Author: Marshall Schott

Depending on style, the ingredients for a typical 5 gallon batch of beer costs between $25 to $35, a bit more for those who use malt extract. Broken down, that’s roughly $0.50 to $0.75 per bottle. Now, as my accountant wife is wont to remind me, this obviously doesn’t include equipment and energy costs (this homebrew break-even calculator is fun). All in all, that’s not too bad, but wouldn’t it be nice to get that number even lower without impacting the quality of the beer? Of course it would!

For whatever reason, when I first considered purchasing ingredients in bulk, I felt a little anxious. I’m not sure if it was the commitment to using certain types of hops and grains, the fact I’d have to figure out a place to store my extra wares, or the fear that I’d be stuck to brewing only a few certain styles using what I had on hand. But after crunching the numbers, I was certain bulk was the way to go, as it would allow to me brew more beer more often for less money. There are absolutely some necessary equipment purchases when transitioning from pre-milled homebrew shop kits to buying in bulk, but in my experience, the costs are recovered within just a few months of brewing. While the price of bulk ingredients is hugely dependent on your source, nearly every homebrew shop I know of offers discounts on bulk grains. If yours doesn’t, look elsewhere, you’ll find something. To illustrate this difference, here’s what Tiny Bottom Pale Ale purchased separately from my local shop would cost versus the bulk price:

TBPA from LHBS

Grain: $18

Hops: $4

Yeast: $8

Total: $30 + tax

TBPA from Ingredients Purchased in Bulk

Grains: $10

Hops: $2.25

Yeast: $0.00 (previously harvested from starter)

Total: $12.25

I left off the price of DME for making starters, as I don’t use enough to justify purchasing entire sacks worth, but it’s possible some places will offer a discount if this is something you’re interested in. All in all, by purchasing in bulk and reusing yeast, I’ve essentially cut the price of brewing a batch of beer in half. Not too shabby. As I mentioned before, there are a few things to consider before jumping into bulk purchasing ingredients.

STORAGE

If you brew large batches often, you might be able to get away with storing your bulk grains in the sack they come in, but for most of us, a 50-55 lb sack lasts quite awhile, meaning we need a hospitable place to store them. I like to keep 4 base grains on hand at all times, which I purchase by the sack, as this gives me more stylistic options. My preferred storage option for entire sacks of grain is the 60 lbs Vittles Vault, which can be stacked to save room. These containers can easily store an entire 55 lbs of grain. I tend to fill and store them in the upright position, though this doesn’t allow for stacking.

If you prefer them to be in their proper position, I’d suggest filling when upright then repositioning them once the bag is empty.

For grains I may not use as often, stuff like Wheat and Victory malts, I’ll either split a sack with a friend or pick them up in increments of 20-25 lbs. I store these mid-sized amounts of grain in 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Lids attached to the top for an airtight seal.

You could definitely get away with using standard bucket lids, but I’ve found the Gamma lids to be far more durable and super convenient. As for the buckets, you can’t really beat the price at your local big box home improvement store.

I also like to keep a bunch of specialty grains on hand in amounts of 10 lbs or less, for these I use 2 gallon paint pails with their respective lids, which seal tighter than is probably necessary. I also use one of these buckets for measuring out grain on my scale.

I always try to load up on these grains during sales or when I’m placing orders for other stuff, usually to help push me into the free shipping zone. A sack of something like C60 would last me over a year, so even at full price, these grains don’t impact my bottom line much. For those grains I use in tiny amounts and only want 2 lbs max on hand at any given time, I repurpose Costco nut containers with screw on lids, they’ve worked just fine.

To keep stuff organized on the grain side of things, I use a sturdy 4-tier shelving unit for all the buckets and pails. In the past, I’ve stacked the Vittles Vaults next to the shelving unit, which worked great, but since I added another fermentation freezer, I now store them under my workbench in the upright position.

Obviously, the amount of grain one decides to keep stocked is subjective, I like the freedom to brew any number of styles whenever I want without having to take a trip to the homebrew shop. However, even for the small-batch apartment brewer, a single sack of 2-row on hand can do wonders for your pocketbook over time.

Bulk hops tend to cost significantly less than those purchased from a shop, even after the costs of shipping. I use a relatively inexpensive vacuum sealer and store them in a small freezer to keep them fresh for 2+ years, if they last that long. I like to use vacuum sealer bags that come in a roll because they’re cheaper and allow me to cut them to whatever size I need, a single purchase lasts me well over a year.

Yeast… that’s an easy one. I buy a vial then harvest multiple pitches from starters, I’ve gone as far as 17 generations without issue at this point. Lately, I’ve been pulling off 1 quart of starter into 32 oz Ball Jars and throwing them right into my little yeast fridge, the yeast remaining under the starter beer until next use. This has been working great.

That’s about it as far as storage goes. There are a few extra pieces of equipment you’ll need in order to get the full benefit of buying ingredients in bulk.

REQUIRED GEAR

All grain purchased in bulk, at least as far as I’m aware, is uncrushed, meaning you’ll probably want to invest in a solid mill. This will be the biggest investment most people make when transitioning to buying in bulk, but it definitely comes with some other benefits, namely determining your own mill gap in order to get more consistent efficiency. I use a Monster Mill MM3 attached to a low speed/high torque drill, it’s amazing, blasting through 10 lbs of grain in less than a minute.

To measure out grains, I use a battery powered baker’s scale with one of the 2 gallon pails I previously mentioned. In over 2 years of use, I’ve yet to have to replace the batteries.

I measure out my hop and mineral amounts using a small blade scale, this is also battery powered.

Besides that, you’ve likely already got anything else you might need– an old measuring cup to scoop your grains, some plastic cups to hold hops and minerals, etc.

BENEFITS OF BUYING IN BULK

Hands down, what I enjoy most about keeping bulk ingredients on hand is the fact I can brew whenever I want— no waiting for the shop to open then showing up and realizing they’re all out of Victory malt or Centennial hops, I can honestly design a recipe right now then go outside and brew it. Saving some coin is nice, as well, and really starts to add up over time. There’s no way I’d be able to brew as often as I do if I didn’t stock bulk ingredients.

WHERE TO SHOP

You might be wondering how to go about getting good deals on bulk ingredients, here’s where I share my sources. First off, if you’re not already harvesting yeast from starters, that should be your first step. Next, you may want to ease into bulk purchasing by starting with hops. I probably purchase 80% of my hops from Hops Direct in 1 lb increments, the smallest amount they sell. If you know other homebrewers, consider purchasing as a group and splitting the hops, it makes shipping less expensive and you get a wider variety. Farmhouse Brewing Supply and Yakima Valley Hops are other vendors I like to buy hops from, particularly because they sell hops in smaller amounts and have a pretty robust selection. For grain, MoreBeer is my go-to source, but only when I’m near an acutal store– 2-row goes for about $38 while continental base malts (like German Pils) run closer to $55 per sack, which is still only about $1 per pound. While I usually wait for sales to pick up speciality malts, I’ll occasionally just add 5-10 lbs to a MoreBeer order or stop by the HBS on my way home from work, it doesn’t amount to much since I use a lot in my brewing.

Ultimately, purchasing ingredients in bulk has saved me more money than any other upgrade since I started homebrewing, allowing me to brew more beer more often. If you have any questions this post failed to answer, please don’t hesitate to ask. Cheers!

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