Bulk Grain buying..

This is the only place I've looked into. The prices were decent a few years ago.
http://www.fiftypoundsack.com/

 

I still haven't found a place that beats my lhbs. Even with the hour drive being factored in.

 

I have ordered from fiftypoundsack a couple times in the past. The last time I looked (~3 months ago) they did not have a lot of malt in stock.

I ordered from ritebrew once (1 year ago?), they had pretty good prices and a nice selection.

I think for smaller amount (<10#s) it would make sense to check out northernbrewer since they have flat rate shipping, I think that applies to small amounts of grain.

 

I don't live near anything, so have all ingredients shipped. For the last couple of years I have been supplied from the Atlanta area (is that you?). Just Brew It (Jonesboro) had competitive prices (at least before new owner) and was pleased with the product. Now most ingredients come from Brew Masters Warehouse (Marietta). For your smaller amounts they flat rate at 7 bucks which is cheaper than driving across town. The big bags would warrant a field trip.

I get a kick out of watching the UPS driver straining with my order knowing it only cost about $2/5gal. Can only dream of having a supplier in the same area code.

 

The issue with buying bulk grain online is that most places won't use their free or flat rate shipping due to the weight of the grain. LHBS is probably your best option. With my store if I pre-pay for the bag they take 30% off, which basically puts it at cost. All I have to do is order ahead of time so that they can order it for me. For American grains it only takes a week, but for anything European it will take about a month so I would really need to plan out that type of bulk order. If I don't pre-pay then I can buy any bag they have but the cost is whatever they charger per pound.

Edit: It also helps that I live like 5 minutes from my LHBS so I know that's not an option for everyone. End of the day, planning ahead is key.

 

That doesn't seem like too bad of a price if it's quality grain. What NA maltster products are we talking here?

 

$42.84 ($0.86/#)
http://labelpeelers.com/briess-pale-malt-2-row-50-lb/

$45.10 ($0.82/#)
http://labelpeelers.com/avangard-pale-ale-malt-55-lb/

Might could be a better deal depending on shipping cost (OH v. MN)

 

I've never found an online retailer that will ship 50lb sacks of grain for flat rate: most of them charge so much for shipping that it negates most of the savings you get from buying in bulk. Combine that with my general lack of storage space, and I find myself buying most of my grain from the ol' LHBS these days. No shipping fee, no storage problems, no worries about grain sitting for too long in a hot garage.

 

If you can get a 50lb sack shipped for $65-70, I'd say that's not bad at all.

Or another thought....probably a long shot but....are you a good customer or really close with any of your local breweries? Maybe ask them to tack on a couple sacks of base grain to their order for you. Reward them with even more of your business and some of your great homebrew. If they oblige, you might want to continue ordering your specialty grains online though.

 

I've been buying sacks from more beer here in pa and shipping is ~12$ per sack. I think there pricing is fantastic so haven't shopped around any further.

 

Have you tired Barely & Vine? It's right off of I-75 next to Henry Gen Hospital, they don't offer flat rate shipping but maybe easier for you to get to.

 

Thanks for those links, I can get a sack delivered for about the same as my LHBS, but labelpeelers has a much wider selection and it will just show up at my front door