Storing grain

I got a few all-grain kits from AHS but I'm not going to be able to brew for a few weeks. What is the best way to store them?

Sealed up in a dark cool place like a basement or closet

Sealed in a cool, dry place.

What about freezing them? Would that affect the grain?

pat3rol said:

What about freezing them? Would that affect the grain?

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No affect on the grain. Unnecessary though, unless you have a weevil infestation.

Keep grains in a cool dry place.

Make sure you refrigerate that yeast and hops tho

Dry is no problem. But how cool is cool? No central Ac and no basement means average temp of mid to upper 70's in my house. Too warm?

I don't thing cool is important as long as it is dry. And, any openings will eventually draw weevils, so sealed is good.

I have a local grain distributor and they keep sacks in a very hot warehouse.

Do you have a restaurant supply house nearby? If so, they should have big food-grade sealed containers that are perfect for storing grain. If not, I've heard of folks going to the pet store and getting those big sealed bins that you use to store dog food.

I go with the 5gallon buckets for $2 at Home depot with the sealing lids with orings..
About 25lbs fits in each one !

Go to a local bakery. They typically have extra food-grade sealed buckets from fillings and toppings they're willing to give away.

I empty bags of grain into Homer buckets. One 55lb sack will fill up just a little more than 2 buckets.

I store unopened bags in large Sterilite latch totes from Home Depot. I think they are 36 gallon or something and cost about $11 or $12 each. Each tote will hold three 55lb sacks of grain.

Storing unopened bags in totes is probably unnecessary, but I think it looks cleaner and gives me a little peace of mind that it would be harder for rodents to get to them.

I use the a big Glad XL super bag inside a homer bucket. Keep 2 them in the garage for my 50lbs of grain. no issues with the bugs.

joeybeer said:

I go with the 5gallon buckets for $2 at Home depot with the sealing lids with orings..
About 25lbs fits in each one !

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Grab the buckets joeybeer is talking about and then get gamma seal lids for an easy, air-tight seal.

Like these:
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/gamma_seal_lids_gamma_lid_products.aspx

I use 5gallon buckets from Lowes. I got lids with the gasket. 50 lb sack fits perfectly in two buckets.