5 year old grain mash

[StephenBeerBerry]

Greetings,

Long time brewer, still new to mashing. Also, long time lurker, first time poster, please be gentle.

I know using old grains has been discussed before, but what are the real dangers? Is it just the flavor you would worry about or should I worry about my starch/sugar conversion? What is the best way to know if my conversion actually worked and I have a viable wort?

The grains are indeed five years old but they have been in an airtight container in a controlled environment and have not been cracked. No bugs or rotting of any kind that I've found so far.

I have around 15 pounds of the stuff and would hate to see it go to waste. I figure just trying out a batch and seeing if it works couldn't hurt, it's always fun to brew right.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jtratcliff]

Nibble on some and see if it tastes stale or rancid.... If not, go for it.

 

[Psylocide]

http://www.realbeer.com/jjpalmer/ch14.html

Testing Your Conversion
The brewer can use iodine (or iodophor) to check a sample of the wort to see whether the starches have been completely converted to sugars. As you may remember from high school chemistry, iodine causes starch to turn black. The mash enzymes should convert all of the starches, resulting in no color change when a couple drops of iodine are added to a sample of the wort. (The wort sample should not have any grain particles in it.) The iodine will only add a slight tan or reddish color as opposed to the flash of heavy black color if starch is present. Worts high in dextrins will yield a strong reddish color when iodine is added.

 

[Snicklefritz]

You can check for conversion many ways. Th easiest is probably just tasting the wort. If it taste's sweet, you have had at least some conversion. You could also do an iodine test to test for conversion but again it wont give you any indication of the actually efficiency. The best method is to use a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the actual gravity.

 

[Owly055]

Don't be afraid to use some amylase if you are worried about diatastic power.... Any LHBS should have it, and it's cheap. I bought a pound of it awhile back, and have used it in a number of situations, but I tend to do radical things ;-)

H.W.

 

[Brettomomyces]

I would just go grab a few pounds of fresh 2-row and supplement the old grain with it. 2 row has more than enough diastatic power to convert itself and more grain. Maybe something like 20% new 80% old.

 

[StephenBeerBerry]

Thanks everyone! With what I've gleaned here I'm going to go home, do a test batch on a pound at 150 degrees for about two hours and then do an iodine test and taste for sweetness. I'll bust out the hydrometer and see what it should be compared to beersmith calculation.

I'm purchasing some amylase from Midwest Supplies and when it gets here I'm going to use that and the 80/20 old/new grain mixture in conjunction with the amylase.

I'll post results later, thanks again everyone.

 

[RM-MN]

The longest I have had pale malt before I used it was 2 years. At the end of the 2 years, I was only getting about 85% brewhouse efficiency whereas at the beginning I was getting about 85% brewhouse. Hmmm...Those numbers match. The beers tasted good. I think it didn't hurt to go 2 years. Maybe it would by 5 years but if it smells good I think you will be fine.

 

[Owly055]

I would just go grab a few pounds of fresh 2-row and supplement the old grain with it. 2 row has more than enough diastatic power to convert itself and more grain. Maybe something like 20% new 80% old.

6 row would be a better choice as it has a higher diastatic power........


H.W.

 

[DocScott]

I'd taste the grains. After give years, I think you'll get oxidation and a stale, old cereal kinda taste. This will transfer into your beer in my experience.

If it tastes good, use it.