How many different grains do you keep "in stock"?

[Calder]

My LHBS is 30 miles round trip;;;;;;;;;; assuming 50 cents a mile, that's $15 before I buy anything. Then there is tax. They are also more expensive than on-line. So I tend to buy 5 to 10 lbs of several specialty grains at a time too keep shipping costs down. I also buy base grains in sacks these days.

I have 175 lbs on hand

- 73 lbs of base malts
- 100 lbs of about 30 different specialty malts

I also buy hops in bulk. It is is really nice to be able to brew anything I want whenever I want.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

50 cents a mile is either terrible milage, gas prices or both. Prices in Chicago are ~2.10/gal. I get 22-25 mile/gal. So that's 9.5 cents per mile.... But I feel you. At a certain point it makes a lot more sense to buy online especially for hops and yeast.

 

[Gavin C]

A lot.

Stopped counting after 45 varieties and over 1,000 lbs. I brew a lot.

So much win in this picture.

Close the thread. @Tiber_brew takes the prize.

 

[Terek]

My LHBS is 30 miles round trip;;;;;;;;;; assuming 50 cents a mile, that's $15 before I buy anything. Then there is tax. They are also more expensive than on-line. So I tend to buy 5 to 10 lbs of several specialty grains at a time too keep shipping costs down. I also buy base grains in sacks these days.

I have 175 lbs on hand

- 73 lbs of base malts
- 100 lbs of about 30 different specialty malts

I also buy hops in bulk. It is is really nice to be able to brew anything I want whenever I want.

sounds like you need to open a store, and you about have enough on hand to do so

 

[Onkel_Udo]

50 cents a mile is either terrible milage, gas prices or both. Prices in Chicago are ~2.10/gal. I get 22-25 mile/gal. So that's 9.5 cents per mile.... But I feel you. At a certain point it makes a lot more sense to buy online especially for hops and yeast.

I think he was quoting mileage reimbursement rates even though they are currently at 57.5 cents/mile.

 

[Calder]

50 cents a mile is either terrible milage, gas prices or both. Prices in Chicago are ~2.10/gal. I get 22-25 mile/gal. So that's 9.5 cents per mile.... But I feel you. At a certain point it makes a lot more sense to buy online especially for hops and yeast.

Roll up how much it costs to run your car; gas, maintenance (oil, tires, services, repairs), and depreciation, and you will find it comes out somewhere around 50 cents a mile for your average car. I really don't know what mine is, could be 40 cents, or 60 cents for all I know - but it is more than just gas, and 50 cents is an easy number to work with. I mostly use it to figure out whether I should fly or drive for vacation.

Last time I filled up (earlier this week) I paid $1.61/gal at the local Sam's Club. Today I saw $1.73 today at a BP Station near me.

 

[arnobg]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

 

[cilestiok]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

Dollar store has small pet food shaker containers. I have ones that range in sizes from 4 pounds to about 12 pounds.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

I gallon ziplock freezer bags.

 

[Cider123]

I keep a modest pantry. 50lb bags of both MO and pilsner. Then about 10lbs of munich and vienna. Then a host of specialty malts ranging from 1-5 lbs. Too many to list.

I made the mistake of not putting the specialty grains in a ziplock and left them in tight, but not necessary airtight, bins. Now I'm thinking of dumping about 10lbs of various specialty malts that have been sitting in bins for about 2 years.

Bins are great, but I'll store the grains in ziplocks placed in the bins for now on. :smack:

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

free plastic buckets from the bakery. Clean it out and it's ready to go. Worse case scenario, I throw a garbage bag in there first if I don't like how the surface of the bucket looks.

 

[m00ps]

Thanks for all the participation in this discussion I've enjoyed reading the different varieties and thoughts on keeping grains.

For smaller grains that you have 5 lb. Or less of, what kind of containers are you keeping them in?

Don't hesitate to share photos!

I wont litter the thread with a bunch of photos, but I just keep mine in various large sized ziplocks. My sacks are just rolled and clipped with big binder clips. They keep for much longer than youd think when not milled. When I got back to my place after being gone for +4 months on what i guess id call a hiatus, the grains were still good to go in terms of freshness