Best Way To Buy Grain

[drsmurto]

I'm between a rock and a hard place, buying locally from a sponsor my domestic base malts such as BB Ale work out at around the $3 a kilo mark, ready milled and shrink wrapped, and to buy a good mill it would take me not only a couple of years to pay it off but all the extra hassle on brew day, the travelling to bulk buys which won't save me all that much - and then not till 2013 by which time the mill could be gestuffen. As it is I open the 5k shrink and pour it in, dead easy.

However if you are faced with regular prices of $4 to $5 a kilo then I'd seriously go for it.

Bought my mill, a 2nd hand marga when another brewer upgraded to something shiny.

$70, already modified bolted to a frame.

Not sure how much chain she has chewed through for me, almost 100 AGs, mostly single batches.

Hasn't missed a beat.

So i was ahead after the first bulk buy 3 years ago. :beerbang:

 

[QldKev]

The melb bulk buy - no freight cost

Doh! Why can't we get grain locally up here :lol:

QldKev

 

[bignath]

Doh! Why can't we get grain locally up here :lol:

Or down here.....

500g pale malt, unmilled - $7

no wonder i support the sponsors....

EDIT: it's not a typo, $14kg

 

[TidalPete]

and then not till 2013 by which time the mill could be gestuffen.

Bribie,
If you buy a good quality mill it will last longer than you will.
Hey! That rhymes.

It's hard to beat bulk grain buys & the convenience of freshly milled grain on hand anytime you need it.

TP

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

The G&G Grain Book is real good for specialty malts. You can buy a kilo or a half or a quarter of any or all of their specialties at the Grain Book price to supplement your Bulk Bought base grain. Bulk Buy pickups out of G&G become quite cheap because you can wander into the shop and buy hops/yeast/woteva and tell yourself that you did not pay anything for shipping on those goods.

I would recommend buying all your grain through the Grain Book until you know you are going to brew AG long term and then look into buying a mill with the savings from a few bags of malt. While they do not crush Bulk Buy grain, all grain purchased through the Grain Book can be crushed at no extra charge.

Margas are great, but they're not immortal. The lack of 'proper' bearings is the hint.

 

[QldKev]

I'm between a rock and a hard place, buying locally from a sponsor my domestic base malts such as BB Ale work out at around the $3 a kilo mark, ready milled and shrink wrapped, and to buy a good mill it would take me not only a couple of years to pay it off but all the extra hassle on brew day, the travelling to bulk buys which won't save me all that much - and then not till 2013 by which time the mill could be gestuffen. As it is I open the 5k shrink and pour it in, dead easy.

However if you are faced with regular prices of $4 to $5 a kilo then I'd seriously go for it.

It all comes down to your environment. I think if I could get grain at $3 a kilo locally I may have put of the mill for a long time. Up here the only LHBS does not stock grain. So for me it would be the $3/kg plus postage. Also the advantage of having the bulk grain at home is I can deciede what I feel like to brew on brew day. The down side is I have up to 200kg of grain sitting around with is a bit of money up front.

I don't find much difference in having to mill on brew day, My BIAB rig takes about 15mins to get tap water up to mash in temp (if I'm brewing single batches); which is plenty of time to weigh out and crush the grain. My current mill setup takes 2min20sec to crush a single batch. Even if you planned ahead you could crush the day before.

When you work out the cost (rounded numbers)
Say bulk grain at $2 (including spec grains) x 5kg for a single batch = $10
Your local shop at $3 = $15.
(when you think about it, the shop having to have stock on hand, crush and vac bag it for $5 is a bargain)
Say an average of 1 batch brewed a week = $260 a year difference. So the average mill is not too long of a payback period. Mine MM2 cost me about $260 all up for the mill + hooper/stand + motor.

To me the cost of driving once every 3 months to a bulk buy is cheaper than postage for the grain. So that would reduce my pay back period.


QldKev

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

<Snip>

Also the advantage of having the bulk grain at home is I can deciede what I feel like to brew on brew day. The down side is I have up to 200kg of grain sitting around with is a bit of money up front.

<Snip>

(when you think about it, the shop having to have stock on hand, crush and vac bag it for $5 is a bargain)

Although I agree completely, sometimes on brewday, having the option to change is a pain. Back in the day when I bought my grain one batch at a time, I did not have the option of tweaking the recipe as I weighed it all out. Now I do and apparently cannot brew the exact same recipe twice.

The cost of convenience is often overlooked in this place. You want 20g CarSpecIII in that? You got it. 150g Caramel Malt you just read about on the web? Easy. And you get it crushed for nothing along with the knowing smile that can only come from a home brewer.

The way I do it, I have loads of specialty grains that I took a quantity out of and am yet to revisit. I wouldn't change, but acknowledge that there is a cloud inside of every silver lining.

 

[Jerry]

the convenience of freshly milled grain on hand anytime you need it.
TP

That, for me, is the greatest advantage of owning a mill.

Scott