Grains...Freeze 'em?

Pelikan · 12-07-2008, 10:42 PM

As far as specialty grains go, I normally get what I'm going to use for the next few months at the LHBS, vac bag 'em, and put 'em in the fridge. I'm running out of fridge space, so transferred the grains into a freezer I have in the garage. Is it okay to freeze 'em?

Also, I'm making the transition to partial mash soon, and am going to pick up a bulk bag of 2-row. Can I just keep that in a bucket out in the garage during the winter months?

As far as DME goes, can it be kept at ambient temperature? I had that in the fridge as well, but now I really don't have room for it anywhere except in a box, on a shelf...

**Yuri_Rage** · 12-07-2008, 10:50 PM

If you're vacuum sealing the grain, you can store it at room temp. DME keeps just like sugar - no need for refrigeration, either.

As for bulk grain - as long as it's not crushed, you can store it in a cool, dark place for a LONG time.

**mosyslack** · 12-08-2008, 02:35 AM

What Yuri said... I would imagine that freezing is not the best of ideas. Have you seen thawed blueberries or other fruit? Cool and dark storage for grains (whole, not crushed), and air tight

Pelikan · 12-08-2008, 05:50 AM

Grains have little or no moisture content though, similar to hops (and pretty much everyone advocates hop freezing). The moisture content is what kills the blueberries, etc. When the water freezes, it forms little dagger-like crystals that pierce the cell walls and turn your fruit into jelly.

So when I said freezing, perhaps I should have said storing them at temperatures below freezing?

Brewsmith · 12-08-2008, 06:02 AM

It's not the moisture reasons to freeze hops. The Alpha Acid content decreases over time and it is accelerated at warmer temperatures.