How Our Grain Bill Builder Works
The short answer: the Grain Bill Builder lets you put together a complete all-grain recipe from the malts, hops, yeast and adjuncts on our shelves. You choose your grain in 100 g steps (1 kg minimum for the whole bill), pick how you want it milled, and the brew sheet shows your estimated gravity, alcohol, bitterness and colour as you build. We weigh and mill it fresh in store and pack your whole grain bill in one bag.
Below is what happens at each step, what the numbers mean, and a few tips from the team at our Laverton North and Epping shops.
The six steps at a glance
| Step | What you do | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grains | Add malts in 100 g steps, or start from a recipe | The whole bill needs at least 1 kg |
| 2. Milling & bag | Choose unmilled, standard or fine crush | Your whole bill goes in one bag, and the bag price includes milling |
| 3. Hops | Build a hop schedule in grams | Optional. We pick the cheapest mix of pack sizes |
| 4. Yeast | Choose a yeast and how many packets | Optional. Its attenuation sets your final gravity |
| 5. Adjuncts | Add flaked grains, extracts, sugars or rice hulls | Optional |
| 6. Review | Check your recipe and add it to your cart | It can't be changed once it's being prepared |
Step 1: Choose your grain
Malts are grouped as base, crystal, specialty and roasted, with the colour (EBC) and price per kilo on every card. Base malts start at 1 kg and specialty malts at 200 g. From there, adjust with the plus and minus buttons in 100 g steps, or type the amount in kilos.
Not sure where to start? Load one of the starter recipes (Aussie Pale Ale, German Pilsner, Hefeweizen, Irish Red Ale, Dry Stout or Hazy IPA) and change it to suit. A recipe also fills in a matching hop schedule and yeast, which you can keep, change or remove.
If a malt is out of stock, the builder suggests the closest alternative of the same type. Changed your mind completely? Start over at the top of the brew sheet clears everything.
Step 2: Pick your crush
- Unmilled. Whole grain, for brewers with their own mill or grain you'll store for a while.
- Milled (standard crush). Husks mostly intact for good filtration. Best for Grainfather, BrewZilla and other recirculating systems.
- Double milled (fine crush). Milled twice for higher efficiency. Best for Brew in a Bag (BIAB). Add rice hulls if you recirculate.
Your whole grain bill is packed in one bag, milled the way you choose. You can also add a BIAB strainer bag at this step.
Step 3: Build your hop schedule
Add hops by the gram and choose when each one goes in: 60, 30, 15 or 5 minutes, whirlpool or dry hop. The schedule shows the bitterness (IBU) each addition adds, and the brew sheet keeps the running total.
You don't need to work out pack sizes. The builder buys the cheapest mix that covers your grams. For example, 40 g of Citra comes as two 25 g packs, while 80 g is cheaper as a single 100 g pack. Any spare grams are shown, so you know what you'll have left over.
Step 4: Choose your yeast
Yeasts are grouped by style (clean American ales, English ales, lagers, wheat, Belgian and saison, kveik and sour), and each one shows its typical attenuation and fermentation temperature. The builder recommends how many packets to pitch: usually one dry packet for a 23 L ale, and two for a lager or a stronger beer.
Step 5: Adjuncts and brewing aids
Add flaked barley, flaked rice or rolled oats, malt extracts and brewing sugars, or brewing aids such as rice hulls. Fermentable adjuncts count toward your gravity and alcohol. Lactose and maltodextrin add body and sweetness but not alcohol, and the brew sheet allows for that.
If a big share of your mash has little or no husk (wheat, oats and flaked grains), the builder suggests adding rice hulls. They keep the mash bed open so it doesn't get stuck.
Step 6: Review and add to cart
The review page shows your full recipe: every ingredient with its weight and share of the grain bill, your milling choice, and the estimated OG, FG, ABV, IBU and colour. Each item goes into your cart as a normal product, labelled with your grain bill name, your milling choice and your hop schedule, so the team packs it exactly as you built it.
Grain is weighed and milled to order, so a grain bill can't be changed or refunded once we've started preparing it. That's why the review asks you to tick a box confirming you've checked it.
Understanding the brew sheet
| Number | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| OG (original gravity) | How much sugar your wort has before fermentation. Higher OG means a stronger beer. |
| FG (final gravity) | Where the gravity should finish, based on your yeast's attenuation. A lower FG means a drier beer. |
| ABV | Estimated alcohol by volume, worked out from OG and FG. |
| IBU | Bitterness from your hop schedule. Most pale ales sit around 25 to 40 IBU. |
| EBC | Beer colour. Under 10 is pale straw, 20 to 30 is amber, and over 60 is black. The glass on the brew sheet changes colour to match. |
Set your batch size and brewhouse efficiency at the top of the brew sheet. Most home systems sit around 70 to 75% efficiency. A fine crush in a bag can run higher.
The numbers are estimates based on typical values for each ingredient. Your crush, mash temperature, water and equipment will all move them a little. To work out your real numbers on brew day, use our beer calculators.
Tips from the team
- Keep crystal malts under about 15% of the bill and roasted malts under 10%, unless you're after something big and dark. The brew sheet flags a malt that goes over its usual share.
- Brewing a wheat beer or a hazy IPA? Add rice hulls.
- Your draft saves on the device you're using, so you can come back to it later.
- Not sure about a recipe or crush? Call us on (03) 9422 1711 or ask in store before you order.
Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum order?
At least 1 kg of grain in total. You can mix as many different malts as you like to get there.
Do I have to buy hops and yeast?
No. The hops, yeast and adjunct steps are optional, so you can skip them if you already have your own.
Can I change my grain bill after I've ordered?
Once your grain has been weighed and milled, no. If you spot a mistake, contact us straight away and we'll do what we can before it's prepared.
How accurate are the numbers?
They're estimates for planning your brew. They'll be close for most home systems, but take a hydrometer reading on brew day for the real figures.
Which crush should I choose?
Standard crush for recirculating systems like the Grainfather or BrewZilla, fine crush for Brew in a Bag, and unmilled if you have your own mill.
Can I collect my grain bill in store?
Yes. Choose click and collect at checkout and pick it up from Laverton North or Epping.
Start building your grain bill, or browse our malt and grains, hops and brewing yeast.