How much grain do you have in stock?

[Jaybird]

WOW!!! You guys are NUTS! Or you brew like crazy and I am envious for sure! Before I started the brew store I would have at most 70# of grain on hand and at most 2# of hops and at the VERY most 3 types of yeast, washed and ready to use..



I now keep about 8000# of base grain and 2000-3000# of specialty grain on hand

 

[packet]

Up to ~600lbs after the latest shopping spree at brew brothers. Using it as fast as my fermenters will allow though.

 

[Haputanlas]

~150lbs. Not too much, but I will definitely be increasing this soon.

 

[grathan]

WOW!!! You guys are NUTS! Or you brew like crazy and I am envious for sure! Before I started the brew store I would have at most 70# of grain on hand and at most 2# of hops and at the VERY most 3 types of yeast, washed and ready to use..



I now keep about 8000# of base grain and 2000-3000# of specialty grain on hand

Is there any way to tell how fresh a closed sack is by looking at it?

 

[kh54s10]

Wow! I am feeling small and insignificant. I am down to about 75 lbs. Though I have about 20 varieties of hops from 1 ounce to about a pound and I have 10 or 11 varieties of yeast, dry and frozen.

About time for a trip to the lhbs or an online order for more grain.

 

[tripplehazzard]

Is there ever any bulk grain buys in here?

 

[brewkinger]

Is there ever any bulk grain buys in here?

All the time. Look down on the home page and I believe there is a sub forum titled group buys

 

[porterguy]

I usually join a group buy to get 50 or 55lb bags of base grains. 2-row, Maris Otter, Pilsener, Munich, and wheat. other grains I usually buy anywhere from 2-5 lbs at a time, depending on frequency of use. Probably no more than 200-250 lbs at any one time.

 

[kal]

WOW!!! You guys are NUTS! Or you brew like crazy and I am envious for sure! Before I started the brew store I would have at most 70# of grain on hand and at most 2# of hops and at the VERY most 3 types of yeast, washed and ready to use..

That's definitely the way to do it (especially for grain). I've been trying to reduce the amount of base malt I keep on hand (2-row, maris otter, pilsner, etc) as fresher is better. Some of the higher Lovibond crystal I don't mind keeping for a while but for the base stuff I'm trying to have it used up within a year, and that's with keeping it nicely sealed:

Kal

 

[BxBrewer]

This is one of the biggest down falls for me going to all grain. Storage space and time. I don't have enough room to store even 50lbs much less a couple o hundred.

 

[firerat]

This is one of the biggest down falls for me going to all grain. Storage space and time. I don't have enough room to store even 50lbs much less a couple o hundred.

I hear that man.

I hardly have enough room to store my equipment as it is.

 

[jflongo]

Just go to lowes, and pick up cheap buckets, and stack them.

 

[dpatrickv]

4 Ounces American - Roasted Barley
10 Ounces United Kingdom - Pale Chocolate
10 Ounces American - Caramel / Crystal 90L
13 Ounces American - Victory
13 Ounces Belgian - Biscuit
13 Ounces United Kingdom
1 Pound American - Caramel / Crystal 60L
1 Pound German - Melanoidin
1 Pound United Kingdom - Cara Malt
2 Pounds German - Carafa III
2 Pounds American - Rye
3 Pounds Belgian - Special B
4.5 Pounds Belgian - Aromatic
5 Pounds German - CaraMunich I
5 Pounds Flaked Wheat
13 Pounds United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale
15 Pounds American - White Wheat
15 Pounds Rice Hulls
35 Pounds German - Vienna
36 Pounds Canadian - Munich Light
49 Pounds American - Pale 2-Row
55 Pounds Canadian - Pale 2-Row
55 Pounds American - Pilsner

I also have about 8lbs of hops laying around in the freezer currently.

 

[tre9er]

I also have about 8lbs of hops laying around in the freezer currently.

Damn dude, the whole inventory and what not. What hops? I am tired of paying shipping or overpaying for hops with free shipping...I need some more citrusy hops, cascade, amarillo, etc. I have some Willamette that I'm not terribly fond of...

Maybe we should do a hop-trade...?

 

[CaribouBrewmasters]

Vienna
Munich (4 different lovibonds)
2-row pale
Superior Pilsener
Chocolate
Roasted Barley
Carapils
Carahell
Carastan
Honey
Golden Promise
Brown
Black Patent
Crystal 10-165
Peated
Rauch
Belgo-Frances Aromatic
flaked barley
oats
flaked maize
Carafa type II
Melanoiden
...I'm probably missing a few. At least 5-10 lbs of each...if not more.

Hops inventory is a whole nother massive list. Haha

 

[kal]

Hops are my downfall. I have approximately 45 lbs of hops in the freezer. At least they'll last longer than malt!

Kal

 

[grathan]

Hops are my downfall. I have approximately 45 lbs of hops in the freezer. At least they'll last longer than malt!

Kal

]

Ahh so you've personally been causing the hop shortages I've been running into lately. WHat's the story on the malt not lasting? I seem to experience the opposite where my hops degrade, but the malt seems ok.

 

[kal]

What's the story on the malt not lasting? I seem to experience the opposite where my hops degrade, but the malt seems ok.

Malt is (has to be) stored at room temp and degrades faster than hops stored in a freezer at 0F (the way that hops should be stored).

Even in airtight containers malt is usually exposed to oxygen so it ages faster than pellet hops that are compressed and often kept under seal in oxygen barrier seal (like foodsaver bags).

Think of malt like bread - it starts degrading the day it's kilned. I've tasted 1-2 year old crystal malt and while it make taste 'fine', when I compare to the same malt I just bought fresh, the difference is noticeable. Exactly what you'd find between 1 hour old freshly baked bread vs. 2 day old. (for example).

Kal

 

[grathan]

I don't think malt is like bread. The moisture content of bread is maybe 30-40% and it appears stale because moisture has left. Malt on the other hand is kiln dried to maybe %3 and when its used a whole bunch of water gets added back in. The effects of oxygen on kilned malt don't seem similar to that of hops at all. If your talking nitrogen flushed, vacuum sealed and never opened hops that don't see any oxygen over time perhaps, but if you open the container at all the hops are doomed.


I am curious about malt aging. I have a 3 year old sack of malt I am gonna experiment with in the near future. My first batch is gonna be a barleywine which is also gonna use a 4 year old can of Alexanders malt syrup.

 

[kal]

Ok, maybe bread isn't the best analogy. I suggest tasting fresh malt vs malt that is 2-3 years old and to see for yourself how the older malt doesn't taste as 'fresh'.

I buy my hops in bulk and then re-package and seal them up in 1-4 oz foodsaver pouches where most of the atmosphere has been removed, so that they don't get re-opened and closed continously.They're one time use packaging. They're also kept in the freezer which helps slow down aging. Here's an example:

(I do the same repackaging for some dry yeasts which I also buy in bulk).

I'm finding that malt that is 1-2 years old is not as good as fresh malt even though I've stored it in bins sealed with watertight/airtight Gamma seal lids, while hops that are 1-2 years old stored in individual atmosphere depleted pouches stored at 0F are still great.

YMMV!

Kal

 

[grathan]

Is your malt also vacuum sealed?

 

[kal]

No. That would certainly help but would go through a lot of foodsaver bags.

Kal

 

[grathan]

I'm not convinced that oxygen degrades malt. A lot of malsters ship their grains in bags that freely breathe. You would think a controled atmosphere would be in order if it mattered much.

 

[kal]

No. That would certainly help but would go through a lot of foodsaver bags.

Kal

 

[DrunkleJon]

I don't think malt is like bread. The moisture content of bread is maybe 30-40% and it appears stale because moisture has left. Malt on the other hand is kiln dried to maybe %3 and when its used a whole bunch of water gets added back in. The effects of oxygen on kilned malt don't seem similar to that of hops at all. If your talking nitrogen flushed, vacuum sealed and never opened hops that don't see any oxygen over time perhaps, but if you open the container at all the hops are doomed.


I am curious about malt aging. I have a 3 year old sack of malt I am gonna experiment with in the near future. My first batch is gonna be a barleywine which is also gonna use a 4 year old can of Alexanders malt syrup.

I am going to "well, actually..." you on this one. Bread goes stale when its moisture content increases, not decreases.

 

[grathan]

I am going to "well, actually..." you on this one. Bread goes stale when its moisture content increases, not decreases.

Hey you could be right. Are you referring to mold and bacteria growth? Dried out bread can be considered stale in my household (try leaving a piece on the counter overnight). The same can happen to grain (mold, bacteria) which is why I suspect some malsters leave their bags breathable.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Nope. I am referring to bread getting hard or "stale" when moisture is absorbed andcauses the crystallization of starch granules. See: http://kitchen-myths.com/2011/11/19/myth-bread-becomes-stale-by-drying-out/

 

[Channel66]

I've got 87 lbs of pilsner
50 lb 2 row domestic
43 lb maris otter
10 C40
8 C60
5 C90
10 special b
25 wheat malt
5 C-pils
5 acidulated
5 flaked wheat
10 debittered black
23 Vienna

Running low on pils. I brew mostly Belgians.

I've got a bunch of other specialties that are under a lb. And these are just the beersmith approximations based on my grain stores and what I've brewed. I like to keep an accurate inventory

Hops I have a lot of. And yeast slants? I keep slants of all the yeasts I use, haven't bought yeast in awhile.

 

[grathan]

Nope. I am referring to bread getting hard or "stale" when moisture is absorbed andcauses the crystallization of starch granules. See: http://kitchen-myths.com/2011/11/19/myth-bread-becomes-stale-by-drying-out/

Ah neat. Could you speculate if a similar effect is possible grain?

 

[hio3791]

124 lbs 2row
16 lbs Pilsner
15 lbs Vienna
14 lbs C10
5 lbs C60
2 lbs Biscuit
2 lbs Carapils
2 lbs Flaked Barley
2 lbs Flaked Corn
2 lbs Dextrose
1 lb each of: C120, Roasted Barley, Munich and Rice Hulls
Aprox 3 lbs of hops (Centennial, Chinook, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, Kent Golding and Tettnang)
6 US05
4 US04
2 Notty
1 Montrachet

Recent group buy got me stocked up on the bulk items and I just placed an order today for the smaller stuff. Should be good through the winter!

Planning to brew 10 gal batches of Bee Cave House APA, Centennial Blonde, Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale, SNCA, Irish Red, Munich Helles (ale style), 5 gal of Apfelwein and still have enough ingredients to brew something without much planning.