Question about group buy concept

[radiogorillaz]

First, is this where they are organized or is that somewhere else in the forums?

I'm not an all-grain brewer yet but I'm hoping that changes Christmas day. 😉 If I wanted to buy a large quantity of a type of grain how do I research which kind that is. They are called base malts right? My assumption is that one would buy a large quantity of X malt and have that in every recipe. Am I assuming that correctly? Then say you want to brew a stout, I'd then go to my LHBS and buy the additional specialty grains?

I hope I'm understanding recipe formulation because I have not done that yet due to the nature of extract.

 

[b-boy]

Group buys tend to be regional. You need to find a home brew club or a group of people who run one a few times a year. I've bought from Buffalo group buys a few times. Last time I bought from a group buy in Pittsburgh, which is 4.5 hours away. finding one can be a challenge, but this is a good place to start.

They are worth it, but they are a lot of work for the guys who run them. We had one in Buffalo for a few years, but it's harder and harder to find them. Generally, you need someone with access to a loading dock. Also, you need to order by the pallet. It takes a lot of grain to fill a pallet. I think it's 42 sacks per pallet.

Generally, you'll save about half on grain. You usually have to buy full sacks (~50-55 lbs), or you can split sacks with other buyers. In some cases you can get hops and chemicals as well. The more you buy, the more you save. I generally just buy base malts like 2-row, Pearl, Maris Otter, or Munich. Specialty grains are often available, but I'll never use 50 lb of crystal 60, so I buy them at the LHBS.

Most base malts are fairly interchangeable, but they will impact the flavor of your beer. English malts tend to be a little breadier. US malts are a little cleaner. When in doubt, pick one you like and use it in most of your recipes. You can't go wrong with 2-row. I personally love Maris Otter and Pearl, but I like malty beers.

Hope that helps.

 

[radiogorillaz]

Yes that helps a ton. I also continued to look around on here and found the group buy section. I'll have to do more research on what I like by following a few recipes before landing on a base malt I like. I guess my question was super premature.

On the other hand, my dad is from Pittsburgh and I grew up in the Lehigh Valley. Sounds like you might live in PA.

 

[b-boy]

I live in Buffalo, NY. My family is originally from the Pittsburgh, PA area, so I'm there a lot. My parents, grandparents, and brother still live there. Otherwise I probably wouldn't do the drive to get grain. The gas would cost more than the $ I'd save. If I combine a visit with a grain buy, it's well worth it.

Good luck finding a local grain buy!