Outrageous Grain Prices

[Fingerlickin_B]

So I saw Lucas' APA thread and Ross' Kilkenny partial recipe and thought "I'll do that one tonight".

My HBS of choice is closed on Mondays, so I called another one instead.

How much do they charge for 1kg of Crystal? $7.95!!!!

Plus, he doesn't know the EBC rating or anything, just "1kg cracked Crystal", nothing more he could tell me h34r:

 

[Adamt]

lol!

$4.40 for 500g of "Crystal" at my local Brewcraft.

Get this though, $4.25 for 500g of PALE malt, yet they sell 2kg for $8.75.

With a shitty range and prices, you never know how long it's been sitting there, cracked or uncracked. Stores like them pretty much just flog off kits, don't know even why they bother stocking grain.

 

[Coodgee]

I went to a HBS a while ago as it was on the way to somewhere I was going. I went in to get an extra kilo of grain because my stocks were short. sure enough, they had some 1kg sealed bags of the stuff. But it was uncracked. on enquiring about a cracking service, I was told "nah mate there's no need for a fancy mill, just get out a rolling pin and crack it yourself".

uhu...

 

[Tony]

a store in tamworth that has since shut used to charge $5.00 for 50g........ yes 50g of cracked specialty grain

and same..... no info..... just crystal or chocolate or roast barley

and people who didnt know better bought it too

cheers

 

[DrewCarey82]

Try $8 for 50g of hops @ a nameless store in the shire..... Absolute joke.... Considering for another supplier who deliveres its the same price for double that amount.

 

[WildebeestAttack]

I had a bit of a drive around the country side on the weekend through a fairly major main grain growing area (Wimmera) and it didn't look very good. I doubt there will be a lot of malt barley around this year. High prices for the domestic stuff may be on the way. I don't how it looks in WA, but this is a national disaster. On top of petrol prices, now dearer malt (and that is without paying the crazy prices at those HBSs). Time to tighten the belt a little further.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I had a bit of a drive around the country side on the weekend through a fairly major main grain growing area (Wimmera) and it didn't look very good. I doubt there will be a lot of malt barley around this year. High prices for the domestic stuff may be on the way. I don't how it looks in WA, but this is a national disaster. On top of petrol prices, now dearer malt (and that is without paying the crazy prices at those HBSs). Time to tighten the belt a little further.

That's strange, as I read in the paper a few months back that malting quality grain production was on the increase :blink:

PZ.

 

[WildebeestAttack]

That's strange, as I read in the paper a few months back that malting quality grain production was on the increase :blink:

PZ.

With a bit of rain it would of been. And a couple of new varieties are looking to improve the malting quality (Flagship is the one they have high hopes for). But with no rain (and it's too late now for most of it) there won't be a lot of malt barley from Victoria's bread basket.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Not good then

PZ.

 

[WildebeestAttack]

Not good then

PZ.

Gets worse, from the ABB website:

Its likely that there will be limited volumes only of malting barley available from the forthcoming Australian harvest, he said. Whatever malting barley is produced will be sold into a very tight world market, characterised by ongoing strong Chinese malting barley demand and limited export availability from ABBs northern hemisphere competitors."

Looks like we even have to compete with China now. Is there any commodity they won't drive the prices up on?

 

[chimera]

With a shitty range and prices, you never know how long it's been sitting there, cracked or uncracked. Stores like them pretty much just flog off kits, don't know even why they bother stocking grain.

I like this forum because everybody who is reading/posting here is keen to make top shelf beer. There's a whole other group of homebrewers who work on the cheaper is better theory. For them homebrewing is embarked upon not for the 'i can do better than the commerical cat piss' mentality, but moreso - 'i can start on a 6er of commerical draught, then once my inebriation level is sufficient i can pull out the cheap homemade juice and finish myself off for under $5'.

A homebrew shop may stock some small bags of specialty grains to upsell these sorts, a bit like your classic aussie redneck might bring a slab of crownies to a bbq over a slab of draught if he's feeling upmarket!

 

[matti]

Get together with you locals and JUST dO IT "BUY BULK".

Good malts cost up to 8 bucks a kilo in most stores.
Australian pale $3.50 a kilo.
round my ways

 

[pint of lager]

There was a great thread a while back about which HBS had good knowledgable staff and stock. Have a read of that. Maybe there is another one in your area. Also, any decent shop will organise an order for you and post it out using your credit card. Even liquid yeasts. They will package them up with a cooler pack and post out next day delivery.

The smaller HBS that services mainly the kit and kilo market, if they know that there is a market for specialty ingredients, may start stocking it if you develop a working relationship with them.

For people that want the cheapest "beer", buy two fermenters, go to the supermarket, buy 2kg of sugar, one tin of the cheapest kit on the market, split the tin between the fermnters, add a kilo of sugar to each fermenter, top up to 25 litres, add half the yeast to each fermenter, fermnet at 25-30 degrees, bottle off in 3 litre pet bottles, but please do not offer me any. I don't think any regulars to AHB would want any either.

Coodgee, at least the stuff was uncracked, if it had been cracked, goodness knows how long it would sit there before being bought.

The internet has really expanded everyone's knowledge, so long as you take the time to read a range of information and use it wisely. There are plenty of poor recipes and instructions out there.

 

[berazafi]

For people that want the cheapest "beer", buy two fermenters, go to the supermarket, buy 2kg of sugar, one tin of the cheapest kit on the market, split the tin between the fermnters, add a kilo of sugar to each fermenter, top up to 25 litres, add half the yeast to each fermenter, fermnet at 25-30 degrees, bottle off in 3 litre pet bottles, but please do not offer me any. I don't think any regulars to AHB would want any either.

And dont forget to put on the label



Pint of Lagers Finest

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

There was a great thread a while back about which HBS had good knowledgable staff and stock. Have a read of that. Maybe there is another one in your area.

There is one, he's just closed today.

PZ.

 

[Maxt]

You are right Fingerlickin_B, the HB shop that was closed is the only place in Canberra that has a clue, but my god is he expensive. ESB fesh wort kits are $43. A mate recently bought a Coopers tin there for $27. I can get liquid yeast shipped from Sydney cheaper than they sell them for.
Don;t get me wrong, he's a lovely guy, and I know that everyone has to make a living (and have holidays overseas ), but when you know that other HB stores (after their mark up) are selling things for many dollars less, you do think about the benefits of active competition.
Now if only I could win lotto, all of this would be irrelevant and I would happily pay whatever it took to feed my need. :beer:

 

[Barramundi]

i just got a fresh wort kit with yeast for $33
$27 dollars for a coopers tin , if thats a run of the mill tin they are only $9 at big w and those kind stores , would be cheaper to drive to sydney and buy a heap of the stuff than gettin it off old mate there by the looks of things

 

[Coodgee]

buy 2kg of sugar, one tin of the cheapest kit on the market, split the tin between the fermnters, add a kilo of sugar to each fermenter, top up to 25 litres, add half the yeast to each fermenter, fermnet at 25-30 degrees, bottle off in 3 litre pet bottles, but please do not offer me any. I don't think any regulars to AHB would want any either.

When I was at uni it was all the rage to buy a cheap can and put both kilos of sugar into the one fermenter and top to 25L

bottle after 3 days and drink froth that pours itself.

note: I never took part in these disgraceful activities, but I did try to drink the beer once.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

A mate recently bought a Coopers tin there for $27.

I find that hard to believe.

Yes, he HAS TO charge more than chain supermarkets for cans, but I've never paid that much...I suggest that your mate may be mistaken...he probably bought two of them

PZ.

 

[Maxt]

'Twas a Cooper's Bavarian Lager.
How do you explain fresh wort kits $10 more than other Hb stores?