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Rcole

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Not real fancy but rolls out so I can access the base and specialty grains I need.

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Mine's very simple. So far I only keep base grains but ill expand to my popular specialties some day.

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Cool thread. I've been thinking about how I want to store grain when I get my mill. ( my brew store is working on it)
I'm about two hours from the brew store so I need to be able to store full bags of base malts and smaller amounts of specialty grains.
Rcole's setup looks a lot like my brew store's setup.
I like the buckets that Barrooze uses for specialty grains. Sealed and free from light.
 
barrooze said:
Mine's very simple. So far I only keep base grains but ill expand to my popular specialties some day.

I'm digging the printed labels! I only store one type of grain, but this is a great idea.
 
Ive got mine in the clear food grade buckets from home depot with gamma lids. Questions though. I currently have my grains in the gaage but we're reaching freezi temperatures, should i be bringing them in the house and keeping them in a closet?
 
Jester said:
I'm digging the printed labels! I only store one type of grain, but this is a great idea.

The graphic labels on my bins are cut out from catalogs and laminated.
 
Ive got mine in the clear food grade buckets from home depot with gamma lids. Questions though. I currently have my grains in the gaage but we're reaching freezi temperatures, should i be bringing them in the house and keeping them in a closet?

same boat here.. setting up my brewshed and it will below freezing for several months. Anyone know what effect that may have?
 
same boat here.. setting up my brewshed and it will below freezing for several months. Anyone know what effect that may have?

I am by no means an expert on this, but I have seen people storing there grains in a refrigerator so I would think that the cold temperature wouldn't have a negative effect on the grains.

Hopefully someone else can help validate this....
 
This could be wrong, but my opinion would be that storing grain in a fridge or freezer is not the same as an unregulated location where the temperatures would have daily large swings that could form moisture.
 
I am by no means an expert on this, but I have seen people storing there grains in a refrigerator so I would think that the cold temperature wouldn't have a negative effect on the grains.

Hopefully someone else can help validate this....

I've intentionally frozen grain solid then used it later without any issue. The enzymes are not denatured by freezing.
 
When i started buying my grain in bulk, I read there are three points to aim for: 1) store grain in air-tight containers, 2) store grain in a moisture-free environment, and 3) store grain at a cold temperature. Points 1 and 3 help reduce staling of the grain. Staling occurs more slowly at colder temps, so storing grain in a fridge or freezer is just fine. If a lot of air is in contact with the grain, you'll also get more staling. #2 helps keep the grain from essentially getting ruined. Storing grains moist is bad. You can get rot and i dont think you want to brew with rotten grain.
 
This could be wrong, but my opinion would be that storing grain in a fridge or freezer is not the same as an unregulated location where the temperatures would have daily large swings that could form moisture.

That's a good point... I wonder if there could be condensation on the grains due to the temperature fluctuation.
 
^ probably a bit more practical for a homebrewer to refrigerate then them. They probably flip it a lot faster then we do as well.

True, but they store the grain in a silo, then it goes into train cars, then into other silo's, then onto a ship and gets transported around the world where it goes into a silo until they are ready to ship it to the end user or someone who distributes to a supply chain that sells smaller amounts.

Storing in a shed is fine is the point. Keep it dry and the temperature is not an issue.
 
How long do you think it will stay fresh sealed in a bucket or in a bag in a garbage can like that one picture? I have never had any go bad as far as I no. But I only buy it 1 sack at a time, so it gets used up quickley.
 
How long do you think it will stay fresh sealed in a bucket or in a bag in a garbage can like that one picture? I have never had any go bad as far as I no. But I only buy it 1 sack at a time, so it gets used up quickley.

If the malt is unmilled, and you keep it dry, it will be good for at least years. This is my experience.
 
How long do you think it will stay fresh sealed in a bucket or in a bag in a garbage can like that one picture? I have never had any go bad as far as I no. But I only buy it 1 sack at a time, so it gets used up quickley.

I've had mine stored in my garage in Houston temps for about 10 months. I'm using HD Homer buckets with Gamma lids. They're airtight and watertight and I haven't noticed any staling at this point even when stored at 100+ temps all summer.
 
What about milled grain? I got the stuff for my first two recipes from the lhbs about two weeks ago, and just got slammed after that. Will finally be brewing tomorrow, but if I've waited too long I don't want to bother before I can get new grain in.
 
What about milled grain? I got the stuff for my first two recipes from the lhbs about two weeks ago, and just got slammed after that. Will finally be brewing tomorrow, but if I've waited too long I don't want to bother before I can get new grain in.

Keep it in bags, airtight, and it will keep a long time too. But milled grain is like crackers. If you leave it exposed to air for even a short period it will stale. I'd use it as soon as possible.
 
Right on. I've got each recipe in a one-gallon ziplock that I purged as much air from as possible. Thanks for the info.
 
45_70sharps said:
I think storage where you are at the whim of the outdoor temp is pretty standard.

Yes, but I don't think they brew fine beer with silo grain. That's what they use to make Wonderbread, Twinkies, and othe animal feed.
 
Demon said:
People seem to freek out about grain storage conditions. Here is my advice... IT'S FREAKING GRAIN!!! It'll be fine. The same way it was fine hundreds of years ago. Brew some beer and drink it, you'll live.

That's all well and good if you're just looking to brew some beer. If you're trying to make the best beer you possibly can ingredient freshness (including grain) is as important as anything else.
 
Rcole said:
Yes, but I don't think they brew fine beer with silo grain. That's what they use to make Wonderbread, Twinkies, and othe animal feed.

All grain goes from combine to truck to silo and so on.
There is nothing special about beer grain.
If anything it needs less special of treatment prior to malting than grains consumed in a more original state.

Grain stored in outdoor temperature and kept dry is fine.
 
True, but they store the grain in a silo, then it goes into train cars, then into other silo's, then onto a ship and gets transported around the world where it goes into a silo until they are ready to ship it to the end user or someone who distributes to a supply chain that sells smaller amounts.

Storing in a shed is fine is the point. Keep it dry and the temperature is not an issue.

No argument from me. I wasn't trying to refute any point you may have been making either. Just that showing a silo in the PNW doesn't really infer that storing your brewing grain in a fridge or freezer won't help it stay fresh.

I keep my grain in the freezer because a very reputable professional brewer told me that's what he does with his homebrew grain as well. It's just a case where it's not impractical for him (or me) to do so, so we do. If you only have space in your shed, more power to ya. Whatever keeps ya brewing!
 
No argument from me. I wasn't trying to refute any point you may have been making either. Just that showing a silo in the PNW doesn't really infer that storing your brewing grain in a fridge or freezer won't help it stay fresh.

I keep my grain in the freezer because a very reputable professional brewer told me that's what he does with his homebrew grain as well. It's just a case where it's not impractical for him (or me) to do so, so we do. If you only have space in your shed, more power to ya. Whatever keeps ya brewing!

We agree.
What grain goes through before you buy it is beyond your control.
If it's actually a harvest that's over a year old and it's been stored in bulk somewhere, that's what it is.
That doesn't mean that it's not good insurance to make sure you store it in an air tight container, maybe in a freezer or not, maybe in vacuum bags if it's small amounts.
You can try and stop time for the grain in essence by sealing it. I'm not sure if freezing it helps, but if it's in an air tight container it certainly isn't going to hurt anything.

The point of my post was going back to someone asking if it was OK to store their grain in a shed where it's subject to temperature swings. That is what the grain gets most of the time up until it reaches small distribution ( a full sack of grain is small distribution). I would keep it in air tight containers though.
The freezer gets less practical for most people if they have more than a couple full sacks of grain worth of stock. The best air tight container you can get is good though.
I don't stockpile any grain right now because I'm waiting on the brew store to get my mill. I will stockpile a quantity of some base malts and smaller amounts of specialty grains when I get the mill though.
I was hoping to see some amazing and cheap storage in this thread. The why didn't I think of that kind. I'm not sure what I'm going to use. I'm not even sure how much I'm going to store yet. I've got to check out how much savings there is through the brew store I go to before I decide on the amount I stockpile. I will have a fair stockpile of my favorites since it's a 3 1/2 or 4 hour round trip to the brew store for me.
 
Go overboard much? What's wrong with the bag grain comes in?
 
I don't have a mill yet and I live over an hour away from my LHBS. I have been buying a few crushed grain bills at a time and keeping them in the freezer of my beer fridge. I have an English Strong grain bill in there right now. It has been almost a month since it was crushed. Should be fine.

On another note...

Those with CO2 bottles. Have you thought about purging the bucket prior to filling with grain? Just a thought. When I get my mill, I will start keeping base malts on hand and plan to store in buckets with Gamma Lids. I was planning to give a short purge with CO2 then fill and close up the bucket. This is how 'Preppers' store grain LONG TERM.
 
Those of y'all who freeze crushed grain before brewing it - are you bringing it back up to room temp before mashing in, or do you just kick your strike water up a few degrees to compensate for the grain coming straight from the freezer?
 
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