Grain prices creeping up.

[The Baron]

I think you are missing the point NB I was trying to explain what is going on in the UK as a whole re price increases and exploitation of the general public of which the grain market are following. Re Heinz you quote they made 9% net margin that does not mean their pricing policy is good it could be that they have had to put massive price increases-which they have or they would have posted a smaller profit or loss that smacks of bad management.
The grain market is exploiting like the majority of businesses because they can at this moment in time as it is becoming the norm.
I will quote what LeeH has posted
"Minch pale malt, was 22, now 40
Local micro, was 19 now 25"
Why can the local micro only increase their supply to a home brewer by £6? and not nearly double, somebody must be buying at a lower rate.
How do they justify that grain prices did rise sharply mid 2022 but then began to fall again in September also the yield of barley was 12% higher than normal with the warm hot summer and the yield quality was the best it has been for 5 years surely this would have reduced the potential price increase that was expected as a buffer.
We as brewers are a captive market where else could we get our grain from but the malsters and as we know captive markets are open to exploitation

 

[LeeH]

If the pricing is fair, why has malt extract not doubled?

 

[LeeH]

Option 1. The maltings have inflated the price to the homebrew shops
Option 2. Homebrew shops are pulling our pants that far down, you can see our toes.

I can see no option 3. Even with the increased energy costs and raw materials, extract remains stable.

 

[Tripps]

This may help? (sorry if something similar has already been posted) Small Highland brewery here and our malt prices have increased by £300 (edited from £30) a tonne from last year, so that's 30p a kilo. Talking to a few breweries and brewery suppliers (all over The UK) that seems to be across the board, so a 25 kilo sack has increased by £7.50 from 2022 prices. FYI - Prices are fixed for a whole year. Our new 2023 price is attached from well known maltster and the prices are per tonne (40 x 25 kg sacks), ex VAT and delivery which is around £65 per pallet. Pint time!

 

[LeeH]

Thanks, great inside info.

 

[Agentgonzo]

our malt prices have increased by £30 a tonne from last year, so that's 30p a kilo

Sorry, but a tonne is 1000kg.
So £30 per tonne is 3p per kg

Or alternatively, 30p per kg is £300 per tonne.

I'm only commenting on the mathematics here

 

[Braumeister]

Sorry, but a tonne is 1000kg.
So £30 per tonne is 3p per kg

Or alternatively, 30p per kg is £300 per tonne.

I'm only commenting on the mathematics here

Yes, so that would make a 25kg sack up 75p.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I think these price hikes are going kill the hospitality industry

 

[Agentgonzo]

Yes, so that would make a 25kg sack up 75p.

I'm guessing that it was a typo and it should have been prices are up £300 per tonne. Which sounds about right given that I've heard

 

[Tripps]

Evidently it was pint time before I started writing. £300 per tonne, £7.50 a sack up since last year. Glad someone's on the ball.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Anybody heard of these, £24-00 25kg maris otter ok if you live near them as postage is £11-99 with parcel farcehttps://www.wibblers.co.uk/product/crisp-maris-otter-malt-crushed-25kg/

 

[Rodcx500z]

Sorry looks like a dead link, place is wibblers brewery

 

[LeeH]

https://www.wibblers.co.uk/product/crisp-maris-otter-malt-crushed-25kg/

 

[Agentgonzo]

Anybody heard of these, £24-00 25kg maris otter ok if you live near them as postage is £11-99 with parcel farcehttps://www.wibblers.co.uk/product/crisp-maris-otter-malt-crushed-25kg/

https://www.wibblers.co.uk/product/crisp-maris-otter-malt-crushed-25kg/

Says £35 for me

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Says £35 for me
View attachment 82002

Essex

 

[user 4749]

Obviously a very fluid market at present, prices seem to change daily

 

[An Ankoù]

This may help? (sorry if something similar has already been posted) Small Highland brewery here and our malt prices have increased by £300 (edited from £30) a tonne from last year, so that's 30p a kilo. Talking to a few breweries and brewery suppliers (all over The UK) that seems to be across the board, so a 25 kilo sack has increased by £7.50 from 2022 prices. FYI - Prices are fixed for a whole year. Our new 2023 price is attached from well known maltster and the prices are per tonne (40 x 25 kg sacks), ex VAT and delivery which is around £65 per pallet. Pint time!

View attachment 81972

I'm still convinced that somebody, somewhere along the line (and I suspect it's either the grain suppliers or the malsters) are trousering a pretty penny. Even so, some homebrew suppliers are showing increases well north of £7.50 a sack and I wonder why?
I suspect that price fixing for grain is based on a similar racket cartel system that fixes the price of electricity, whereby the most economical producers have to charge the same as the most expensive producer and money just falls into their laps. @the baron has got the measure of things and I won't repeat it all here, but let's be very sure that we, the brewers and the retailers are being fleeced, shafted, taken for a bunch of Dane kings, etc etc, while some here only want to make excuses for the poor darlings. But they've got us by the short and curlies unless we all decide to grow our own and how many of us can do that?

 

[Agentgonzo]

I'm still convinced that somebody, somewhere along the line (and I suspect it's either the grain suppliers or the malsters) are trousering a pretty penny. Even so, some homebrew suppliers are showing increases well north of £7.50 a sack and I wonder why?
I suspect that price fixing for grain is based on a similar racket cartel system that fixes the price of electricity, whereby the most economical producers have to charge the same as the most expensive producer and money just falls into their laps. @the baron has got the measure of things and I won't repeat it all here, but let's be very sure that we, the brewers and the retailers are being fleeced, shafted, taken for a bunch of Dane kings, etc etc, while some here only want to make excuses for the poor darlings. But they've got us by the short and curlies unless we all decide to grow our own and how many of us can do that?

I feel it's the same as petrol stations. Whilst there is less of a formal cartel, if all the other petrol stations around you are charging 5p or 10p per litre more than you are, then why don't you put your price up to match? You can increase it so that it's just 1p cheaper than the local alternatives and trouser the profits. It's not like people can choose to not buy petrol.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Managed to pick this up earlier from a local brewery £30-00 and bought these as well

 

[Rodcx500z]

Says £35 for me
View attachment 82002

This what i got searching for lager malt Extra Pale ‘Lager’ malt 25kg