Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I have an "in" with a local brew pub, but it only gets me Muntons Pale..... Now I have been making IPA, American Brown and Belgian Trappist with that, and they're all decent, but I think I can notch up the quality if I start getting the more correct Ale malt for the Americans and Belgian Pilsner for the Belgians. Also have been buying the German Pilsner for my German Ale at retail, need a big bag of that too.
How does one get a hold of a distributor.....
As far as group purchases, that's a double edged sword. The LHBS is VERY supportive of the Brew Club..... to start a group purchase there would be a bit of a back stab. Quietly getting bulk grain elsewhere and going to them for the specialty grains is OK with me (and them) as I am probably one of the largest consumers in the club.