2 Qs about grain and one about bottling

[tired]

1. How long do milled grains stay fresh if they are stored in a zip lock bag?

2. I am going to be doing a mini mash in a non-converted cooler. Is it okay to use a mesh bag for the grains? I am just curious since it seems like the all grain brewers don't use mesh bags even though it seems like it would make clean up a lot easier (or maybe I am thinking that way since I brew in a small apartment).

3. My basement is quite cold during the winter months (40s-50s). I read that when you bottle an ale, it should be stored at warmer temperatures. Is this true? If it is, what happens if I store the bottled beer in my cold basement? (I would bring them into my warmer bedroom, but the carboy is going to be there and the gf will only put up with one in the bedroom at a time.)


Thanks...

 

[the_bird]

1. If they are kept cool and dry, anywhere from a month to a couple months. Depends entirely on how well they are stored. Taste them before use to make sure they're still reasonably fresh.

2. Grain bags are uncommon for AG because of how much grain we use. For a mini-mash with just a couple pounds, they're pretty common. You can put them in a bag and sparge in a collander. For AG, we're usually dealing with at least ten or eleven pounds per 5-gallon batch, which means building a dedicated lauter tun with either a manifold, or a braided stainless steel hose, or something like that to help strain the grain (higher efficiency, as well).

4. You'll want them warmer than that, or the yeast will stay dormant and you probably won't get any carbonation (best-case, it'll take forever). The basement sounds perfect for doing some cold conditioning, though.

 

[tired]

Thanks!

One last question (for now), would it be okay to bring the bottles to the cold basement after they conditioned for a few weeks or might that be a bad idea?

Time to do some research on cold conditioning...

 

[Yooper]

After they are carbonated, (about 3 weeks), they can be moved to a cool place. This is like cold conditioning, and it can actually improve some beers. I do that, in a way, I wait until they're carbed and then moved them to my cool-ish (58 degrees) laundry room.

Lorena

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

1. If they are kept cool and dry, anywhere from a month to a couple months. Depends entirely on how well they are stored. Taste them before use to make sure they're still reasonably fresh.

2. Grain bags are uncommon for AG because of how much grain we use. For a mini-mash with just a couple pounds, they're pretty common. You can put them in a bag and sparge in a collander. For AG, we're usually dealing with at least ten or eleven pounds per 5-gallon batch, which means building a dedicated lauter tun with either a manifold, or a braided stainless steel hose, or something like that to help strain the grain (higher efficiency, as well).

4. You'll want them warmer than that, or the yeast will stay dormant and you probably won't get any carbonation (best-case, it'll take forever). The basement sounds perfect for doing some cold conditioning, though.

Rule 3: There is NOOOOOOO rule 3!

:cross:

 

[david_42]

2. Or get a really big grain bag. Mine's about 18x24. Also useful for fermenting blackberries.