BeerBorg

I was expecting a price increase at my LHBS for sacks of grain due to the increases from UPS/FedEx and many truck lines but today, I still got a 55 lb bag of Canada Malting Group 2 row for $49. That's only $.89/lb! I know stores like MoreBeer sell bags for $38 but shipping is a fortune. I feel fortunate my LHBS is so reasonable. I could have gotten a 50 lb bag of RAHR for $46 but it was a a strangely higher Lovibond (ordered by mistake) at 3.8. I don't mind a darker beer but I was afraid of it giving too much of a presence in lighter beers.
Bottom line....if I bought my grain by the pound, I'd pay a minimum of $1.25/lb.....That's almost $20 more than buying by the sack. Enough to almost brew a 5 gallon batch. Buying 3-4 sacks a year, I save a good bit. I'm cheap.....can't you tell?

That is a good deal. Any time you can get grain for less then a $1 a pound your doing good.

My LHBS sells Briess 2 row, 50 lbs bag for $39 which is a great price but since I don't yet have a grain mill I haven't taken advantage of the price.

I've not been a big fan of Briess and only get that if they are out of the other 3 brands they carry but you should look into getting a mill if you brew often enough. I know I save enough each year by making larger starters and saving yeast and buying hops and grain in bulk to brew about 3 beers. That's pretty good in my book.

My guy has no problem with me bringing grain in that I bought from him to mill when I'm putting a recipe together. I bought 2 sacks of two row and divided out into 7, 10, and 16 lb containers, self serve store so I just add the specialty grains in and mill there. Came out to .80/lb

I guess I'm fortunate that the per oz price at All Seasons is $0.06, which adds up to $0.96/lb. If I buy by the 55lb bag, I can get it for $0.82/lb, but I really don't have a great way to store and mill (I suppose that All Seasons would let me bring it back in in a recipe sized portion as Steve suggested... hmm...). I could get to $0.78/lb in bulk from Rebel, but only $1.19/lb if I buy in small portions. Weird. And they are so far away, so I just stick with All Seasons. Under $1/lb works for me. I also have friends who bulk buy from somewhere and get to $0.50/lb or something crazy, but I've never bought in on that...

I really need to install a grain silo at the house...

I usually buy a 55lb sack of Gambrinus Pale malt for around $39 at my LHBS. I will need to buy another sack soon; I'm hoping it is still at a similar price.

So it's beginning to look like my deal wasn't so great after all. $10 more than what others paid. I'm still saving money buying in bulk but I think I'll let them know other LHBS have better prices. Like that will do any good.

I like to see the recent packing date on my sack of grain also; usually about a week or so before I buy it! These sacks don't sit around very long. Here's thread from HBT about my LHBS & Gambrinus malt:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/opinion ... lt-158473/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Splangy View Post
Yup, you would think that Gambrinus would be popular in the NW since they are pretty local. I can pick up a sack at Larry's down in Kent for $40-45 I think. I guess they are just not as well known as Breiss or the other big names...
I also buy Gambrinus from Larry's. I am a big fan of the ESB Malt. The Pale Malt is a very good substitute for American 2-Row.

Larry's is one of Gambrinus' main importers. If you drink beer from a Micro in the PNW, you're very likely drinking beer made with Gambrinus malt. Larry gets his delivery's a 40' trailer at a time. Larry doesn't import all that malt just to sell to homebrewers.

I also buy two row in sacks. Last time at my LHBS I thought the price high, I'll check internet prices next time.
For those without a mill, I use an old Waring blender. It is quick enough, cheap and easy to store.

John,
Do you think a grinder would work if using the coarse plate? Sometimes I pick-up my order (pre-crushed) and then run into a brewing delay of a few days or even a week. I keep the grain sealed in the bucket but know that the freshness is being impacted.

While I'm buying steeping grains, not 2-row, I crush them and then heat seal them in the bag (no vacuum seal) at the LHBS, and then double bag them, and mine go 3 - 6 weeks before I use them. I can't imagine that sealed in a bucket a few days or a week matters.

Agree with Rick. I mean, look at all those Brewer's Best kits. I am guessing they are easily a week old. I will be doing the vacuum sealing trick soon as have a ton of Mr.B and BD HMEs I stocked up on knowing my brewing time will soon be limited so need to make up a bunch of steeping grain "kits" until I get to know the LHBSs up there.

Beer-lord wrote:I was expecting a price increase at my LHBS for sacks of grain due to the increases from UPS/FedEx and many truck lines but today, I still got a 55 lb bag of Canada Malting Group 2 row for $49. That's only $.89/lb! I know stores like MoreBeer sell bags for $38 but shipping is a fortune. I feel fortunate my LHBS is so reasonable. I could have gotten a 50 lb bag of RAHR for $46 but it was a a strangely higher Lovibond (ordered by mistake) at 3.8. I don't mind a darker beer but I was afraid of it giving too much of a presence in lighter beers.
Bottom line....if I bought my grain by the pound, I'd pay a minimum of $1.25/lb.....That's almost $20 more than buying by the sack. Enough to almost brew a 5 gallon batch. Buying 3-4 sacks a year, I save a good bit. I'm cheap.....can't you tell?

Just picked up another sack of grain at my LHBS; 55lb (25kg) Pale Malt for $39.25! Smells fantastic, packaging date on the sack shows March 7th, 2015. Just arrived at my LHBS on Monday the 9th.

Lucky dude! Great price and from what I've read, good malt.

I didn't mention in the Reply, but I also get an 8% discount from that stated price: 5% for being in the local club & another 3% for paying by cash $. So, actual cost was: $36.11!