Which base malts do you keep in stock?

Ingredients
1

Just wondering what people choose to stock. I’ve never really settled on anything in particular, but I’d love to hear what people stock and why. I tried Avangard recently, and it seems to be fine? I’m not sure if I’ve noticed a huge difference, but I tend to brew hoppier beers or darker beers. I’d love to do some side by side comparisons, but I’d also like to brew some more SMASH beers, fermentation temp trials, water chemistry trials, Sahti, Norwegian Farmhouse Ales, a NEIPA, an Alt, a Kolsch…

I’m not sure if I’m putting too many options, especially with Optic/Pearl, Halcyon, etc.

Which base malts do you keep in stock in bulk (~1 sack or greater)?
  • Pils
  • Pale
  • Maris Otter
  • Vienna
  • Munich
  • 2 Row
  • 6 Row
  • Wheat
  • Rye
  • Optic
  • Pearl
  • Halcyon
  • Golden Promise
0 voters
2

I buy several sacks of pils (weyermann) and 2 row (rahr) frequently, buy a sack or 2 of munich and maris otter annually, and then for Vienna and Munich II, I have bought sacks in the past but going forward I think i’ll stick to the a couple 10# bags instead since I’ve noticed I don’t turn it over as much as I anticipate.

3

Do you realize that every malt you listed is 2 row?  I have pale malt from Mecca Grade, Great Western, Simpson (Golden Promise) and Rahr, pils from Best and Mecca Grade, Munich from Great Western, Best and Mecca Grade, Vienna, crystal 44 and wheat from Mecca Grade, rye from Mecca Grade and Briess and a bunch of other stuff I can’t recall at the moment.

4

I burn through the Avangard pilsner malt much fast than any other.  I brew a lot of lagers and Belgians, so that explains that.

5

Right, I was under the impression that some of these were different varieties or kilning procedures. I don’t think I could get enough poll options to list a dozen manufacturers. Golden promise for example, is a variety developed through mutagenics that’s widely used in scotch production. I also thought the majority of base malts used today are two row, with exception of select styles.

6

Zero. I order JIT per brew. Let someone else stock it.

7

Running a kan ban Brewing setup?

8

Yep. I get what grain I need at the required time—no more, no less.  That’s why I like ordering from Great Fermentations over my LHBS.  Even though he measures out of bulk—he won’t sell portions of a lb.

9

How big is your warehouse?  :wink:

10

I suppose the other reason is many company’s (Briess & Great Western for example) offer pale ale malt, pilsner, etc. but also a generic two row malt.

11

Friend’s basement.  There are multiple bags of most of those.

12

But all of those malts you mention ARE 2 row malt.  I think that what you’re referring to is pale malt.  I’m just in favor if specificity.

13

I always have Pilsner and Continental Pale Ale malt on hand for lagers and Belgian (I use a 60-40 or 70-30 blend for my base on those). I keep MO on hand for English ales. I also keep smaller amounts of Munich and Vienna at all times as well. Lately I’ve been using my Pils/Pale Ale blend for my base on American styles as well. I don’t really see a need for something like a pale US 2 row with all the other malts I keep on hand.

14

It did make it hard to vote. Should I have picked 2-row, pale, or both? They should probably just be called “other pale” to differentiate them from the specific 2-row varietals that are listed.

15

JIT is fine if you’re close enough to supply, and never get a wild hair to do something on the spur of the moment. Most of the stuff I order takes a week or more to get here, so I keep lots on hand. Currently I have about 3 dozen types of barley malt and a dozen kinds of non-barley malts and flakes - but only a half dozen or so that were purchased by the whole bag, and some DME, candi syrup, etc. I’d be curious to know how much stuff other people keep on hand.

16

My shops in town are kind of a mixed bag-one’s a hydroponics shop that has about 11 malts and sells by the ounce. The other is a liquor store that mostly sells by the pound ($3/lb). I used to keep 1 base malt, but went up to a sack each of two base malts (pils & Vienna). I have a pound or two of chocolate/roast malt, but everything else I try and get just enough for that batch. I’d like to get some 10 lb bags of wheat, rye, oats, etc. for spontaneous brews, but I’m working on building up some bulk hop supplies. Right now I have a bit less than a pound of mosiac, nugget, cascade, crystal hop hash (~1.5 lbs), palisade, & lemondrop.

17

In addition to the Pils, Maris Otter and Pale Ale base malts, I have anywhere from 1-5 pounds of various specialty malts on hand. I also keep a few ounces of 10-12 hop varieties on hand.
I harvest and repitch 3 varieties of yeast.
My LHBS is a 2 hour round trip drive from my house and online ordering takes 5-7 days to arrive.
I like to be able to brew when ever I feel like it.

18

6 row is not 2 row.  Neither is wheat or rye.

Generally in the US, “pale” is not as pale as 2-row.

Myself, I prefer spelt to wheat malt.

19

In all the malts I use, pale is pale.  It’s almost always called 2 row pale malt.

20

I tend to rotate through different base malts that I keep in stock. I can keep up to 3 55lb sacks at a time plus specialty malts.

I will be on a British beer kick for awhile, so I will keep Golden Promise and Maris Otter or something similar. Then I will switch to American styles so I keep a lot of 2 row and American Pilsner.  Then I will switch to continental and keep a German Pils and Vienna or Munich. Right now I have Golden Promise and Gambrinus ESB. I’ll probably buy Pils and Vienna next.