Question about grains

[boomtown25]

I apologize ahead if this question comes out too vague. I have fallen in love with brewing beer, I have done a batch every week for the past four weeks and have passed up going out on several occasions to stay in and brew alone (with the assistant brewmaster, Pinot the 4 lb Chihuahua). I am getting ready to step it up to Partial and AG brew on the stove and recently saw where someone said buying grain in bulk saves money. I plan on starting to use only dry yeast or begin to wash and store my other yeast strains so I do not have to pay 8 bucks every time. From what I have read, a batch that calls for 10-12 lbs of grain can be easily under $20 this way. Unfortunately, there are no LHBS around my area so every time I order my kits or grains it costs and additional $7.95 (flat rate all you can ship) to ship it to me. This adds up. Just on shipping alone buying in bulk makes sense. I want to do my own recipes (maybe take a main recipe and tweak it to make my own), but I am simply not educated enough about the different kinds of grains and hops. Can someone tell me which ones would be smart to buy in bulk to save money? I basically like any beer out there, but like the Wits, Dunkels, and Amber ales the most. Thanks and sorry for the legnth!:rockin:

 

[sithspitt]

i buy hops in bulk from hopsdirect and buy 2 months worth of recipes( i make my own) from brewmasterswarehouse. they have $6.99 shipping. but there are plenty of other places out there to buy from.

 

[scottland]

2-row malt. aka Pale Malt. This is the bulk of pretty much every beer recipe. It accounts for usually at least 80%, more often than not, 90% of the recipe. Think of it as the replacement for your Malt Extract. It's relatively easy to find in 55# sacks. I buy from my LHBS for $45 a bag, but I would expect you could find it shipped for $60-70, which isn't bad.

The only thing buying 2-row limits you on is if you want to make a Pilsner, which is made with......drumroll.....pilsner malt =). Seriously thought, 19 out of 20 batches you make will likely use a lot of 2-row.

As for hops, I also buy hops from hopsdirect.com. Great quality, and killer prices. As for hops, that really depends on what kind of beers you like to make. American styles use lots of cascade, centennial, or columbus hops. English styles use hops like fuggles, goldings, target, or horizon. German and Belgian styles often use noble hops (Hallertau, Tettnanger, Spalt, and Saaz). So what hops you buy really depends on what beers you want to brew.

 

[TopherM]

Two row is "THE" base grain for most beers. If you are buying in bulk, that would be the one to get. However, note that grain is a perishable product, it doesn't keep forever. Plan on also investing in a air-tight rubbermaid container, which will keep it fresh for about 90 days, so you want to make sure you will use it all in that time frame. You can also get grain to stay fresh a little longer by storing in the fridge/freezer or in vacuum-seal bags.

Good luck!

 

[Chrisl77]

You defiantly want to buy a sack of base malt I keep atleast a sack of us 2-row on hand at all times. I would stick to buying smaller quantities of specialty grains. Look through the recipe section for the types of beer you like to make. You can get an idea about what specialty grains to keep on hand. Keep in mind that if you buy in bulk you need to buy a mill to crush the grains as well.

 

[Calder]

You want mainly 2-row for most recipes, and some specialty grains + hops.

Personally I'm looking for places to buy a sack of grains from locally, but have yet to find any. This is what I do:

I buy my grains from Rebel Brewer. Currently their 2-row is 89 cents a lb (+ shipping). I also buy everything else I want yeast, FermCap, Irish Moss, Sanitizer, etc as I need it from them. For every order I max out the cheap shipping weight, which is around 65 lbs. Yes shipping is higher than other places, and it runs somewhere around $17 for 67 lbs, but their prices for grains and other 'stuff' is generally cheaper, and I have consistently found them to be cheapest overall. Shipping works out around $0.35 cents a lb, so 2-row ends up being $1.25 per lb (equivalent to $68 for a 55 lb bag) - not the best, but not too bad.

Some (not all) of their specialty grains are a little pricey. In these cases I buy from my LHBS.

For hops I use HopsDirect and buy several lbs at a time. Kept in the freezer, they will keep for up to a couple of years without any problems. My costs for hops run around $0.65/ounce on average (some cheaper, some more expensive).

 

[Vance71975]

I apologize ahead if this question comes out too vague. I have fallen in love with brewing beer, I have done a batch every week for the past four weeks and have passed up going out on several occasions to stay in and brew alone (with the assistant brewmaster, Pinot the 4 lb Chihuahua). I am getting ready to step it up to Partial and AG brew on the stove and recently saw where someone said buying grain in bulk saves money. I plan on starting to use only dry yeast or begin to wash and store my other yeast strains so I do not have to pay 8 bucks every time. From what I have read, a batch that calls for 10-12 lbs of grain can be easily under $20 this way. Unfortunately, there are no LHBS around my area so every time I order my kits or grains it costs and additional $7.95 (flat rate all you can ship) to ship it to me. This adds up. Just on shipping alone buying in bulk makes sense. I want to do my own recipes (maybe take a main recipe and tweak it to make my own), but I am simply not educated enough about the different kinds of grains and hops. Can someone tell me which ones would be smart to buy in bulk to save money? I basically like any beer out there, but like the Wits, Dunkels, and Amber ales the most. Thanks and sorry for the legnth!:rockin:

Ok to buy in Bulk you will also need a Grain mill, and good dry storage for the grain to keep both pest animals and insects out.

the grains i would buy in bulk are Pale malt Of some type 2 row, 6 row, Marris otter, golden promise etc.(this is the base for most ales) Wheat Malt(for your wheat beers) and any specialty grains that you plan to use often(such as crystal malt,black malt,roasted barley,etc)

There is nothing wrong with dry yeast at all, in fact Nottingham Dry yeast is my Go To yeast for nearly everything, i love that yeast!

+1 on hops direct GREAT SITE.

 

[msa8967]

I keep most of my uncrushed grain in food grade white plastic buckets from Walmart. These cost $3 for a 5 gallon bucket and $1 for the lid. It takes two buckets to store a 50 lb grain sack. Store the grain in a dry cool place.

 

[boomtown25]

I just wanted to let everyone know that I was looking in my Northern Brewer magazine last night and you can get 50 lbs of Ruhr 2 row for $36.99. Their shipping is usually flat rate of $7.99 if this helps anyone. I will continue to check out other places to see if I can even beat that. Also, I live about 35 minutes from Lazy Magnolia Brewery in Kiln, MS. I may drive over there and see if they will sell me some grain and hops on the cheap. I know they are buying in far larger bulk than I am so maybe they wont mind helping out a local with a 50 lb sack for $25 bucks!

 

[msa8967]

Don't mean to dampen your enthusiasm for buying bulk grain but most online suppliers charge a premium for shipping 50-55 lb grain sacks. I checked the NB site and the larger sack of grain will not be covered in the flat shipping fee. It may be $20-$30 for shipping depending on delievery mode.

 

[emjay]

Don't mean to dampen your enthusiasm for buying bulk grain but most online suppliers charge a premium for shipping 50-55 lb grain sacks. I checked the NB site and the larger sack of grain will not be covered in the flat shipping fee. It may be $20-$30 for shipping depending on delievery mode.

Group buys are the best. I get 55lbs of 2-row for just over $20, all-in.

 

[sonex]

for bulk grain try www.fiftypoundsack.com. their prices include shipping. just buy base grains, for me that means 2-row (rahr) and pils malt (best). if kept in a air tight container not crushed they stay fresh for many months. as mentioned 5 gal buckets work well.

 

[emjay]

for bulk grain try www.fiftypoundsack.com. their prices include shipping. just buy base grains, for me that means 2-row (rahr) and pils malt (best). if kept in a air tight container not crushed they stay fresh for many months. as mentioned 5 gal buckets work well.

The lids that typically come with 5-gal buckets, even ones with the foam gaskets, are not truly airtight. I strongly recommend investing in some "Gamma Seal Lids', which are the same kind of lids used with Vittles Vault containers. They will keep your uncrushed grain fresh for *SEVERAL YEARS* easily, and the lack of moisture able to get in prevents problems with bugs like weevils.

I have 15 buckets with these lids, as each one fits a half-sack, and with group buys I am able to fill 2 buckets each with 2-row, pils, and wheat, as well as 1 bucket each (my club allows half-bags during buys) of Marris Otter, Vienna, and Munich. And then another 2 buckets for bulk DME. The other 4 I use for storing other grains I get from my LHBS in 5-lb amounts. I put them in zip-loc bags, label them, and then store the bags in the buckets to keep THEM nice and fresh as well.