When does bulk grain make sense?

[jerrodm]

I brew about 15-17 5 gal. batches per year. Living in an apartment, I haven't been able to store bulk grain, but we're moving to a house with a freestanding garage (read brew cave), so the question now presents itself to me: how much beer do I need to brew in order to make bulk grain purchases worthwhile? I definitely won't be needing a fifty lb. sack of chocolate malt or crystal 60, but I could see having a couple bins with different base malts--American 2-row, Maris Otter, etc. around. I'm just worried that I might not use it up fast enough and it would go bad, not be fresh enough or whatever.

What do people think? How fast should I go through a 50 lb. sack of base malt in order to make it worth the savings? My guess is that I'll be brewing more often in my new digs, but I probably won't go over 20 batches per year.

 

[sarsnik]

Buying a sack almost always makes sense. The grain lasts a year after it is packaged. Keep it in a plastic tub to prevent rodents from getting free snacks.

Most 5 Gallon recipes use ~10 lb of base malt. So a bag is going to last you 5 batches, or a third of your brewing year. I would get 2 row and marris bags. Then just buy a few 1lb bags of other specialty malts and you'll be set.

Chances are, you'll be brewing more often when you have the ingredients on hand, especially with the dedicated space you'll have.

 

[jerrodm]

Thanks sarsnik. I worry a little about the storage temp for the grains--winter's no problem, but summer here (DC area) gets awfully hot/humid, and I don't have a temp controlled place to keep them. The basement's probably as good as it will get, and I think it will be up to around 80 degrees in summer. Will the grain be ok for 3-4 months in that environment?

 

[Obliviousbrew]

I buy 25kilo bags for my base malts and 5 kilos bags for the special grains only once y bought a one kilo bag

 

[jerrodm]

Oblivious, how much are you brewing a year? How long does it take you to go through a 25 kilo sack? Do you ever have issues with grain quality from hanging on to grain for too long?

 

[Obliviousbrew]

I brew often 1 or 2 times a week. But I don't think your are going to have any problems keeping grain stored for about a year. I went trough a 25 kilo bag last month plus the speciality grains

 

[OlieNH]

I am doing 10-15 gallons batches now and since I can only brew about one a month, I have been doing double batches on brew day. I could definitely get the use out of some sacks of grain, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I think between washing and slanting yeast and buying grains in bulk, I could start saving a lot of money in my beer-making.

 

[Obliviousbrew]

I am doing 10-15 gallons batches now and since I can only brew about one a month, I have been doing double batches on brew day. I could definitely get the use out of some sacks of grain, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I think between washing and slanting yeast and buying grains in bulk, I could start saving a lot of money in my beer-making.

I tell you it saves me a lot of money, next month purchase: Maris otter, Bohemiam pilsner a wheat (25 kilos each) plus all the crystal, chocolate, carapils, black patent, and others that I still have I will be covered for winter

 

[Brewsncrabs]

Check out the MD DC group buy thread for their next purchase. When buying bulk the price gets so low you can probably throw some away and still come out ahead.

 

[jerrodm]

Will do, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[BrewerinBR]

Once I had a dedicated space for brewing the amount I brew went up, way up. To the point that I added fermenters so I could keep a four week rotation. I buy base malt in 50lbs sacks all the time now (use about 1 every 45 days or so) and most everything else in 25lb bags except for some special things I use for special brews or experiments. I store it in plastic tubs that seal very well and basement temps are pretty good at keeping it fresh as long as the basement is dry. Some basements can get very damp when it gets humid out so you need to watch that in the summer. Yes there can be some significant savings buying in bulk.

 

[djt17]

I only brew once a month (5gal). I have been buying 50 lb sacks of 2-row for a few years now. Depending on the types of beer I brew, 1 sack lasts about 6 months. I store in 5 gal buckets w/lids on my basement floor. Stays fresh.

 

[wSelwyn]

Buying bulk grain makes the most sense when you have a way to crush it. As I still live with the parentals, and space is an issue (not really, but my dad likes an empty-ish basement), I havn't gone to bulk grain or my own crusher. One day...

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Not to pimp a local brew shop too much, but not sure if any other brew shops do this.
http://www.brewbrothers.biz/

They have whats called a virtual grain bag. You buy the grain at bulk bag prices, and then whenever you order off of their website, they pull from your "virtual" bag and ship it to you. So your getting always fresh grain at bulk pricing without having to deal with storage. They will even mill it for you for free before sending it.

Something like this may be a good option if you live in an apartment and cant store grains. Then again shipping 10+ pounds could get expensive? Dunno.

 

[duckmanco]

I brew once or twice every two weeks or so, and due to space constraints, and not wanting to buy a mill, I've been picking up all my recipes from the local. Their crush is quite good, and with the massive selection of malt, if I bought in bulk, I'd feel the pressure to "use up some of my malt" rather than trying different base malts or specialty malts. Someday in the future I'll buy a mill and keep sacks or marris, golden promise and base 2 row, but for now, I don't mind picking up malt by the recipe.

 

[Xpertskir]

I received my barley crusher yesterday and today I bought 5 sacks of 2 row my not so lhbs said I I bought 5 I would get 20% off. I'm placing an order with more beer for 3-10 lbs of a bunch of Specialty grains tomorrow cause it's far cheaper than the aforementioned store.

Between my yeast ranching and bulk hops I can brew what I want, when I want and if the apocalypse hits at least I'll be drunk.