Ordering hops/grains

[koomber]

I'm just wondering how other people order their hops/grains. I use maltmiller for preference as there is no homebrew shops in this part of the world so everything I get is delivered. Because of this I'd like to keep the number of deliveries to a minimum. I have a grain mill so I get my grains un crushed and crush them as required. This has so far saved me since I can now just bought a 25kg sack.

I was wondering how people order their hops and special grains in this situation. Do you buy with a rough plan and adapt recipes based on what you have or do you plan out 4 or 5 brews and order in all the things you will need for them instead? What is the system of choice for people on the forum?

[vacant]

I order a sack to base my next six brews on, buying other grains and hops at the same time (plus any chemicals I'm low on).

I enter my stock as one big brew in Beer Engine (e.g. 6 x 23 = 138 litres) so I can check the OG, colour, bitterness that I'll be averaging. I assign some hops to bittering in Beer Engine (60 mins). After each brew I deplete the "stock" recipe and usually end up doing my next big order when I'm down to ingredients for one or two brews.

I'm using slants so may order new yeasts to try at any time.

[chris_reboot]

I try and plan ahead the next 4-6 brews if poss, but usually end up ordering odds and sods as well

[TheMumbler]

I generally set out with some semblance of a plan, then order another couple of bits that look interesting. The plan then doesn't survive contact with my brewing whims and I generally end up with an odd grain bill for something or some funny hops.

[TC2642]

Usually go for lots of American or New Zealand hops which I haven't tried, which I think would be interesting in an IPA, eight to ten dry yeasts usually from Safale and my pale malt from a very good commercial source. I don't really plan ahead but get anything that looks new or interesting.

[Kev888]

Until recently, aggro with couriers meant I bought from 'local' homebrew shops, but I was having to go further and further away to find places that stock grain (losing the 'local,' element), pay more and more for it and compromise increasingly on the range and quality/age of ingredients. So I tried the malt miller and am instantly sold on the idea - the range of ingredients is great, as is the quality, and the prices much better than most of the smaller home brew shops. I ordered when I was going to be in, and even though it was right before christmas the couriers were fine.

Either through having to travel some distance or to be in for the courier, I find it easier to buy in reasonable bulk so usually I get enough of the main ingredients for around six months at a time. I plan a head at least the type of recipies I want to try and also over-order on the more regularly used stuff so that theres still scope for off-the-cuff experiments too. Unless they've been sitting on a hot shelf in a shop for ages already, hops and dried yeast seem fine if unopened in the freezer, and I can't detect any deterioration in the grains (even crushed), so there doesn't seem to be a problem doing that. My only issue is now having started getting into wet yeast which doesn't keep as well, but I'm intending to try slants soon so that should solve it.

I've got some 7L plastic tupperwear type boxes for the special grains and until recently kept the pale malt in its sack, but I found that a 60L clamp-top barrel will hold 25kg of pale malt so have just started using those. Some time ago I kept individual bags of grain in a blue barrel in the garage and had a rodent chew right through into it, so the grains are under the stairs these days - I think I need to sort out a rodent-proof cupboard before keeping it in the garage again.

Cheers
kev

[mysterio]

Usually I buy enough ingredients for two batches, which is 20 gallons. That will keep me going for 4 - 6 weeks.

Normally I will use a liquid yeast and repitch onto the second batch.

Also I will impulse buy hops, for example I just bought 500g each of citra and simcoe