how long does cracked grain last for

I bought 11 lbs worth of cracked grain from my LHBS 5 months ago. I read it only lasts 3 weeks... Is this correct? Its onluy a $14 loss. I would rather use fresh grain and not waste my time with bad grain. What do you think?

how were you storing them?

curious too. I have about 14lbs of cracked grain that has been in the fridge for about 6 weeks. I didn't think they would still be good but I held on to them just in case.

I've used them up to several months old with little to no problems at all. They were vacuum sealed. If not sealed properly, I have no idea - probably not long.

Seal-a-meal & FoodSaver FTW!

I keep grain in the freezer seal with a foodsaver. I'd assume that it would be like any other food product. As it sits in the freezer it'll slowly start to develop frost if not seal. It could also become like a box of baking soda and absorbs the smells. I would definitely avoid the fridge. The NY Times had an interesting article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/dining/06mini.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

now a few weeks I doubt anything noticeable.....6 months of longer..you're pushing it IMO.

I also have 13 lbs in a sealed bag from BMW for 5 weeks on a shelf in my cool, dark basement.
I will be getting a grain mill next week. Should I use as is, run it through a mill again, or use it for compost and start with fresher product.

I planned to just RDWHAHB and use it, but this thread made me reconsider.

I'm using 9 month old pre-crushed Maris Otter from a 25Kg sack that's been stored in my kitchen at room temperature and I'm still hitting the right efficiency.

I have used crushed grain that was stored at room temp in a paper bag 6 weeks after crushing. I did not get any drop in efficiency and no noticeable decrease in flavor.

I've used 6 or 7 week old pre-crushed grain that was kept in the plastic sack it came in, sealed as best I could with a clip on the top. It converted fine and didn't smell bad or anything, but had lost some of that amazing, fresh aroma you get.

I've used it up to a couple of months old. It was sealed in an air tight bucket though. Didn't seem to have any ill effects. But if your worried about it then just chuck it and get new.

As long as you can keep it dry and the temperature pretty stable, cracked grain can last for months with no ill effect. Just think of the Cap'n Crunch in your cupboard. As long as the inner liner is rolled, they stay tasty. If you leave the bag open, moisture invades and you get stale cereal.

Bump an old thread. I was curious about this as well. I am about to do all grain 3 gallon batches and the scaling gives some unusual quantities of grain. I'm not sure that my LHBS will measure out 5 oz quantities of grain.

My plan is to use our food saver for unused grain, label it, and store it in the pantry. I'll probably do the same for hops. Sound like a plan?

OKCAg2002 said:

Bump an old thread. I was curious about this as well. I am about to do all grain 3 gallon batches and the scaling gives some unusual quantities of grain. I'm not sure that my LHBS will measure out 5 oz quantities of grain.

My plan is to use our food saver for unused grain, label it, and store it in the pantry. I'll probably do the same for hops. Sound like a plan?

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The only LHBS I've ever used is Murrieta Homebrew Emporium in California, so I don't know how it's done elsewhere. But there I routinely serve myself, write down the weights of everything, and pay to the nearest tenth of a lb (ie, for 5 oz I'd be charged for .31 of a lb...).

troy2000 said:

The only LHBS I've ever used is Murrieta Homebrew Emporium in California, so I don't know how it's done elsewhere. But there I routinely serve myself, write down the weights of everything, and pay to the nearest tenth of a lb (ie, for 5 oz I'd be charged for .31 of a lb...).

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Same for me here. I weigh my own stuff and tell the shop what was in teh grain they crushed for me. I would hate to have to depend on someone else getting it right! lol I am in a similar predicament with some grains i bought for a smoked porter 2 nights ago. Think i am gonna be brewing it on new years eve instead of the other night. just gonna seal it in my vacuum sealer tonight and i think it should be fine. May just leave it tied up and double bagged like it came. Its pretty dry here and really shouldn't be a problem.

Just used 11 month old crushed grain recipe that i got from my LHBS last year. OG target was 1.052 and i hit 1.060. They were vacuum packed and stored in a cool, dark basement.