A few inches of water...

dutchcanuck · 11-30-2011, 03:17 AM

So....

Water backed up into my basement as a result of some heavy rains we've been experiencing over the past 48 hours and the area where I store all my brewing ingredients and equipment was not spared.

So my question is this, how water proof are Weyermann's bags? I had unopened sacks of Vienna and Munich Malt sitting on the floor and I cannot tell how wet they got, but I know it would have been in damp conditions for less than 8 hours.

I haven't opened the bags because I just spent 5 hours cleaning and my back is in no condition to start sorting, opening, and dumping bags of grain.

So does anyone know how well those grains bags resist water?

I would REALLY appreciate any feedback you guys have.

Cheers,

Ken

**EdWort** · 11-30-2011, 03:53 AM

I don't know, but if the bags now weigh more than the stated weight, they leak as the grain has absorbed water.

**runningweird** · 11-30-2011, 04:00 AM

best advice: if you want to keep the grain vacuum seal it and freeze it.

weigh it like ed said, but there is no way they didn't take on water. they will mold if you don't do anything with them.

kh54s10 · 11-30-2011, 04:06 AM

Open them on bed sheets as soon as possible and make sure the grain is dry. Then take a trip to Home Depot or Lowes etc and get some buckets with lids that have the rubber seals in them.

Better safe and extra effort than losing 50 lbs of grain.

**ChuckO** · 11-30-2011, 01:35 PM

First, determine what kind of water backed up into the basement. If it is only seepage through the foundation you can probably save the grains. If it is backup from a septic/sewer then I wouldn't risk it. If the basement has a funky smell then you probably have a problem.

**Zamial** · 11-30-2011, 02:13 PM

I will have an official answer for this in about 30 minutes.

**Zamial** · 11-30-2011, 03:03 PM

So the official info direct from the QA folks @ Briess is that "Our bags are not waterproof or resistant." If the grains do get a little wet they should be ok to use as long as you dry them ASAP. Mold and Mildew will be the biggest concerns." I will also double what was posted above and say that if this is sewer or drain water I would toss the grains.

dutchcanuck · 11-30-2011, 04:02 PM

I just want to thank you guys for listening to my diatribe and providing some feedback. The water was seems to be back up from the rain we had, it doesn't smell like sewage at all. But yes, if there is any mold or mildew I can see upon visual inspection I'm going to throw the entire bag out. Its not worth the risk of brewing with moldy malts. Thankfully the majority of malt are in rubbermaid containers that I store on metal shelves that were clearly above the water line. And I took your advice Edwort and I wieghed the bag and it came to 55.7 pounds. Now they are Weyermann malts and their website says, and I quote:

To preserve and protect the freshness and quality of a perfectly kilned or roasted batch of Weyermann® Malt, we only use tear-resistant woven- fabric bags with a sturdy, waterproof polyethylene lining...The durable double-layer bags and strong seams keep the malt safe inside and keep dirt, pests, or moisture outside - even under the roughest conditions. The empty bags are non-returnable, but they make excellent rugged trash can liners.

I do not have the ability to open the bag and check it out, but I ran a dehumidifier all night and the bag 'feels' dry. Right now I can only hope that the bags were able to keep the grains dry. I have a claims adjuster coming out this afternoon to inspect the damage, worse case scenario maybe I can get reimbursed for the malt

Cheers Everyone,

Ken

**runningweird** · 11-30-2011, 04:33 PM

I would say try to get the malt replaced - maybe you get new malt and save the old!