Grain Recommendations

[BREWsmith]

I apologize in advance if this topic has been covered ad nausem on this forum, but I'm looking for advice from all you Brewmasters out there. Aside from Big Brew, I've only brewed the all-grain recipe kits and had the vendor crush the grains. So far so good, if I do say so myself. However, I'm getting ready to purchase a Barley Crusher and, so, the next step is to purchase some grains in bulk. I'm currently brewing five gallon batches about every three weeks or so and, at least for the time being, I'm trying different styles. What recommendations do you have for stocking my shelves? How should they be stored and what kind of shelf life do they have. Also, I have an upright freezer with plenty of excess capacity if that might be an option for storing specialty grains. Finally (at least for today), to date I've only used liquid yeast upgrades, so I've stockpiled a few dry yeast packets and may purchase a small variety of others just to have on hand in case an unexpected brewing itch comes up. I've got some Fermentis Safebrew T-58 and Danstar Munich which I believe are decent yeasts, but how about Muntons standard packets? Toss 'em? Thanks for your input.

[sirgiovanni]

I'd suggest you get one food grade can with lid big enough for a 50 lb bag and begin stocking American 2-row for a base malt to most, if not all your beers. As you mature into your brewing, you'll likely get a better grasp as to what specialty malts you use more than others. I personally keep a smaller can for these grains.

You asking me about dry yeast? Ha! You already know that answer. 100 billion yeast cell count pure liquid yeasts into a stir plate starter or cancel your brew day. Yeah bring on the flames!!!! Like you said about the big beers, it's a bit more important for what I'm doing. I'm still trying to work on increasing cell counts of pure strains. You can make some nice beers with those dry yeasts, just not what I'm after right now. You might at least keep some around if you get a stuck fermentation. Peace out, I'm ducking for cover and sippin a dark strong.

[Dwayne_Delaney]

It's hard to beat good old Maris Otter for a base grain. It is more expensive than American 2-row, but seems more malty than the American stuff to me. I also keep a fair amount of wheat in stock along with a decent quantity of Munich and Vienna.

If you are brewing a style that is yeast-neutral, there are some really good dry yeasts out there.

My favorites:
Fermentis S04
Danstar Nottingham
Fermentis S05

Just my 2 cents.

[Chris Alvey]

What I usually do is plan a brewing schedule several brews (like 6) in advance. I then make an Excel spreadsheet and list all the ingredients on the left and the beers along the top. Then fill in the pounds of each grain in the appropriate spot, do totals, and you have what you will need on hand for the foreseeable future. There are kind of 2 routes you can go with the base grains this way. The pilsner route would be for things like lagers/pils, many Belgian beers, Kolsch, wheats, and even blondes. The Pale Malt way would be for blonde (also), pale ale, IPA, stout, porter, etc. There are times when pilsner is a must and there are times when pale malt is a must ... but probably more often than not you could exchange the two without a terrible discrepancy. Pils should be boiled for 90 minutes, IMO.

If you're feeling frugal, you can plan beers that use similar yeasts and repitch the appropriate amount http://www.mrmalty.com in successive beers going lighter/weaker to darker/strong.

My 2 cents on the yeast issue is that, if you need specialty yeasts (Belgian, Kolsch, Cali Common, etc.) then liquid yeasts are the way to go. However, I will go with the dry US-05 on anything that uses the American Ale strain. It really is good stuff and may be that it's just so ubiquitous that they've gotten it right. Now, on the question of Hefeweizen yeast, I think the jury is still out. I made some beers with the new US-06 dry yeast and they were lackluster but I had one that John Dippel (maybe, sorry if it was someone else) had made with it and it was really good. As for English yeasts, ask Don.

[john mills]

I also use a spare upright freezer for my grain storage. I don't keep it plugged in, more like a cabinet with a seal. I've been storing grain in gallon zip lock bags. Each bag will hold 5 lbs. I have one shelf for US 2 row, Marris Otter, and pilsner, other shelves, baskets, and door is other grains, brewing supplies, etc. Bulk grain is a great deal when the club orders with Turoni's. Smaller amounts I get from either Morebeer, or Northern Brewer (NB's packages are like a fancy zip lock bag with an extra flap that folds over and seals like tape. B3's are sealed like a seal a meal bag without the vacuum.)
Now there might be many an argument about how long grain stays fresh, but I really don't believe you have to worry about shelf life (who knows how old the grain really is when you get it). I've personally had base malt that was at least 2 years old, possibly 3-4 years that I've used with success. Key to storage is keep it dry, and free of new pest infestations (keep in mind barley is an agricultural product and will already contain some vermin. Not to worry though they'll mash, boil, and settle out like the rest of the long strain proteins normally found in the grain).
Yeast can store a long time also if refrigerated. I used to only use liquid yeast, but I'm sold on the dry US-05 and Nottingham dry yeasts as comparable to their liquid counterpart. I always brew more than one batch with each yeast. I'll plan out what beers I want to make and make the lighter ones with a fresh yeast first, then step up and pitch a darker or stronger beer on top of that yeast cake the next week or 2 when fermentation is basically finished with the original primary beer. I'll use each yeast usually 3-4 times before discarding. If I don't have a beer ready when the yeast is done fermenting, I'll save the yeast in a sanitized bottle in the fridge for when I'll use it next. I'll just make up a starter and go from there. (Word of caution always taste your starter for possible infections, not just on reused yeast, but all starters.) I've brought back un-used wyeast smack packs back to life that were 2 years past their expiration date. Many brewers also use dregs of yeast from commercial beers that is of really unknown age.
My advice is to stock up on anything you feel comfortable with. It's better to have more than not enough!

[BREWsmith]

I appreciate everyone's input. I'm anxious to start building my grain inventory and playing with some recipes. When will the next grain order go out?

[sirgiovanni]

We just got one so if you need help before then, let me know. In fact, I have marris otter that I was going to use this weekend just to get rid of it. There is probably 15 to 20 lbs, I'd have to weigh it. If you want it, you can take the can and bring it back to me when you empty it. I'd just assume use American all the time.

[BREWsmith]

We just got one so if you need help before then, let me know. In fact, I have marris otter that I was going to use this weekend just to get rid of it. There is probably 15 to 20 lbs, I'd have to weigh it. If you want it, you can take the can and bring it back to me when you empty it. I'd just assume use American all the time.

Weigh it and bag it! I'll swing by sometime tomorrow to buy it. Thank you, kind sir!

[BREWsmith]

In case I can't wait until the fall grain order for more base malts, has anyone used this vendor? If so, were they reliable?

http://www.windriverbrew.com/grain.html

[Don]

My maris otter is in short supply but if you need some pale 2 row, pilsner or wheat I have some I can lend you.

Don

[BREWsmith]

In case I can't wait until the fall grain order for more base malts, has anyone used this vendor? If so, were they reliable?

http://www.windriverbrew.com/grain.html

FYI...the cost to ship a 50 lb bag of malt to Evansville is $21 from this vendor.