How long will crushed grain last

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
R

redde2brew

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
57
Reaction score
0
Location
nc
I have some grain that was crushed a couple of months ago. I was wondering if it will still make good wort.
 
Give it a shot. I recently asked this of the woman at my LHBS. She said as an experiment once they cleaned out some ooooold crushed stuff from the store, brewed with it, and could barely tell the difference.

Go for it and let us know how it turns out.
 
Usually not too long. You will begin to get insect infestation such as weavles and such. A closed bag of malt will last months but when you open it the clock starts to tick.
 
kicknbrew said:
Give it a shot. I recently asked this of the woman at my LHBS. She said as an experiment once they cleaned out some ooooold crushed stuff from the store, brewed with it, and could barely tell the difference.
Click to expand...

How old is ooooold? 6 months? 1 year?? 2 years?
 
Palmer's book says it'll last about 2 weeks if it's kept cool and dry. I assume this means 2 weeks from when it's crushed.
 
I don't really keep grain around all that long. If I do have any extra, or some waiting for a fermenter to open up, I keep it in the freezer. The night before I brew, I pull out the grain and let it warm up overnight.
 
mikebowman said:
Palmer's book says it'll last about 2 weeks if it's kept cool and dry. I assume this means 2 weeks from when it's crushed.
Click to expand...

Meh, I think it lasts way longer than that. I've used old grain crushed that's been sitting around for months before. Never had a problem. Just keep it sealed in a dry place
 
I've got some in the freezer from 3 months ago that I wouldn't think twice about using, and I plan on it. You can get mold and bugs though so I always make sure to seal it and pop it in the freezer ASAP until I need it. Waste not want not, it can't be too bad.
 
Since I don't have a barley crusher, I usually order enough crushed grain to last for 2 months. I have read before that as long as it is stored cool, dry, & air tight it will last for months. I keep mine in a sealed bag inside of a bucket with a tight lid, on the basement floor. I don't notice any difference between brews from the 1st part of my grain order to the last.
 
There are two issues with using "old" crushed grains (for the AG brewer). The first is: has the grain staled (oxidized - gone rancid). The second is: do the grains still have sufficient enzyme activity to convert the starch to sugars.

With respect to the second point, I've done the experiments (actually had my wife's students do it) and properly stored crushed grain can still have sufficient activity for as long as two years after crushing. There is some loss of activity so longer mashes might be required. I actually crushed the malt it into flour for ease of the experiment, so it was even more prone to loss of enzyme activity.

So, it is actually the first issue that is important. The general consensus is to smell and taste the grain. If it still tastes fresh/bready/etc., then use it. If it tastes bland and/or rancid, don't use it
 
Freezer.
Vacuum Sealer.

done.
don't think twice about it - I've got recipes that call for 2 oz of something, and I bought a pound. So - I can make that recipe 8 times - several packages like that STILL in the freezer, vacuum sealed. It's not all crushed, but some of it is...
 
Thanks for the replies. They been stored in an sealed bag at 70 degrees, its not rancid. I going to brew it up. In my extract brewing I know I used steeping grains that were crushed for several months before I used them. My biggest concern was the converison to fermentables.
 
I think keep anything you don't use as cool and as dry as possible and then checking it before using is your best bet. No guarentees if it will be good or not, but you should be fine.
 
I made a batch a few months back with grains that were crushed about 6 months prior and it turned out fine.
 
Glad I read this. Bought some grains earlier this week but wont be able to brew for a few more weeks. Just loaded them in the freezer. Mine were put in a bag...I've got no way to seal them other than put the bag in a gallon zip lock bag. Will that be sufficient?
 
Wiezer said:
How old is ooooold? 6 months? 1 year?? 2 years?
Click to expand...

I think she said a few months stored in a sealed bag in her dry and cool basement. So yeah, it was under some great conditions, but still. As long as it's protected, cool, and dry, it should be fine.
 
I also buy my grains crushed until I get a mill (hopefully soon) and I store my crushed grains in a tote in my basement that stays around 68 all the time and I have used them after a couple of months and have not noticed any ill effects to the grain yet either. I say go for it. It will still make beer right? Maybe not as good as when they were fresh but how will you know for sure?
 
pjj2ba said:
There are two issues with using "old" crushed grains (for the AG brewer). The first is: has the grain staled (oxidized - gone rancid). The second is: do the grains still have sufficient enzyme activity to convert the starch to sugars.

With respect to the second point, I've done the experiments (actually had my wife's students do it) and properly stored crushed grain can still have sufficient activity for as long as two years after crushing. There is some loss of activity so longer mashes might be required. I actually crushed the malt it into flour for ease of the experiment, so it was even more prone to loss of enzyme activity.

So, it is actually the first issue that is important. The general consensus is to smell and taste the grain. If it still tastes fresh/bready/etc., then use it. If it tastes bland and/or rancid, don't use it
Click to expand...

If its rancid, don't use it. More than just homebrewing, this is advice for life lol!
 
kicknbrew said:
I think she said a few months stored in a sealed bag in her dry and cool basement. So yeah, it was under some great conditions, but still. As long as it's protected, cool, and dry, it should be fine.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the info!
 
So if you brew about once a month is it worth it to buy a grain mill and full grain bags?
 
I buy most of the grains in 10lb bags pre-crushed on-line and most were sealed, I reseal the opened one with vacuum sealer. So far no issues.
 
As far as I can tell grain lasts quite a while but many valid points have been raised.
Someone brought up insect infestation and as someone who has spent significant time in
commercial breweries: Almost all commercial beers have been brewed with some weevils.
Keep drinking though, clearly doesn't matter.
 
Almost any grain product is going to end up with some kind of bug in it. I think they are in it and they hatch eventually. Sometimes you get webby stuff in bird seed, or sometimes you might find a tiny winged creature in a bag of grain (that seemed sealed up).

But we use flour that was ground a long time ago. As long as you keep it air tight, you're doing the best you can. Unless someone can show that you really lose enzymes in 2 weeks, I think that's just being overly cautious.

I got a bag of Maris Otter last fall and used some, but didn't get around to doing any more with that one. I threw it out last week. I have wheat and pilsner that I got in June and plan to use in the next month or so.

Again, I see one comment about the experiments, but is there any other anecdotal or research evidence?
 
Artifishal said:
So if you brew about once a month is it worth it to buy a grain mill and full grain bags?
Click to expand...


For me it is worth buying a 50# sack of base malts and custom grinding my own grist that I know is setup for my system. I get gamma lids at Lowes and it takes two 5G buckets w/lid for each full sack. Also gives me the satisfaction of knowing I am controlling the process since grist sizes can vary greatly commercially when buying premilled grains. Mine is not so much an argument against how long premilled grist will remain viable, mine is knowing what my "dialed in" grind does in my brewing system.
 
Corona mill knock off- $15 bucks on Ebay
5 Gallon Buckets- free from local bakery
Lids for said buckets- free from local bakery

The ability to buy in bulk and mill my own grain without dropping $200 on a fancy crusher- priceless.
 

Similar threads

hilljack13
Rate my grain crush
Replies
5
Views
399
Red over White
Red over White
lacto
Malted wheat - crush or not?
Replies
2
Views
560
lacto
lacto
sictransit701
How long does crushed grain last?
Replies
4
Views
873
jambop
J
R
Wort Transformation Competition
Replies
3
Views
208
FloppyKnockers
FloppyKnockers
T
Who crushes/grinds their Hops (Dry Hop)
Replies
6
Views
1K
kevin58
kevin58
Williams Brewing 300

Latest posts

Back
Top