Looking to buy grains in bulk, what should I stock up on and how should they be store

[guitarguy6]

Good day folks, my friend and I just got into all grain brewing and we're looking to stock up on bulk grains to lower our brew costs. I'm not sure how it is in the USA but out here in Canada buying in 5 or 22KG sacks reduce the cost or grain by %50 or more. For instance I just picked up 10KG of 6 row for $22 whereas I used to pay $5 per KG, 2 row 22KG is $40 or $3 per KG etc So my question is if we're brewing mostly ales (red, brown, IPA,) and some lagers what grains should we stock up on? I was thinking:
pale ale 22KG $40
6 row 10KG $22
2 row 50LB $40
crystal malt 10L 5KG $18 (22KG is $55)
crystal malt 40L 5KG $18 (22KG is $55)
crystal malt 60L 5KG $18 (22KG is $55)

Anything else I'm forgetting? Also what's the best way to store them and how long do they stay fresh if they're unmilled? I read that home depot buckets are a good choice. Same question for storing hops. Should I store them in the freezer? If I purchase by the pound the cost goes from $2-3 per OZ down to $1.50.

 

[Malticulous]

If you store it in a cool dry place it will last a year or more (after all it's only harvested once a year.)

Hops get vacuum packed in the freezer.

I like those 10 kg sacks. It would be nice for Munich and such. There is no way I'd want to buy crystal malts be the 50lb sack. It's just too much. Base malts only.

 

[thefost]

Nice! My go-to bulk grains are 2-row, maris otter, and pilsner.

I store my grains in 5 gallon food grade buckets in my closet. I flush the buckets with co2 and sometimes add an oxygen absorber to make sure the weevils in there don't hatch.

Like the above person says, vacuum seal the hops and stick them in the freezer, as cold as possible. Again, I flush with co2 first for an extra layer of protection. Half my hops are in vacuum sealed bags, and half in vacuum sealed mason jars.

 

[guitarguy6]

Thanks for the info. The only reason I'm buying the Crystal malts is because they're on sale right now. We will be brewing at least on 5 gallon batch every week so we should be going through these grains fairly quickly.

 

[guitarguy6]

So far I have 2 pounds of hops that I separated into 2 ounce and 1 ounce packets that I vacuum sealed. If I keep them in the freezer how long will they stay fresh?

 

[acidrain]

So far I have 2 pounds of hops that I separated into 2 ounce and 1 ounce packets that I vacuum sealed. If I keep them in the freezer how long will they stay fresh?

I'm still using last year's hops that have been vacuum sealed and frozen. no issues what-so-ever.
On the other hand, the hops that I don't particularly use much, I gave away.

 

[guitarguy6]

Good to know. I'm thinking the longest the hops will be stored is 6-8 months tops

 

[Hamaki]

I use a lot of wheat, so I buy that in bulk also. Keep the grain cool, dry, and away from gnawing rodents who will chew through a plastic container if they can get to it.

 

[eelgerg]

Hey I am interested in where you buy your grains from in Canada. Looking to do this as well and shipping probably ain't cheap to send 100 lbs of grains anywhere. I am located in Kamloops. P.s. This is my first post!!!!!

 

[guitarguy6]

I deal locally with Brewersdirect.

 

[pigroaster]

If you live in Ontario, Canada, contact me and I will provide a source list that works for me.

 

[byrone]

I live in Ontario(Niagara Region) and the best prices I've seen(in Canada) has been from ontariobeerkegs. I haven't bought from them only because I don't want to pay the shipping prices(outrageous shipping costs that we pay in Canada) but they have some good prices. If you have to ship you check them out.

 

[eelgerg]

I live in BC (Kamloops) and the only source I have in the west is Hopdawgs.ca. I can't even see any retailers in Vancouver except Bosa foods (overpriced) and some others with poor web presence. Hopdawgs is a 1hr drive away, but from what I can see, they don't sell much in large quantities. Maybe I can work directly with them on special orders.

I must preface this by saying I have yet to brew my first AG batch - been researching for 3 months and building my system. Soon to flip the switch!

 

[Hamaki]

Have you considered contacting a local microbrewery to see if you can get in on one of their orders? If you stop in & have a pint or two you might be able to get to know them and work something out where you get a good deal and maybe they make a small profit.

 

[eelgerg]

Good idea. There are two here that I could probably hit up for something like that.

 

[b-boy]

I buy 2-row, pilsner, Maris Otter, and Pearl in bulk. Everything else I buy by the pound either locally or I have it shipped.

I use food grade homer buckets with Gamma Lids for storage. I keep all my grain in my basement.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

....., and half in vacuum sealed mason jars.

How do you go about vaccuum sealing a mason jar? The only method I am familiar with involves vegetables that are cooked, and the jar is closed containing hot liquid then cooled to form the vaccuum. Not sure I would want to pack my hops in water.

 

[thefost]

Definitely don't store hops in hot liquid!

I have a food save vacuum sealer that has a mason jar attatchment that looks like this:

It will create a vacuum and seal the mason jar real fast. Its great for hops because I can open it and re-seal it again and again. For added protection I usually flush the canister with CO2 before sealing.

Using an electronic vacuum sealer is the easiest way, but I think there are also some hand pumps out there that will do the same thing for cheaper.

Got the idea from here:
http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/08/2012-hop-harvest-storage-tricks.html

The only downside is the jars take up a bit more space in your freezer.

How do you go about vaccuum sealing a mason jar? The only method I am familiar with involves vegetables that are cooked, and the jar is closed containing hot liquid then cooled to form the vaccuum. Not sure I would want to pack my hops in water.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

oh my, we certainly like our gadgets, don't we? seriously, thanks for the photo. I never knew such a device existed. As I was tapping out this reply a thought occured to me: Could I put the empty jar in a hot water bath to heat the air, then remove it, pour in the hops and quickly close it to acheive a vaccuum without the equipment? I have a couple extra jars and some hopps I'm planning on throwing away, maybe I'll give it a try

 

[j1n]

Hops, buy by the pound and vacuum seal 1oz each after you open the big 1lb bag.

Grains, you should look to see if there is a local Group Buy for your area in the GB forum. We typically split bags of grains that you wouldn't want 55lbs of. Like a typical split would be 4-5 people splitting a 55lb sac of crystal grains. I store mine in food grade buckets i got for free from a HBT member that's part of our local GB.