Grain Storage?

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jvetter

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I'm looking for a good air tight storage solution for my grain.

What do people use to store there grain and still make it convenient to move and dispense?

A friend uses 5 gallon buckets, but these only hold around 20 lbs of 2-row. It would be nice to have something that at least hold 27.5 lbs (half a 55 lb bag). Also would be nice to have stack-able smaller sizes when grain gets below 15 lbs.
 
I use homer buckets from home depot and 9-gallon HDPE drums I got for $9 apiece from a plastic recycler locally.

Drums:
eBay Auction

The drums are #2 HDPE, have UN markings that allow them for use in containing anything in the world that is SOLID. (not rated for liquid, but I guess they could be used for fermenters if you wanted) The lids screw on airtight and have gaskets in them. I fit 2/3 of a sack in the drum, the other 1/3 in a Homer bucket ($3.00 apiece) And I picked up a nice big aluminum scoop to scoop out what I need into my container on the scales.
 
A friend uses 5 gallon buckets, but these only hold around 20 lbs of 2-row. It would be nice to have something that at least hold 27.5 lbs (half a 55 lb bag). Also would be nice to have stack-able smaller sizes when grain gets below 15 lbs.

I was able to split a 55 lb sack into two grey buckets from Lowes. It's very tight, but I got it to fit. You can't just just dump it in, you have to stop occasionally to settle the grain.
 
This is my set up; I really like the vittle vaults

grain.jpeg
 
You dont really need this bucket, If your grain are not grind, no use to seal them. U can keep then in the plastic bag as they come, if bought in 25 kg then just close the bag as good as you can
 
Been using the 35 gallon trashcans from ACE for 4 years now. They work great for those of us who keep a few hundred lbs of base malt on hand at all times
 
I started using the galvanized trash cans ...does not hold all 55#... keeps the critters out for sure ..
 
I usually buy about 50 lbs. of grain at a time. I mill the grain myself, but still store it the same as when I bought it milled. Just leave it in the bags it comes in and store it in Space Bags. Just put it in the Space Bag and suck the air out with your vacuum cleaner. Works great.
 
I don't think you need airtight if you keep them in the house where its low moisture. Outside, I'd go airtight to keep the moisture (and bugs) out. I use two homer buckets like people have mentioned. I can just barely fit a 50 lb bag in two 5 gallon homer buckets. I almost never have a totally full bag cuz I use at least a few pounds for the current recipe. When I buy 55 lb bags, its too tight, but I just save whatever I need for my next recipe separately.
 
I use four of the 60# Vittles Vault Stackables, like such:

VV4-l.jpg


I got the first three at Costco for dirt cheap, limited by cash-on-hand and how much would fit in my car. When I went back, they were sold out, so I had to get the fourth one elsewhere for almost full retail (didn't want to muck around with shipping on an item that big).
 
lowes or homer buckets $3 with lid cant go wrong i use zip lock or vacuum bags for specialty grains
 
I use the large plastic totes from Lowes....I'm able to put 2 sacks(100#)....plus several small bags(1-2#)in there...works well..
 
Indoors, unmilled, at least a year. Maybe a lot more. Guy from Briess said this on a podcast.



I had half an opened sack and a full sack in a plastic Lowes container that was in my garage unmilled for 2 close to 2 years....Was perfectly fine....
 
Instead of buying buckets, I just reclaimed several 5G pails that I got when I bought salt in the winter, I even reused some of my Mom's old kitty litter buckets (square 5G from Costco) Now I have about 25G of storage capacity and it didn't cost me a penny.

Be sure you wash out your buckets good before reusing them. In my case, since the buckets really can't be considered 'food safe' I line each one with a plastic trash can liner and then a paper bag. I dump the grains into paper bags and stuff that down into the plastic bag and then seal the lid. I also do quite a bit of baking and store my various flours this way.

Word to the wise; be SURE you have a good airtight seal for your grain if they'll sit for a few months. If you ever had to deal with grain moths, they can reproduce very quickly.
 
You're going about it all wrong if a 50 - 55lbs last you 2 years. 6 months even! :)

I wouldn't say that. I've had up to 1 ton of grain at a time. That takes awhile to go through. So it would be a couple years until I reached the end. Unfortunately I couldn't take that much with me, so there was a lucky brew club that received it all before I left the States. It's not unreasonable to keep 55lbs on hand for a good couple years. When I am in the States I tend to brew about once or twice a week, and I didn't have a homebrew store near me at all, so I liked to stock up so I didn't have to worry about shipping delays for when I did brew.
 
A 19 gallon Rubbermaid storage tub works great for holding 55lbs (with plenty of room to spare). They are around $10 at Home Depot and almost everwhere else.
 
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