Storing qrain question

Question for buying bulk grain. Some friend and I are considering do this. What is the best way to store the grain if the amount we buy will last us for 9 to 12 months? Thanks in advance.

 

If you do a search in this forum you'll find a lot of recommendations. The basic goals are dry and cool (< 80F).

 

+1 on that. What he said works for me.

 

Oh, if your buying bulk grains I want in!! Me, me ,me. Im so sick of waiting for online orders to arrive I could puke. I have no problem making the 2 hr drive to Nashvegas to pickup.

 

9 - 12 months eh? Can't say mine last much past 2 months if that.
Anywho...pet food containers work great. They are typically airtight and will keep what's inside nice and dry.

 

I've made great tasting beer with grain (uncrushed) over a year old. I get a kick out of it when folks taste my beer and ask for more cause they say it tastes great, then I tell them it's made from grain sitting in my garage over a year (properly stored, no vermin, no bugs).

I don't understand how yours is going bad after two months.

 

I think we have a failure to communicate. Mine isn't go bad, I just use it all in 2 months. 1 sack = 55lbs. Average beer will be 10 - 12lbs if not more. That's 5 batches of beer. Brew 4 times a month. Gone.

 

Ah yes. Doh! I find that I go through 1/2 a bag of Pale just making a 15 gallon batch of my Pale. I'll be stocking up soon! Only 2 batches per bag.

 

And then there's that, if I do a 10 gallon batch it goes even quicker!

 

I have base grain over a year old that I still use. I keep it dry and when I open a bag,
the remainder of what is unused is sealed in plastic bags. As long as it is dry and cool, it should last for years. I have heard of people using grain that was 3 to 4 years old without any adverse effects.

 

I bought about eight of the Homer Buckets from Home Depot and lined them with plastic bags. They've dropped the price just about in half, I think it's 2.50 for a bucket and .94 for a lid w/gasket. They hold 25# each.

And as has been discussed ad nauseum on here, yes, the orange buckets are food safe.

 

if there food safe and you know it why line them with plastic bags? I ask because I use them as well but don't use the plastic bags. Should I?

 

I like to use buckets with gamma seal lids (Walmart has them here.) Food storage stuff is easy to find in Utah. The Mormons are crazy about it.

 

I guess it's just another layer of protection in case I don't get it sealed just right when I open/close the bucket.

 

I am with ED.

I got about 10 bags last year and I have had it in my garage - lifted off the ground - (if that matters - the wife thinks it does) for about a year. And I just brewed this past weekend with it and it did fine. I am drinking my stout made with 2 row that is a bout 10 months old. Not a problem.
and I live in TEXAS! ...

Again, I am with Mr. Ed Wort on this one.

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/who-needs-pet-food-container-64109/

 

Thanks for all your replies, and sorry for asking a previously discussed question. I think we'll most likely go with the homer buckets, with or without bags. It'll be stored in a basement so should be cool & dry. And, Wildwest, I'll get in touch with you when I have more details about this purchase to see if you want in.

 

Thanks, I definitely want in.:rockin:

 

yo sjm and i brew together, we are buying the grain together, i think the basement is a bit damp..... does humidity matter, the buckets may seal the humidity out for a while but over months wont the humidity equalize inside the bucket with the external humidity????? we live in nashville, so would a garage that gets hot as hades, and humid as a jungle swamp, will that screw our grain??? we are getting like 10... 55 lb bags

 

Not sure if you want to make the drive to pick up or you can talk to Opherman47 who is in on our buy and in Nashville to bring yours. Trying split some hops and specialty grain at the moment.

HomeBrewTalk Groups - North ATL Brewers

http://insertnameherebrewclub.org/grainbuy2.html

PS Opher = use damp rid to manage humidity.

 

Figured I'd post this from another thread: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/bulk-grain-storage-97711/

 

I just thought I would give my 2 cents, since I just went through this internal debate as well. I also do AG and wanted grains for my personal use. I did plenty of research, and then ended up at Petsmart. I found they had 3-4 different types of 'food storage' options. I compared them all, compared prices, and 'stacking options' (which was personally important).

Personally I found several air tight containers. There was one that seemed to stand out (IMO). I ended up liking the VittleVault brand container that had a screw on type lid. One thing I thought was neat, is they had to ship them with a paper placed in the threads of the lid in order to prevent them from locking due (and never opening) due to altitude/pressure changes. To me this spoke volumes about keeping bad things out, and good things in. They were also very stackable on the 45 degree model. I did find the 40lb one (45* model) MAY be too small for 55lbs of grain, so I opted for the 60 lb. model.

I ordered two of them from Amazon with free shipping and paid about $55 each. I ordered two so I could stack them. I found 55lbs of grain fit easy in there, but still don't think I would have done the smaller one (but it MAY work).
vittle vault

Anywho, hopefully that helps. i got two of them and store a good pale malt and plan to buy a bag of Pilsner malt for the other.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

55 bucks wowzers expensive, i wonder how they would do storing something in a damp moldy basement hmmmm

 

What do *you* think?

 

Yeah, that is an a$$load of cash just to store some grain. So far the homer buckets are working out, but time will tell.

 

Ya, they're not cheap but I think they're worth the investment. Those bins will outlive you and they seal better than anything else I've seen to date.

I went with the flexible Vittle Vaults and I love them. They can hold ~60# of grain and they're half the price ($25) of the hard plastic version.

 

Ahh, so you are familiar with my lifestyle.