Variations in the price of ingredients!

[MickDundee]

I'm starting to price up ingredients for my first 2 AG brews (a Deuchars clone and an Anchor Steam clone) and I can't believe the differences in price from website to website.

I've used 4 different websites and got 4 different prices, with HBC being cheapest (I can't remember exactly how much, it's written down at work - I think I was £26 all in but it might be £26 plus postage so £32). The most expensive was £12 more expensive, upping my cost by £0.15 per 500ml!

Where does everyone find cheapest for their grain?

 

[clibit]

HBC is good. Price, quality, delivery.

 

[brumbrew]

HBC is good. Price, quality, delivery.

+1 this. As is geterbrewed. Also helps if you have a brew buddy or can buy in bulk and plan your next brews.

 

[MickDundee]

+1 this. As is geterbrewed. Also helps if you have a brew buddy or can buy in bulk and plan your next brews.

Didn't try Geterbrewed, even though I follow them on Facey, that's one for tomorrow lunchtime.

I don't really have the luxury of being able to buy in bulk but I don't mind. 40p a bottle is better than 80p a bottle for a 2 can kit, which in turn is better than £1.85 a bottle from Tesco. The 2 recipes I have use different base malts too (Pilsner for the steam beer and Maris Otter for the Deuchars), not that it probably really matters in the long run but I'd rather stick to the grains specified in the recipe for my first few brews.

 

[clibit]

I buy enough grain for 5 or 6 brews at a time, keep a stock of hops in the freezer, and re use yeast.

 

[pgl150]

I'm starting to price up ingredients for my first 2 AG brews (a Deuchars clone and an Anchor Steam clone) and I can't believe the differences in price from website to website.

I've used 4 different websites and got 4 different prices, with HBC being cheapest (I can't remember exactly how much, it's written down at work - I think I was �£26 all in but it might be �£26 plus postage so �£32). The most expensive was �£12 more expensive, upping my cost by �£0.15 per 500ml!

Where does everyone find cheapest for their grain?

I found the same when I ordered mate. In the end I had a spreadsheet with 7 suppliers on it for all the ingredients I needed and tried to get them all from just two suppliers (couldn't get it all from one sadly).

Comparing them all including HBC and Geterbrewed with discounts I still ended up getting it cheaper elsewhere. I used Malt Miller for 3 hops and got the bulk of my ingredients from Worcester Hop Shop. Both delivered the same day in about 2 days.

Incidentally I'd be interested in your Deuchars clone recipe if it turns out well. :thumb:

 

[mike-os]

quite like geterbrewd's custom grain kits.... just buying what you need rather than kg of speciality that you may not use for months and the actual amount of hops rather than 100g is quite nice

 

[wfr42]

My LHBS in Edinburgh sells grains for 2p per 10g and are competitive for hops and yeast. (Other edinburgh residents may disagree).

For my 2 10 litre batches they've been good as I haven't needed to pay delivery (just £1 on the parking meter if it is not a Sunday).

 

[Leon103]

Don't forget members discount with HBC. SIgn up to their newsletter for a further £5 off

 

[MickDundee]

I found the same when I ordered mate. In the end I had a spreadsheet with 7 suppliers on it for all the ingredients I needed and tried to get them all from just two suppliers (couldn't get it all from one sadly).

Comparing them all including HBC and Geterbrewed with discounts I still ended up getting it cheaper elsewhere. I used Malt Miller for 3 hops and got the bulk of my ingredients from Worcester Hop Shop. Both delivered the same day in about 2 days.

Incidentally I'd be interested in your Deuchars clone recipe if it turns out well. :thumb:

It's just the one in the Graham Wheeler CAMRA book but will share if it's a success.

 

[MickDundee]

My LHBS in Edinburgh sells grains for 2p per 10g and are competitive for hops and yeast. (Other edinburgh residents may disagree).

For my 2 10 litre batches they've been good as I haven't needed to pay delivery (just £1 on the parking meter if it is not a Sunday).

Is that Brewstore? They were the ones that were £12 more expensive than HBC! And that was with buying less as HBC was 500g and 1kg bags of grain whereas Brewstore was in increments of 10g!

 

[MickDundee]

I found the same when I ordered mate. In the end I had a spreadsheet with 7 suppliers on it for all the ingredients I needed and tried to get them all from just two suppliers (couldn't get it all from one sadly).

Comparing them all including HBC and Geterbrewed with discounts I still ended up getting it cheaper elsewhere. I used Malt Miller for 3 hops and got the bulk of my ingredients from Worcester Hop Shop. Both delivered the same day in about 2 days.

Incidentally I'd be interested in your Deuchars clone recipe if it turns out well. :thumb:

that's who my boiler's former owner used but I'd forgotten their name and accidentally threw out the invoice that was tucked inside the box of equipment!

 

[GlentoranMark]

My LHBS is just up the road and is competitive, £1/kg for Stout, Ale and Lager malt for instance. Other malts are slightly more expensive than online but when I factor in delivery it's a no brainer. Only buying in bulk would save me.

 

[Notlaw]

I am quite fortunate that Leyland Homebrew is on my way home from work. They are comparative on price, but not having to pay postage makes it considerably cheaper. They don't have everything you'd need, but the owner, Joe, says with a bit of notice he'll be able to get just about anything I want.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

All the prices of all the suppliers are about the same. Some might be a little bit more/less expensive, it a much of a muchness. I think its down to reliability of delivery. Who wants to stay in waiting for a delivery at XXXX time when some suppliers e-mail you the time of delivery on that day.
MaltMiller every time for me. 8 orders placed, 8 on time.

 

[wfr42]

Is that Brewstore? They were the ones that were £12 more expensive than HBC! And that was with buying less as HBC was 500g and 1kg bags of grain whereas Brewstore was in increments of 10g!

Yes.
As I said I've been doing 10l batches and as it's localish delivery doesn't factor in. However having only done 2 batches I've not costed larger batches....yet.

 

[Twostage]

It's just the one in the Graham Wheeler CAMRA book but will share if it's a success.

I've got a Deuchars IPA recipe if you want it. Worked it out from an email exchange between the head brewer at the time and an American Deuchars fan.

It's not much like the GW recipe.

 

[MickDundee]

I've got a Deuchars IPA recipe if you want it. Worked it out from an email exchange between the head brewer at the time and an American Deuchars fan.

It's not much like the GW recipe.

Ooh, yes please!

 

[clibit]

All the prices of all the suppliers are about the same. Some might be a little bit more/less expensive, it a much of a muchness. I think its down to reliability of delivery. Who wants to stay in waiting for a delivery at XXXX time when some suppliers e-mail you the time of delivery on that day.
MaltMiller every time for me. 8 orders placed, 8 on time.

HBC has the same delivery system as Maltmiller. I like Maltmiller too. BBC is cheaper for grains, on the whole.

 

[krispn]

Mick Dundee
I'm currently only doing small batchs but Brewstore does allow you to 'bulk buy' in that you pay up-front for 20kg Grain Account at a reduced rate and then they just deduct as you go. Might be an option if your homebrewing on a larger scale than me - I'm not sure how many years It'd take me to use up 20kg of grain doing my 1kg/1 gal batches!

As I'm still 'new' to this whole malarky and Brewstore in Edinburgh is my LHBS having some experienced folk to quiz about what I'm doing is worth the extra - plus their homebrew club means I can have my beer tasted and get some feedback from fellow geeks. I know the gf has ordered off brewuk for a sour she's thinking of doing but that was down to having specific yeasts etc available and impatience rather than a through price match!

The GeterBrewd service looks good worked out the grain bill for a 1gal porter at �£1.02 but thats before postage. The ability to order hops in grams makes a huge difference to the cost especially with these small brews and I may create a couple of custom recipes from there for my next two brewdays to give them a whirl - oh and they're based in my native N.Ireland!