What's your fermentables inventory?

[Willy]

Back in the day, I worked prep sometimes at a very busy restaurant... And learned about keeping ingredients at the ready. And how much, how fast I used ingredients.

So, I do the same thing for beer making. My time frame is 3-4 months (full inventory to time reorder and bring the grains back to "par").
What is your brew house at par? (Meaning I can brew for 3-4 months or a different time frame. I know some order as needed but I brew too often for that) .

55 lbs local two row
30 lbs Breiss pilsner
35 lbs Breiss pale ale
30 lbs Simpsons golden promise
55 lbs Marris Otter
25 lbs Brown Ale
12 lbs caro 40
10 lbs caro 60
7 lbs honey malt
15 Munich (11 L°)
15 Vienna
10 lbs chocolate
10 lbs coffee malt
3 lbs super dark roast (450-500 L°)
6 lbs acidulated malt
6 lbs melanoidin

I am still tweaking the list and averaging what I used and what I need so I don't run out of have. That said... I do usually brew a batch - what I got left beer - because it's a fun experiment making something from what you got.

 

[day_trippr]

According to BeerSmith3 this is what I have on hand this morning.
Lots of leftovers for sure

92 lbs Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess)
105 lbs Pale Ale, Golden Promise (Simpsons)
95 lbs Pilsner (Weyermann)

6 lbs Barley, Flaked
6 lbs Black (Patent) Malt (Crisp)
1 lbs Black Barley (Briess)
1 lbs Caraamber (Weyermann)
4 lbs Carafoam (Weyermann)
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt 60L
12.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt 170L
2 lbs Carapils Malt (Briess)
6 lbs Chocolate Malt (Crisp)
8 lbs Corn, Flaked
1 lbs Crystal 40 Malt (Great Western)
1 lbs Crystal, Medium (Simpsons)
4 lbs Honey Malt (Gambrinus)
2 lbs Light Munich Malt (Crisp)
3 lbs Oats, Golden Naked®™ (Simpsons)
8 lbs Oats, Malted Grain
1 lbs Roasted Barley (Briess)
1 lbs Victory Malt (Briess)
10 lbs White Wheat Malt

Cheers!

 

[DBhomebrew]

Sack each of UK pale, UK Vienna
1# each C65, Chocolate, Black
Turbinado sugar
^90% of my beers

Some flaked corn
Some wheat malt, maybe a few other things.

 

[Willy]

According to BeerSmith3 this is what I have on hand this morning.
Lots of leftovers for sure

92 lbs Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess)
105 lbs Pale Ale, Golden Promise (Simpsons)
95 lbs Pilsner (Weyermann)

6 lbs Barley, Flaked
6 lbs Black (Patent) Malt (Crisp)
1 lbs Black Barley (Briess)
1 lbs Caraamber (Weyermann)
4 lbs Carafoam (Weyermann)
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt 60L
12.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt 170L
2 lbs Carapils Malt (Briess)
6 lbs Chocolate Malt (Crisp)
8 lbs Corn, Flaked
1 lbs Crystal 40 Malt (Great Western)
1 lbs Crystal, Medium (Simpsons)
4 lbs Honey Malt (Gambrinus)
2 lbs Light Munich Malt (Crisp)
3 lbs Oats, Golden Naked®™ (Simpsons)
8 lbs Oats, Malted Grain
1 lbs Roasted Barley (Briess)
1 lbs Victory Malt (Briess)
10 lbs White Wheat Malt

Cheers!

Oops. I forgot - flaked corn, flaked oats, carapils, Viking 100.

 

[Lampy]

92 lbs Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess)
105 lbs Pale Ale, Golden Promise (Simpsons)
95 lbs Pilsner (Weyermann)

Meanwhile, I am making 1-2gal batches and don't own a mill, so I usually have about 10-12lbs total of milled grains in sealed bags (1 bag per recipe)!

 

[mac_1103]

Enough 2-row for a couple of mid-gravity SMaSH ales. A few random specialty grains. A little flaked wheat and a couple of pounds of flaked corn. I don't have to worry about keeping a lot of inventory on hand since I live 7 miles from a local maltster that has a walk-in retail store.

 

[Deadalus]

I worked in restaurants in my younger days too. I only did some prep if I was working day shift but I know the storage system. I usually keep about 1-3 lbs each of the specialty malts on the top two shelves, with some larger amounts of Vienna, Munich, and white wheat in the round cambros (~5 lbs). Also some raw barley, whole oats, malted rye, and rice hulls. Then on the bottom I keep a sack of pilsner, Briess Brewers malt, and Maris Otter. A 55lb sack will just about split into two five gallon buckets. I like having the grains well stocked so that I just have to focus on the hops when planning near future brews. Whatever recipes I brew I try to keep those grains in stock. I've stopped taking the grains out of the bags too if I can fit them in the containers but I can't leave them in bags because of the occasional mouse.

 

[Willy]

Meanwhile, I am making 1-2gal batches and don't own a mill, so I usually have about 10-12lbs total of milled grains in sealed bags (1 bag per recipe)!

We were all there at one time brother. Then... Once you start making great beer and tweaking "what you like"... It's over. Time for a few hundred pounds of inventory.

 

[Willy]

Enough 2-row for a couple of mid-gravity SMaSH ales. A few random specialty grains. A little flaked wheat and a couple of pounds of flaked corn. I don't have to worry about keeping a lot of inventory on hand since I live 7 miles from a local maltster that has a walk-in retail store.

Lucky you. My malthouse is about 50 min away - and no LHBS which is sad.

 

[Bramling Cross]

Ideally, I want to use up every grain I buy within 24 months. Although this doesn't always work, I've found that classifying my fermentables as either 55lb sack, 5lb bag, or 1lb bag purchases helps to effect this goal. Also, I label everything that I buy with a date so that I can track its age.

I used to keep a much more expansive "grain library," but I've put a lot of effort into making certain that the grain that I stock supports the portfolio of beers that I brew. At this point, I know the styles that I like and the grains necessary to brew them. I've also learned to stop "oh, this looks interesting" purchases. It cuts down on the amount of times I find myself scratching my head and wondering, "What the hell was I going to do with this?"

I can brew something like 95% of my recipes with the following:

55lb sacks
Otter/G. Promise
German Pils
US 2row (currently using Montana select, it tastes like all the others but it's a lot cheaper)

5lb bags:
Munich and Light Munich
UK Brown malt
Flaked Rice (currently too stupidly expensive, so I use store brand instant rice)
Flaked Corn (currently costs more than German Pils malt, so I use corn flour)
Vienna Malt
Wheat, malted or flaked

1lb bags
Roast barley/black malt/Midnight Wheat
UK chocolate malts (regular and light)
UK Amber Malt
UK crystal malt (light, medium, and dark)
German caramalts
US crystal 20 and 40
Store brand instant oatmeal
Melanoiden
Biscuit

Invert Sugars
I make full batches of #1, #2, and #3 from 4lb sacks of cane sugar.

 

[Willy]

This is my winter storage. In the summer, I move what I can to a fridge in the garage.

 

[madscientist451]

You guys are way more organized than me. I estimate I have about 150 lbs of 2 row, wheat malt rye malt and oat malt. Add to that another 100 lbs of specialty malts, flaked corn and rice. All stored in 5 gallon buckets with labels saying what’s inside. Probably at least 20 different specialty malts. When I run low on something I just order some more. I try to keep on hand enough variety so I can brew whatever I want. I also keep a large supply of specialty sugars, spices and similar items. Next up: a dark Saison, but can’t decide what yeast.

 

[MaxStout]

I keep track of supplies in a spreadsheet. What I have now is a hodge-podge. I have enough specialty grains to make some brews once I re-stock base malts.

2 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
1 lb. Crisp Maris Otter
3 lbs. Weyermann Barke Munich I
1 lb. Special B
1 lb. CaraPils
1 lb. Crisp Crystal 60L
1 lb. Melanoidin
1 lb. Acid Malt
4 oz. Bairds Roasted Barley 500L
1 lb. Weyermann De-husked Carafa III
1 lb. Flaked Barley
8 oz. Torrified Wheat
1.5 lbs. Rice Hulls

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Rite Brew is just down the road from me so I try not to keep much stock. I did buy several full bags when a home brew store closed, great deal I couldn't pass up.

Honey malt, bag
Vienna malt, bag
Aromatic malt, bag
Pale Ale, 20#
Biscuit malt, 10#

Plus lots of smaller bagged malts

 

[madscientist451]

This post moved to where it was supposed to go, sorry everyone….

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Eventually, all the gas tax will go from per gallon on gas to per mile actually driven. California is reportedly thinking about 30 cents a mile, which is way above what they get from the gas tax. Will other states follow California’s lead? Will this have any impact on a decision to go electric or not?
https://gosuits.com/blog/california-spearheads-pilot-testing-for-per-mile-tax-system/

Not sure how this relates to the topic of this thread. Maybe states will try taxing our fermented home brew.

 

[mac_1103]

Not sure how this relates to the topic of this thread.

Maybe it was supposed to go in the EV thread.

 

[madscientist451]

Yeah I messed up, sorry

 

[crazyjake19]

I always try to keep around 20 lb each of pilsner and pale base malt on hand. Usually 10 lb of white wheat, 5-10 lb each of Munich and Vienna, and 1-2 lb of things like chocolate, pale chocolate, roasted barley, Special B, Biscuit/Victory/Cookie, honey malt, lactose, and probably a few others I'm forgetting.