Should I trash my grain bill and start over?

I bought grains for 2 batches about a month ago and did not think to store them in the fridge on in a container ( I had them milled at the LHBS. They are just in the plastic bags that they have at my LHBS. Should I just write them off as no good and toss or can I still use them? I would hate to waste them but I do not want a crappy beer...Thoughts??

they should be fine I would NOT dump them. I've brewed with crushed grain up to 3 months old without any noticeable problems.

+1
I wouldn't dump them.

Whew!!!! I am so glad to hear that. I am going to stop by wally world for some plastic containers just the same so I can mitigate any potential damage. I am going to do both the pumpkin and ESB this weekend. What would stale crappy malt smell/taste like. It has been pretty cool here in Colorado lately and it is super dry here usually (and has been for the most part) so Humidity should not be a factor...
As always thanks for the input

zman said:

Whew!!!! I am so glad to hear that. I am going to stop by wally world for some plastic containers just the same so I can mitigate any potential damage. I am going to do both the pumpkin and ESB this weekend. What would stale crappy malt smell/taste like. It has been pretty cool here in Colorado lately and it is super dry here usually (and has been for the most part) so Humidity should not be a factor...
As always thanks for the input

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Just noticed you're in Arvada...Your'e fine. No Bugs = Good to go. Heck...Maybe bugs would add effectiveness to your protien rest.

Best way to find out is to just EAT them. If you eat it and they taste spoiled then your beer will suck. However if its only been a month and you kept them out of humidity and sunlight they should be fine.

Sometimes ya gotta say WTF!!!!!. So that is where I am going to go with that. Yep I am here in YAWN!!!!! Arvada!...lol

I agree with Mirilis- taste the grains. If they taste stale or rancid, thow them out. If they taste like grain, and actually pretty good, they are fine.

What I recommend doing is taste all your grains- so you know what good crystal 60L tastes like, for example. It gives you a great idea as to what that grain will bring to your finished beer.

Brew on man no worries!

YooperBrew said:

What I recommend doing is taste all your grains- so you know what good crystal 60L tastes like, for example. It gives you a great idea as to what that grain will bring to your finished beer.

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I totally agree. Grains taste good right out of the bag.. like a bowl of grapenuts. Tasting all the componants of your beer is an excelent way to find out what flavors you personally like / as well as what goes well together.

For example:

Eat a cube of Chese.
Eat a piece of broccoli
Eat a piece of chicken.

now that you know what they all taste like separately you can have a good guess of what they would taste like together. It also would help you judge appropriate proportions to get the best results, or if you wanted a specific flavor to stick out more.

off topic but I have started mixing a tbsp of milled malt into my morning cereal. It really adds nice flavor!!

+1 on taste them. I brewed with grains that were 3 years old after a layoff. They were stored pretty well and when I cracked them open and tasted them, they tasted fine, so I gave it a shot. The beer was great.

Well I am happy to report that the grains tasted very malty and yummy (reminiscent of Ovaltine) We can all breathe a sigh of relief and sleep better tonight... lol. I know I did. My LHBS apparently double bagged the grains for me.

Thanks for all the input

Zman