Shelf life of milled grains

How long will milled grains keep, unsealed, at room temperature? I got my AG kit on Friday, but I have to wait until next Saturday to brew it. Should I put it in the fridge for the time being and pull it out the night before?

Ya, I would stick them into the fridge until then and you should be ok. Waiting any longer and you would be pushing though.

General rule of thumb is a couple of weeks. If stored in a cool and dry enviroment then you can get a couple more weeks out of them, especially if you can keep them sealed from the air.

Ed

I keep them sealed and put them in the freezer. Three or four weeks should be no problem.

Has anybody had milled grains go"stale"? Does it have big affect on flavor? I've had mine for about 3 weeks, sealed, in a 50 degree garage. they are also in a cooler, but this is merely a coincidence it was the only convenient storage available ...Space is at a premium these days, I only have a single car brewery...

BigJoeBrews said:

Has anybody had milled grains go"stale"? Does it have big affect on flavor? I've had mine for about 3 weeks, sealed, in a 50 degree garage. they are also in a cooler, but this is merely a coincidence it was the only convenient storage available ...Space is at a premium these days, I only have a single car brewery...

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I think you'll be fine. I've had sealed, milled grains sitting around for a few weeks, and it was a non-issue, the beer tasted great.

I've never had my milled grains go stale. The longest I've had them sitting in a bag was about 2.5 months and everything came out fine, wasn't even an air tight bag either. Really as long as you keep the moisture out and don't store them in the hottest room of your house they're fine for months. Ideally for extended periods of time it's best to keep them in an air tight bag in the fridge however.

6 months milled and in my (dry) basement. Beer tasted great.

they're good virtually forever as long as they don't get moist

I keep them in the crisper of my beer fridge, haven't had them sit for more than a month or so and they are fine.

cockybitz said:

6 months milled and in my (dry) basement. Beer tasted great.

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WOW!!! This is something to think about if you want to buy bulk and not buy a mill...Did you have them sealed? what kind of temp?

I don't have a local shop, so I buy 10 pounds of 2-row, wheat, vienna, and munich. I replenish as needed. I also buy a pound here and there of specialty grain. I haven't completed my pasta mill yet, so they always come to me milled. I keep my grain in the box it came in, or a 7.5 gal open ale pail. I don't seal it up after I open it either, just a spin and tuck (if even that). My brew room is 52 at its coldest during winter months, and probably 65 or a bit more during summer months.

It may not be the most desirable, but my schedule doesn't leave a concrete brewing possibility for the future, so it is more of a brew on a whim. I'm sure that fresh products would be most beneficial, but I do what I can.

From my records it appears that I ordered crushed wheat on April 26 that I didn't mash until December. It truly produced my best brew in the 10ish AG brews that I've completed.