Bulk Grains

Where is the best place to buy bulk grains???

Shipping typically makes buying bulk grain online cost prohibitive, so the best place to buy bulk grains is usually your local homebrew shop.

If you scroll down on the forum home page, you will find a sub topic titled "GROUP BUYS"

Depending on your location, if there is a group buy in your general area this is where you will find it.
Sometimes it means driving a decent distance to get to the pickup spot, but for around 60 cents / pound it is a considerable savings over the prices that LHBS charges. (Mine is 1.89/#)

Another alternative is to work out a deal with LHBS. Mine was willing to add my occasional order on to theirs and charge me 10% over cost. Pretty simple decision on their part, as they were getting the grain anyway and did not want to lose my business.

brewkinger said:

If you scroll down on the forum home page, you will find a sub topic titled "GROUP BUYS"

Depending on your location, if there is a group buy in your general area this is where you will find it.
Sometimes it means driving a decent distance to get to the pickup spot, but for around 60 cents / pound it is a considerable savings over the prices that LHBS charges. (Mine is 1.89/#)

Another alternative is to work out a deal with LHBS. Mine was willing to add my occasional order on to theirs and charge me 10% over cost. Pretty simple decision on their part, as they were getting the grain anyway and did not want to lose my business.

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Your LHBS doesn't give better deals on bulk grain for everyone? The two LHBS's in my area charge around the $1.89 per pound for normal quantities but charge between $40 and $50 for a 50 to 55 lb bag of standard base grain (e.g., 2-Row Brewer's, Pilsner, and Munich malts).

rklinck said:

Your LHBS doesn't give better deals on bulk grain for everyone? The two LHBS's in my area charge around the $1.89 per pound for normal quantities but charge between $40 and $50 for a 50 to 55 lb bag of standard base grain (e.g., 2-Row Brewer's, Pilsner, and Munich malts).

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I would surmise that they do it for everyone given that they do it for me.
They are a great HBS and are willing to give a little to get a little.

As a show of respect and gratitude, I will often purchase other materials from them instead of online.

All the LHBS in my area give some kind of deal on buying full bags. Usually between $50 and $60 for a bag of Briess 2-Row. Some will mill part of it for you, only mill the whole thing, or won't mill it at all.

There are larger bulk buys, you'll see them on the forums here. I took that pricing sheet, when to my favorite LHBS shop and asked, "Hey, I don't want to be 'that guy' but I have a chance here to buy 6 bags at a great deal, can we work something out? I know you are a business and need to make money but I'd like to give my money to you"

He took out his pricing sheet, sold it to me at his cost + $20 and was happy that I came to him, he wants my business (I buy everything I can from him and we trade beers.) Now the question is, what to do with 6 sacks of grain. Best way to store that?

I use these:

http://www.petco.com/product/9799/Gamma-Vittles-Vault-Stackables.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

The 60lb ones can fit 75lbs of grain if you tilt them. Another way to save some cash is to buy the most common hop you use by the pound. For some hops in my area it cuts the price by more than half.

How long do the grains stay fresh for in that sort of container? I've thought about getting bulk grains but I only brew every other month or so.

Enoch52 said:

How long do the grains stay fresh for in that sort of container? I've thought about getting bulk grains but I only brew every other month or so.

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I use a similar kind of container (with a sealed lead) and I usually have to refill the containers for wheat and munich no more than once a year, and it keeps fresh just fine.

How long do the grains stay fresh for in that sort of container? I've thought about getting bulk grains but I only brew every other month or so.

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If you get your own mill and store your grains in airtight, waterproof containers unmilled, they stay fresh somewhere on the order of 6-8 months.

Under the same conditions, milled grain stays fresh closer to 3-4 months.

I have a mill, buy wheat malt, pilsner malt, and two-row in bulk unmilled, and split each with a guy I brew with. I brew about 25 batches a year, and go through most of those 75+ lbs of grain about every 2 months or so.

My LHBS sells 50 lb bags of two row for $38, pilsner for $42, and wheat for $44, which equates to about 50% of their per pound prices.

Also, note that both Home Depot and Lowes sell gamma seal lids for about $10 that perfectly fit their generic 5 gallon paint buckets at $4. So for $14, you get a airtight, watertight, crittertight container that holds about 25lbs, or a 1/2 bag, of bulk grain.

I don't wash yeast or typically buy hops in bulk (maybe a pound of Cascade once a year), and I have almost all of my 5.5 gallon recipes down to the $20-25 range just buying bulk base grain.

Good luck!

I get 50 lb sacks of Rahr 2-Row or Pilsner (local maltster) for $35. Their pale ale goes for $37. Since its very heavy to ship, I usually drive the 30 miles round trip from work to pick it up.