Milled Grain Shelf Life

I just got some various malts milled up for my first batch of beer ever! I have dry extract and the various grain additives (which will be put in bags) needed for a nut brown. How long can I hang onto this milled grain before it starts to lose any of its punch or effectiveness? I am either going to brew tomorrow or next weekend. Being a newbie I want to make sure my first batch goes off as well as I can get it.

Thanks!

General concensus is brew as soon as possible after it's milled. This weekend/next is fine. If I was going to go longer than 1-2 weeks I personally would bag it & store in the freezer.

ILuvIPA said:

General concensus is brew as soon as possible after it's milled. This weekend/next is fine. If I was going to go longer than 1-2 weeks I personally would bag it & store in the freezer.

Click to expand...

+1. I've gone even longer than 2 weeks and the beer turned out pretty well. That being said, it may have been even better had I not waited, but you shouldn't worry too much.

can you guys please elaborate on this matter? I dont own a mill (yet), so I get my grain all milled, wondering about storage - is it possible to extend shelf lifetime of milled grain by storing it cool or something?

So what I have decided to do is to take the milled grain out of the brown paper bag and transfer it to a ziploc. I then placed the ziploc back into the brown paper bag to keep it out of the light and then put the package into the fridge. Guess it can't hurt?

I store mine in the brown paper bag in the beer fridge. I have waited up to 2 weeks before use. Generally I try to use it within 7 days. Moisture is prolly the biggest enemy.

I regularly order 2 - 3 months worth of milled grain at a time. What I heard from someone at Briess is that you dont want to store it in the refrigerator, (too high of humidity). But, if kept air tight & cool, milled grain will last for several months. I keep mine in buckets with tight lids & store in my basement. So far, it has worked well.

If you are not going to use your milled grain right away I agree with the ziplock. But I'd put it in the freezer, not the fridge.