Grain shelf life

Hello, noob kid on the block, just made
First all grain brew, and decided that this is the way to go. I found a source of bulk grain who will mill at no extra cost, and they say the grain will last ok once milled if I store it correctly.
Others have said I should only mill on the day I brew.
I know I should eventually buy my own mill, but at this stage id rather spend the cash on 100kg of grain.
Question is... How long can milled grain be stored before brewing?

 

Do not mill the grain until you are ready to brew. I have been buying bulk for some time and If you keep it in an air tight container it can last for a year at least as I am just now finishing my last bit of Pils from last year. It smells okay although not as strong as the fresh stuff but the taste is unaltered. If I were going to brew a Pilsner I would probably use my fresh new bag but otherwise its good to go.

 

Thanks.
I guess I could VAC PAC it, and fridge it. Even milled this should be good for a couple of months. Right?

 

i think i read somewhere that milled should last two weeks, but i'm also curious about this.

 

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Buy a mill! Your crush will be better, fresh and a pretty cool feeling when when it is grinding. You can't trust someone else's mill. Buy a mill!

 

Vacuum sealing is great, there is no need to put it in the fridge or freeze it. Just store it in a cool dry place. Milled grain will not last as long in the open air so make sure to vac pack it. I do this only when I have to as fresh milled grain is the best. With the savings up bulk you will pay for that grain mill in no time.

 

In my limited all grain experience, I had milled grains in a refridgerator for two weeks and then brewed. Everything turned out good but I don't think I would go any longer than that. My LHBS also agreed that two weeks should be max for milled grains.

 

I've had grain in my dry, 50* basement, nothing more than wrapped tightly in opened plastic bags. I brewed with it 6 months later. The beer tasted great.

 

Please make sure that you update this thread as you brew with it since this is a very often asked question. I have no experience brewing with old crushed grain since I bought a Barley Crusher right away when I switched to AG, but I just did a Munich Saaz SMaSH with 2 year old Munich malt and achieved 86% brewhouse efficiency and the gravity samples taste awesome.

 

I picked up a cheap chest freezer through Craigslist. I try to at least cycle all of my grain through there to kill anything in the bag that might be living. If I have room I just leave it in there. I can get a few sacks in there, plus lots of specialty grains, and all of my hops. I have some Munich I've been using a pound or two at a time for the past 3 years. The brews still turn out well.

 

If you're in my area I will mill it for you heh.

Call your LHBS and see if they allow people to use their mill without their grain. I know my LHBS lets people come in with their own grain bill and use the mill... it kinda helps with keeping good customers.

 

PLUS!

If you are only buying a base malt in bulk you will still need to go somewhere to buy the specialty grain, you may be able to mill it all yourself with their mill.

 

I only buy my base grains in bulk. I bought a mill precisely so that I could help keep the base grains without having to worry about milled grains losing their flavor. The mill has paid off; all to often I am not able to immediately brew with the specialty grains that I buy for my beers. So, I always mill my grains on the day that I am brewing. It works great.

Mark