Shelf life of milled grains

Question bought ingredients for a batch of beer, it came with some specialty grains that were milled at the store. Havent had a chance to brew, been sittin for about a month any degradation issues?

in the fridge, or out in the open?
If they've been sitting out for a month, I'd get more - they're cheap enough. But if they're in a ziploc in the fridge, they'll be alright.

unmilled, even longer. I got myself a FoodSaver and I throw the unused into the freezer until the next time I need them. (I've got a bit o' chocolate left from my last porter (a year ago) that I'll be using soon.)

Plastic bag, room temp. I will get some more, I was just curious.

I buy 50lbs of bulk grains... I usually get the lot milled at the local shop.. takes me about 2 months to get through a bag. I can NOT see any difference from the first batch from the last. I store them in plastic bags inside a food grade bucket w/ lid in a cool basement.

My LHBS has a good idea I think. They sell you the bag quantity at Bag price but you only take what you need on the day and they update your remaining credit balance in their computer for your account. They have the cash but do not deliver all the grain and you keep coming back to them. You also always get fresh grain as they do not keep a bag separate for you.

el_caro said:

My LHBS has a good idea I think. They sell you the bag quantity at Bag price but you only take what you need on the day and they update your remaining credit balance in their computer for your account. They have the cash but do not deliver all the grain and you keep coming back to them. You also always get fresh grain as they do not keep a bag separate for you.

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THAT is a great idea! - good service, fresh grain, plus they'll probably get a bit of extra business by bringing you back into the store.

win-win if the store is convenient for you.
if it's on one side of Sidney and you're on the other....maybe not so much [I don't know how large Adelaide is]

el_caro said:

My LHBS has a good idea I think. They sell you the bag quantity at Bag price but you only take what you need on the day and they update your remaining credit balance in their computer for your account. They have the cash but do not deliver all the grain and you keep coming back to them. You also always get fresh grain as they do not keep a bag separate for you.

Click to expand...

I love this idea!! I wonder if my local lhbs would do this...

I used to get my grain from a brewery, milled it there 50# at a time. Brewing about every 2-3 weeks the last batch was as food as the first. I kept the grain in a Hugh-Baird's Malt bag (plastic lined), rolled the top over tight and used duct tape.