Help me be thrifty - multiple base grains?

[Psych]

I want to buy some sacks of base grains and minimize or eliminate the amount of specialty grains I buy. I can get 55lb grain sacks for dirt cheap, so cheap that it makes me think spending a buck per pound on crystal malt is ridiculous.

I know I can roast my own specialty grains from base grains but not sure I'm wanting that time commitment. I can however buy Munich, Vienna, 2row, pilsner and ESB 2row from the local malting company in cheap 55lb sacks.

Can one buy a bag of 2 row, and a bag of munich, let's say, and effectively eliminate crystal malt from their shopping list? Would it provide a similar color/taste given the right proportions, to a crystal 20 or 40?

 

[Phunhog]

Not really sure why you would want to eliminate specialty grains...but you could just brew single malt beers. I don't see how cost comes into the equation. A five gallon batch of beer might have 2-3 lbs of specialty grains at most. At your prices, which are really good, you would save all of TWO DOLLARS by not using specialty grains. I buy all my base grain in bulk but buy any specialty grains at the LHBS when I need them.

 

[runningweird]

Unless you are mashing your base grains then roasting them you are not making crystal malts. Some of the other specialty malts are kilned at such high temps or at such specific humidity that recreating them is nearly impossible on a home scale.

I prefer to buy lots of 2 row/ pale malt then build from there. A bag of crystal 30 will get you quite a long ways over lots of brews. Most specialty stuff seems worth buying in small amounts for me because I can't see going through 55 lbs of chocolate malt.

 

[Psych]

I suppose the specialty grains don't add up to much overall, there's also the fact that I can't buy the specialty grains from the malting company so have to go to the LHBS for them.

If I can sub a bunch of Munich or Vienna or ESB Pale instead of using Crystal 20 or Crystal 80 (my "goto" specialty grains that account for 5-15% of every beer I brew) then that's a big overall savings.

Is that doable? Like doing a Marzan I can get a good amount of color and sweetness without crystal malt, but it's of course a different flavor, but it's semi close. I suppose I just answered my own question there...my oktoberfest beer this year only had .25lb of crystal 80 in it because I ran out, and it was plenty colored and flavored nicely.

 

[Phunhog]

I suppose the specialty grains don't add up to much overall, there's also the fact that I can't buy the specialty grains from the malting company so have to go to the LHBS for them.

If I can sub a bunch of Munich or Vienna or ESB Pale instead of using Crystal 20 or Crystal 80 (my "goto" specialty grains that account for 5-15% of every beer I brew) then that's a big overall savings.

Is that doable? Like doing a Marzan I can get a good amount of color and sweetness without crystal malt, but it's of course a different flavor, but it's semi close. I suppose I just answered my own question there...my oktoberfest beer this year only had .25lb of crystal 80 in it because I ran out, and it was plenty colored and flavored nicely.

So you use 5-15% specialty grain in every batch. Assuming 5 gallon batches of average strength beer that is right around 10 lbs of grain. Lets say you get 10 lbs of bulk grain at .50 cents/lb $5.00 is your grain cost. Sub a pound of bulk grain for a pound of specialty grain at a buck a pound. Your total grain cost is $5.50. Are you willing to get "semi close" to what you are trying to brew to save .50 cents?

 

[Psych]

You underestimate how thrifty I can be Guess I'm being too picky here, more savings in yeast washing and bulk hops I guess.

I think it's more that I don't want to buy like 20 lbs of malt a lb at a time from the LHBS even if it'll last a long time.

 

[brewingmeister]

A buck per lb for crystal malt is ridiculous?...let us in on the secret buddy. There's places charging over two and a half for a lb of specialty malt. A buck per lb isn't a bad price at all.
-cheers

 

[Bradinator]

Sounds like your picking up bulk malt straight from CMC. I did that a few months ago and got myself a sack of 2-row, Pale Ale and Pilsner. I figured with 160lbs of grain I would never need to buy a malt again and could just make my own specialty in the oven following these instructions: http://barleypopmaker.info/2009/12/08/home-roasting-your-malts/

I found that making the malt, though not that difficult, really did not meet my time vs. money standards. 1/2KG of specialty malt rarely costs more the $2 and may last a couple batches depending on the recipe.

 

[Psych]

Yeah I think the home roasting malt idea is really neat for a novelty but I think I'd make a mess, burn it and would gripe about how much time I spent doing that.

Lucky enough to live within 50km's of a malting company that sells single sacks to anyone off the street.