Old Grain

Wino24 · Sep 2, 2012

Hi all....I have about 20lbs of 2-row and 20lbs of M.O. that have been sitting in my garage for almost 2 yrs. The bags have stayed dry although it does get pretty warm in there during the summer. Is this grain still usable? Thanks.

Tiber_Brew · Sep 2, 2012

It's usable, but it might not taste as good as fresher grain. I've used specialty malts in small quantity that were several years old with OK results. Base malts would make more of a difference since you'd be using more of it in a batch. I would use up your 2 year old stock as soon as you can, and buy some smaller amounts of it in the future so it doesn't sit as long.

osagedr · Sep 2, 2012

Some people say if you chew on a few kernels and they don't taste off, you can go ahead and brew with it.

Tiber_Brew · Sep 2, 2012

osagedr said:
Some people say if you chew on a few kernels and they don't taste off, you can go ahead and brew with it.

I've also made a small "malt tea" to get a sense of flavor, color, freshness, etc. It's not 100% indicative, but it might help.

jpc · Sep 5, 2012

I've used two-year-old grain to make some of my better beers. I do notice that the grain is a bit dustier (and one of these days, I'll try conditioning the grain, if I remember to buy s spray bottle). If the temperatures have been fairly stable and the grain remains dry, it should be fine. As others have said, do the taste test.

cockybitz · Sep 5, 2012

You are fine. How long do you think grain can sit in a grain silo?

iambeer · Sep 6, 2012

According to some website, barley (soft grain category) "Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 8 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures."

Based on your description of storage, I would cut my losses and start fresh.

Old Grain

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