I've only done one AG batch and it was a kit. I would like to think at some point I'll buy a bunch of base grain then just be buying a couple lb bags of specialty grains at a clip. I am envisioning a bunch of bins in the basement with scoops in them and nice labels. HA. I doubt I'll ever be that organized.

i always buy Breiss 2-row about a hundred pounds at a time. In the spring and summer i tend to buy European pilsner malt(i generally only brew Saison's and Wits in the summer). Cheers & happy brewing!

How much beer a month would you have to make to start buying bulk grain?

Hell, I just made a 2.5 gal batch because it's only my Wife and myself drinking.

I brew ten gallon batches and i usually brew about every 3 weeks. So buying in bulk is a must for me. Also like others have said getting a mill is a very good idea. I have Barley Crusher and I set my gap at .031". My efficiency went from 65% using the LHBS mill to 75%using mine(batch sparging). with the change in efficiency from owning your own mill you could potentially save your self 5 pounds of grain per batch. I also like the fact that it gives me one more aspect of the brewing process that i am in control of. For those of you that crush your grain try conditioning your grain before you crush it.

What does that mean –– conditioning your grain?

cornykeg has a flat shipping of 7.99 with their grain.

Better to spent 7.99 plus 43 dollars for 50 lbs then 79 at the local brew store

Wait, you purposefully only made a half batch because there are ONLY two people drinking it? That's 12 beers apiece. That'd be gone in a week in my house. I don't have time to brew every week. We get to brew maybe once a month, and we supplement with commercial beer. I don't really mind, actually, because I like to support craft breweries and it gives me an opportunity to try more thangs than I have time to make myself.

But I make a batch a month, maybe a little more, let's say 100 gallons a year.
Good business sense says that investments should have a break-even period between 2 and 4 years, with shorter being better.

Grain costs me $1.60/lb a la carte, or $1.00/lb in bulk. If a batch typically uses 8-12 pounds of base grain, that's a savings of $5-7 per batch, or $100-140 per year. Now that's just grain savings, not counting the cost of fuel to drive to the store and back, or the time saved.

The upfront costs are a grain mill. I bought a Barley Crusher brand mill that's driven by a cordless drill. It cost $130.

My break-even period is right around one year. So it makes good business sense for me to buy bulk grain.



Using a 2-year BEP, you'd need to brew around 10x 5-gallon batches per year for bulk grain to be considered a good investment.


But we're not doing this because it makes good business sense. We're doing it because we like making beer. So the long answer is, if you want the advantages of being able to brew when you want without going to the store, being able to control the grind and mill your own grain, being able to roast, smoke, or acidulate your own grain, or do anything else that requires the use of a grain mill... And assuming you have the storage space to keep 50 pound sacks of grain around the house... then do it.