buying ingredients

[clancyarn]

I have found kits online. Seem spendy. I have only brewed one batch. It was good and easy. I would like to make up my own porter. Any ideas or comments for someone in Montana who can't just drive to town and buy the stuff. Thanks

[dparsons]

What did you find online?

[Dextolen]

Midwest homebrew

They have lots of kits but also sell the ingredients.

[clancyarn]

Homebrew heaven is where we got the whole shabang. I have an IPA coming. Thanks for the other place to check out. Is it cheaper to buy the ingredients separetly, how about storage of ingredients, is there a shelf life.
Thanks

[gestyr]

There are a ton of homebrew supply houses you can find online. Northern brewer, Austin Homebrew Supply, Williams Brewing...these are just a few. Do a google for homebrew supply and compare prices. That is the best way to economize. :)

[larin1477]

Originally posted by clancyarn
Homebrew heaven is where we got the whole shabang. I have an IPA coming. Thanks for the other place to check out. Is it cheaper to buy the ingredients separetly, how about storage of ingredients, is there a shelf life.
Thanks

Depends on the ingredient...are you brewing extract/with specialty or all-grain...Im guessing extract...DME and LME have a good long shelf life (Just keep it in a kinda of cool kinda dark place)...like those technical terms?...lmao...hops will keep for a few months at least in the freezer...

I brewed from kits for a long time...but im a control freak so i now make up my own recipes...(some good some bad!)...(Unless anyone knows wher I can get the kit for DRAGONSMILK BARLEYWINE I brewed this some years back and It was the smoothest, tastiest, brew at almost 10%APV I have ever tasted in my life!!)

Actually Homebrew Heaven has a Death by Barleywine that im thinking of trying...anyone brewed this one?

[corkybstewart]

I just brewed my Get Real ESB kit. Nice and easy, nothing to measure, but the cost was 3 times what I normally spend on brewing. Buy bulk young man, then brew your own recipes. It's harder if you're an extract brewer but it can still be done.

[CampAjohn]

You might try Larry's Brewing Supply out of Kent, WA. This is my LHBS and they also do mail and online orders: http://www.larrysbrewsupply.com/ Their store prices are good and I expect the online prices are competitive too.

[SirVeza]

Clancyarn,

Do you have any friends that brew or know of a local homebrew club? OK, maybe not local, but you know what I mean. Consider talking to some other homebrewers and pitching in to buy volume. If you buy some malt extract, buy 50lbs of it among the group. Buy a pound of hops.

I'm sure if you added up all the shipping costs, you could pay for the gas to go to the city and do a stock up instead. (I am assuming there is a HBS in Montana but I could be wrong.)

Count yourself as lucky. I waited 32 days for my last order to get here from the USA. I was going nuts waiting to brew something.

Dan Carol
Homebrewing in the Philippines (http://homebrewinghobby.blogspot.com)

[clancyarn]

Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunatly I am nowwhere near a store. I did check out a couple places and was pleasantly surprised by the prices. I now need to come up with what I want to brew and get after it.

I have a Knothead IPA in the secondary. Started at 1.055 and it was at 1.012 before I placed it into the secondary. Oh man it tasted real good. Of course it was another kit. They are foolproof I think as long as I keep things sanitary.
Cheers all.

[cbtrtbum]

clancy, my experience (though limited) has been that its a bit more expensive to but specific ingredients for a specific batch (unless as previously suggested you stock up on bulk materials) I have been buying kits from Homebrew heaven, and Northern brewer. The northern brewer kits are a little less expensive, and come standard with Wyeast. (NB also has a bit more variety) Both companies have been excellent with service and quality. Peace,Chris

[corkybstewart]

morebeer.com has free shipping over $60 so when I order something I'll buy 5 pound bags of specialty grains and 1 pound bags of hops. That way you can make your own rfecipes. Get a good book like Designing great beers and study what kinds of hops and grains are used in the beers you like and buy bulk. And with a variety of stuff you can experiment a little, which is half the fun of homebrewing.

[Mad Scientist]

If you buy hops in bulk, find a vacuum sealer to keep them as fresh as possible.....

[BrewDog]

what Boerne & Corky said and once they are vacuum packed, store them in the FREEZER.