Grain longevity

[kenpotf]

All,

I bought grains this past Saturday to brew today, but something popped up where I won't be able to do it today as I wanted. The next day that I can brew will be this Saturday. The grains are in a paper sack, so should they still be good for Saturday? The only reason that I ask is because the LHBS told me a long time ago that I should use them within a week of buying them, but that would also tell me that they shouldn't have any grains that are over a week old...lol...

Thanks!

 

[KISS Brew]

They should still be fine. Your LHBS is correct that milled grains should be used sooner rather than later, but I think if they're kept dry, no harm will come to them within a few weeks.

 

[kenpotf]

Should I keep them in a dark place like the pantry or even in the refrigerator?

 

[KISS Brew]

If you can keep them dry in the refrigerator, I imagine that would be good. I usually just keep mine in a cupboard.

 

[Molybedenum]

One of my first kits, I ordered at the beginning of February, but didn't brew until March... it turned out fine. You might get a little loss of flavor over time, but you'll still get decent beer out of it.

 

[kenpotf]

Thanks! I'll put them in the pantry now. I was thinking that I could just do a late brew as soon as I got home from work this week, but I'll probably still wait until Saturday. It takes me a while from mash to clean up...

 

[RM-MN]

i bought a package of crushed, unmalted oats and opened them to use a bit and put them back on the pantry shelf. A month later I used a bit more. It took over 6 months to use them all and there was no discernible off flavor. No special treatment, stored at room temp in a cardboard tube with a cover. I recall the name on the box as being Quaker. Yup, quaker oatmeal. Even crushed grains store quite well at room temps.