Hmmm...old milled grains still taste OK.

I bought some Briess Special Roast and Crisp (I think?) Pale Chocolate Malt back in July and milled them at the LHBS. (I was in Colorado at the time; my local LHBS here in Olympia, WA doesn't carry those malts.) I bought a bit more than I needed, and the excess milled grain has been kept in sealed Mason jars in the freezer since the summer.

I figured the malts aren't any good anymore, and I was about to toss them. I decided to take a taste before I fed them to my chickens, and lo and behold, they taste pretty much like they did in July. Not chewy or stale like I'd expect.

What would you do with them? I'm inclined to brew with them, but I wonder if a staleness I can't pick up now would emerge in the finished beer. OTOH, neither of these malts would exceed 5% of the grist, and if I wanted to have something more fresh, I'd have to mail order it.

Hmm...

I made a pale ale from grain that was milled seven months before I brewed. Then I left it in primary for over a year. Came out great! No stale flavors, just most of the hop flavor was gone. Brew it!

milesvdustin said:

I made a pale ale from grain that was milled seven months before I brewed. Then I left it in primary for over a year. Came out great! No stale flavors, just most of the hop flavor was gone. Brew it!

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I just want to make sure you're not pulling my leg...primary for over a year?!?

EDIT: I see you're USMC. I imagine you were deployed during that year? Well, I hope that pale ale was delicious. You earned it.

Any other words of encouragement or caution out there?

They'll be fine. You might lose some of the fresh flavor, but no flaw. With such specialty grains you are not relying on their diastatic power either.

Quaker said:

They'll be fine. You might lose some of the fresh flavor, but no flaw. With such specialty grains you are relying on their diastatic power either.

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Thanks to both of you gentlemen. I'm going to throw that Special Roast into an IPA.

Not pulling a leg and I wasn't deployed. It was an experiment for autolysis and it tasted great!

Hope your ipa turns put good, I am sure it will. One thing I have learned brewing is don't sweat anything, it will all be good. (Except sanitation, be vigilant!!!)