
Tettnang GR 2oz 4.9 11/14/2015

 

[Vandulus]

I do partial extract brewing so I usually keep in stock:
Golden Light DME - 18+lb
Pilsner DME - 6+ lb
Wheat DME - 9+ lb

10L Caramel -4 lb
40L Caramel - 4 lb
Honey - 2 lb
Marris Otter - 6 lb
Vienna - 4 lb
Munich - 4 lb

These cover 80%+ of my typical grain bill and I buy the other specialities as needed.

 

[tgolanos]

I don't keep too much in stock due to having limited space in my house to store it all. I'm lucky enough though to have a supply store about 10 minutes driving from my house along with a few other LHBS locations within a 20-minute train ride.

I did just stock up for the holidays since most places will be closed or have heavily reduced hours. I've now got:
3kg Pilsner
3kg Pale Wheat
3kg Munich
2kg Vienna
1kg Melanoiden
300g Carapils (left over from previous brews)
2 packs of Mangrove Jack Bavarian Wheat Yeast
2 Packs S189 Lager Yeast
Various Hops

 

[govner1]

I keep a recipe or two in buckets w/ gamma lids.
My LHBS is only 6 miles away & rarely doesn't have what I need in stock. Great prices & unsurpassed grain mill if I need it, too!

 

[Calder]

My LHBS is 30 miles round trip;;;;;;;;;; assuming 50 cents a mile, that's $15 before I buy anything. Then there is tax. They are also more expensive than on-line. So I tend to buy 5 to 10 lbs of several specialty grains at a time too keep shipping costs down. I also buy base grains in sacks these days.

I have 175 lbs on hand

- 73 lbs of base malts
- 100 lbs of about 30 different specialty malts

I also buy hops in bulk. It is is really nice to be able to brew anything I want whenever I want.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

50 cents a mile is either terrible milage, gas prices or both. Prices in Chicago are ~2.10/gal. I get 22-25 mile/gal. So that's 9.5 cents per mile.... But I feel you. At a certain point it makes a lot more sense to buy online especially for hops and yeast.

 

[Gavin C]

A lot.

Stopped counting after 45 varieties and over 1,000 lbs. I brew a lot.

So much win in this picture.

Close the thread. @Tiber_brew takes the prize.

 

[Terek]

My LHBS is 30 miles round trip;;;;;;;;;; assuming 50 cents a mile, that's $15 before I buy anything. Then there is tax. They are also more expensive than on-line. So I tend to buy 5 to 10 lbs of several specialty grains at a time too keep shipping costs down. I also buy base grains in sacks these days.

I have 175 lbs on hand

- 73 lbs of base malts
- 100 lbs of about 30 different specialty malts

I also buy hops in bulk. It is is really nice to be able to brew anything I want whenever I want.

sounds like you need to open a store, and you about have enough on hand to do so

 

[Onkel_Udo]

50 cents a mile is either terrible milage, gas prices or both. Prices in Chicago are ~2.10/gal. I get 22-25 mile/gal. So that's 9.5 cents per mile.... But I feel you. At a certain point it makes a lot more sense to buy online especially for hops and yeast.

I think he was quoting mileage reimbursement rates even though they are currently at 57.5 cents/mile.

 

[Calder]

50 cents a mile is either terrible milage, gas prices or both. Prices in Chicago are ~2.10/gal. I get 22-25 mile/gal. So that's 9.5 cents per mile.... But I feel you. At a certain point it makes a lot more sense to buy online especially for hops and yeast.

Roll up how much it costs to run your car; gas, maintenance (oil, tires, services, repairs), and depreciation, and you will find it comes out somewhere around 50 cents a mile for your average car. I really don't know what mine is, could be 40 cents, or 60 cents for all I know - but it is more than just gas, and 50 cents is an easy number to work with. I mostly use it to figure out whether I should fly or drive for vacation.

Last time I filled up (earlier this week) I paid $1.61/gal at the local Sam's Club. Today I saw $1.73 today at a BP Station near me.

 

[arnobg]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

 

[cilestiok]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

Dollar store has small pet food shaker containers. I have ones that range in sizes from 4 pounds to about 12 pounds.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

I gallon ziplock freezer bags.

 

[Cider123]

I keep a modest pantry. 50lb bags of both MO and pilsner. Then about 10lbs of munich and vienna. Then a host of specialty malts ranging from 1-5 lbs. Too many to list.

I made the mistake of not putting the specialty grains in a ziplock and left them in tight, but not necessary airtight, bins. Now I'm thinking of dumping about 10lbs of various specialty malts that have been sitting in bins for about 2 years.

Bins are great, but I'll store the grains in ziplocks placed in the bins for now on. :smack:

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

free plastic buckets from the bakery. Clean it out and it's ready to go. Worse case scenario, I throw a garbage bag in there first if I don't like how the surface of the bucket looks.

 

[m00ps]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

I wont litter the thread with a bunch of photos, but I just keep mine in various large sized ziplocks. My sacks are just rolled and clipped with big binder clips. They keep for much longer than youd think when not milled. When I got back to my place after being gone for +4 months on what i guess id call a hiatus, the grains were still good to go in terms of freshness