Question on grain storage

[redrocker652002]

On my last batch I had quite a bit of Pilsner malt left over and I hate to just throw it out. It is unmilled so I am guessing it will last a bit longer. My wife has a vacuum sealing machine and I have some grain I have been storing in my closet now for about a year. My question is, are the grains in the closet still ok after being vacuum sealed and stored in a dark place for a year? With my new grains, how long do they generally last using the vacuum sealer? How long would they be good if I just used the seal bag they game in and try and squeeze as much air as I can. In either case, they would most likely be stored in the closet as I have read storing them cold presents issues of loss during defrosting. Any input is welcomed. Thanks

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Good practices for storing malts are not the same as good practices for storing aroma hops for hazy beer styles.

Store the malt to prevent infestation and avoid direct contact with water.

I have some Munich 10L (base malt) that I bought just over two years ago. It's still fresh. It's in the original plastic bag in a storage box stored. Temperature has been 55F to 70F over those two years.

 

[passedpawn]

unmilled grain can be kept indefinitely in my experience. i keep them in bins in the garage. florida. if you've been to south florida, you know of the environment i'm speaking about.

after milling, you have a day.

 

[lumpher]

Farmers keep them in silos for months, and sometimes years.

 

[MaxStout]

I tried vac-sealing grain a few times in the past. Some of the grain's pointy ends poked through the plastic, and before long, I had puffy, air-filled bags of grain. Vac-sealing is probably overkill, anyway. If you store the uncrushed grain in an airtight container, away from heat/humidity, it should last years. I keep mine in ziploc bags inside 5 gallon plastic buckets. I've brewed with 2-3 year old grain with no noticeable reduction of freshness.

 

[redrocker652002]

Awesome. Thanks for the info. So it seems my grains will be good to go with any fugure batches. Like I said, for now it isn't much, but in the future when I retire I am hoping to expand the process and the output. LOL.

 

[OleBrewing]

large malting facilities store malt for long periods in silos. correct moisture content is key. in some cases you may be already getting malt almost a year old depending on time frame. Do you think the potatoes in the grocery store were grown last week, they are still potatoes from last fall, harvest of this years crops is just under way.

I lucked out and got two 35 gallon plastic barrels with snap rings and sealed lid for storage. and have used grain over a year old that has not been milled with great results.

is there some flavor loss from the roast of the grain probably. not enough for me to tell though.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I rounded up a bunch of five gallon pails and bought Gamma seal covers. That was back when I bought bags of grain. One bag of grain would fill two buckets. I brewed 15 gallon batches back then so I was ended up with lots of left overs.

Now I just keep the base grains I use the most in those buckets. Any small bags (a few pounds or ounces) I also keep in one or two buckets. I make sure the small bags are marked with what's in them and dated.

The Gamma Seal covers snap on to a standard five gallon buckets and provide a tight seal to keep the bugs out and liquid splashing. Not sure if they are water proof but in the average brewery they work great. Amazon has them and a few of the home improvement stores.

 

[sibelman]

The longevity of base malts may be considerably longer than for highly roasted malts. I've noticed rancid odor in older dark malts, and tossed them. I don't want that in my beer, and have leaned toward buying those just in time.

I still buy crystal malt months ahead of use, and have taken to stocking at least a full sack of base malt in case of supply chain problems. I use a bit under 4 sacks per year, so my "extra" sack adds about three months to the average age at brew day. It tastes and smells fresh.

Because pests are minimal in my garage, I get by with a simple, non-airtight Rubbermaid® bin for base malt. I've never seen any critters in it. (Vittles Vault® containers are popular for malt storage in less congenial locations.) Other malts go in clipped plastic or paper bags in the freezer compartment of my fermentation chamber (old fridge).

 

[Yesfan]

Harder to find now, but Ziploc had those WeatherGuard containers with the foam insert in the lids. They may be under a new name, but I love mine. I'm blasted with malt aroma whenever I open it for a brew day.

 

[hotbeer]

Munch on some of your malts. If they taste good they are good. Make it a habit to try out the malts you get when your recieve them. That way you'll have a better idea when they aren't so good.

Moisture is the main issue you just need to protect your grain/malts from. Weevil eggs might be in the stuff when you recieve them. Though less likely for malts that are kilned than it is for just grain. It's unappetizing when you see your grist moving. But it happens. Some will use it and others won't.

I had a bowl of oatmeal once. When I went to close the container and put it away I saw stuff moving all over the oats inside. It was weevils. Oatmeal tasted fine though. Not sure I would have eaten it if I'd noticed the weevils first. Probably got more protein though.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I’m less concerned about critters getting in my grain at home than I am about what has already taken a shine to it in the field. Many of the weevils and such we encounter are actually the result of eggs being deposited while the grain is still growing. Since these grains are being used for beer/consumption, pesticides are restricted.
Cold storage will inhibit development. My local supplier also suggested purging any grain storage containers with CO₂ I have been toying with the idea of cruising craigslist for some cheap corny kegs and using them for grain storage.

 

[redrocker652002]

I’m less concerned about critters getting in my grain at home than I am about what has already taken a shine to it in the field. Many of the weevils and such we encounter are actually the result of eggs being deposited while the grain is still growing. Since these grains are being used for beer/consumption, pesticides are restricted.
Cold storage will inhibit development. My local supplier also suggested purging any grain storage containers with CO₂ I have been toying with the idea of cruising craigslist for some cheap corny kegs and using them for grain storage.

Interesting idea using corny kegs for storage. I have about 10 of them that I cannot use right now due to height restrictions. Might be a good way to keep then useful until I get a keezer or bigger kegerator.

 

[Yesfan]

Interesting idea using corny kegs for storage. I have about 10 of them that I cannot use right now due to height restrictions. Might be a good way to keep then useful until I get a keezer or bigger kegerator.

I like that cornys are taller and slimmer than a 5 gallon bucket, but I'd imagine fishing the grains out would be a real pain.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I like that cornys are taller and slimmer than a 5 gallon bucket, but I'd imagine fishing the grains out would be a real pain.

Can’t disagree with you about trying to get them out through the narrow opening. My thoughts were that if I should pursue this route, that I would just upend the keg into a small, clean bucket to a surplus. Then after measuring out what I need, return the rest to the keg. In warm weather, a little CO2 purge would be sufficient to keep the weevils at bay.
It’s still in the thought process, and I figured that I could count on some critical observations here to get me through the process.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I guess everyone's situation is different. I had an issue with the critters but once I got the them gone I haven't had any problems. I got a bag of unmalted grain that was full if them and they migrated to my other stock.

Now with the gamma sealed buckets I haven't had any visitors. I wouldn't use anything else. I guess the buckets could be flushed with CO2 as an extra barrier.

I have a collection of spare kegs, some are used for emergency water and two hold sanitizer.

 

[Yesfan]

Can’t disagree with you about trying to get them out through the narrow opening. My thoughts were that if I should pursue this route, that I would just upend the keg into a small, clean bucket to a surplus. Then after measuring out what I need, return the rest to the keg. In warm weather, a little CO2 purge would be sufficient to keep the weevils at bay.
It’s still in the thought process, and I figured that I could count on some critical observations here to get me through the process.

"Say, what kind of beer do you have in this keg?" (points to the keg with grain in it.).

"Ah, you won't like that beer. It's super, super dry. Uhm..trust me on that....."

 

[Closet Fermenter]

"Say, what kind of beer do you have in this keg?" (points to the keg with grain in it.).

"Ah, you won't like that beer. It's super, super dry. Uhm..trust me on that....."

And really green!

 

[Bilsch]

For very long term storage I also use old corny kegs. Fill with the grain and purge backward through the out post in through the dip tube with CO2, vent through the pressure relief and you have grain that will survive longer than you.

 

[eibbor]

I vacuum seal mine and leave them in the fridge. But from reading this I guess I shouldn't store them cold