Bugs in my malt... :(

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twelvebeer

twelvebeer

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Yesterday I was brewing a batch of beer and while i was dissolving the DME I put the cracked malts in the muslin bag and set it in bowl. A little while later I came back to check the DME and noticed about 10 little bugs crawling all over the bag. I vacuum sealed the bag and bugs and plan on returning it to the store. Has this happened to anyone else?
 
Thanks for the info Revvy. I didnt know what they were called. I think I can deal with the possibility of unhatched eggs but not seeing the little bastards crawling around. Do you think the homebrew store will exchange the recipe or is it a "buy at your own risk" deal?
 
If they are in what you have they may be in all the grains at that particular shop. Call them and see. When it happened to me the shop had an attitude of "well it's just that time of year", so I went to another shop. I think what you don't want to have is the weevils in your pantry. I hear that can be quite a deal.
 
Grain weevils are one of the most common food pests WORLDWIDE. They are in your grains, your oatmeal, your flour, your grass seed, and yes, even your brewing barley! They are a fact of life and all grain suppliers around the world have them. They are not a problem at all. Remember that any weevils/eggs go into the boil so anything is killed and then sanitized.
 
Teaman said:
If they are in what you have they may be in all the grains at that particular shop. Call them and see. When it happened to me the shop had an attitude of "well it's just that time of year", so I went to another shop. I think what you don't want to have is the weevils in your pantry. I hear that can be quite a deal.
Click to expand...


Thats what im worried about... the store should at least replace the malt. Luckily I had another recipe that used the same DME so the dissolved DME didnt go to waste.
 
The store should not be obligated to replace the malt. Like said above, it's really is just the nature of the product. If it bothers you then read up on how to deal with it. Freeze the malt, this will kill your weevils. Otherwise, just grind them up and brew.
 
Keep you malt cool and dry and the eggs won't hatch. The store is not really responsible for eggs hatching because they only hatch when left in the perfect hatching conditions. As mentioned, most grains (malt and food) have eggs in it so it is not a issue with quality but with handling.
 
I bought the recipe yesterday. Seems to me its the stores fault for not storing it correctly.
 
just use a bit more irish moss to compensate for the 2mg bug-protein in your wort. ;-)

besides the ethical issue to mash and boil that poor bug - the bug issues will be 'boiled out'.
 
I am fine with the fact that they are in all grains etc and I don't even mind a few in my beer. But I had about 9 lbs of grain in a paper bag and they were crawling all over my walls, in my buckets and everywhere I looked for a couple of weeks.
I've recently started using sealed bags and buckets with sealing lids so that if I get some again they can't escape.
 
Weevils are indeed a common problem for homebrewers, and I lost an entire bag of 2-row to the little bastards recently. If you just bought the grains, the store should probably take them back. If you've had them sitting around for more than a few days, it's on you.
 
Teaman said:
I am fine with the fact that they are in all grains etc and I don't even mind a few in my beer. But I had about 9 lbs of grain in a paper bag and they were crawling all over my walls, in my buckets and everywhere I looked for a couple of weeks.
I've recently started using sealed bags and buckets with sealing lids so that if I get some again they can't escape.
Click to expand...

This is actually the opposite of what you want to do. The weevils are trying to get out. If you leave them trapped, they have no choice but to eat your grain until it is useless. Everyone has to get over a few bugs, but, there is a point where there is just not enough good grain left.
 
Seize this opportunity. Brew a weevil wit, or an ESB (extremely small bugs). How bout an evil weevil IIPA, or a Scottish 80 weevil ale, or add a few less and make it a 70 weevil ale. There's always a world wide weevil stout. The possibilities are endless. Embrace the weevil.
 

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