6-Week-Old Crushed Grain: Should I Replace Before I Brew?

[hokenfloken]

Greetings! I'm getting ready to do my first all-grain batch. I ordered a kit from a popular homebrew supply website last month to do a blind pig clone. I have had a lot going on the past month with buying a new house and I have not been able to use the crushed grains yet. They are approx. 6 weeks old and are still sitting in the paper bag they came in, in a box they were shipped in. Today I put them into an air-tight bucket (maybe too late.) The crushed grains still smell okay and no bugs have gotten into them. Do you think these crushed grains are okay to use? Should I just go ahead and replace them before I brew? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

 

[Yooper]

Just in a paper bag, not an airtight plastic bag? I don't know. I would think that they might be ok, but I probably wouldn't chance it. You could taste a few of the grains and see if they still taste fresh.

When I ordered crushed grains from austinhomebrew, they came in a vacuum sealed plastic bag, and they would have lasted a long time. Just in a paper bag, the grain would have been able to pick up some moisture.

 

[SOB]

I had crushed grain to make Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale sitting around for about 2 months before I used them. I added some fruit into the secondary to give it a little more taste, expecting that the old grains wouldnt taste as...fresh, I guess? I put some fresh picked black raspberry and it turned out to be the best beer I've ever brewed.

 

[hokenfloken]

Were the grains sealed in an air-tight container during those 2 months?

 

[samc]

I'd source a local supply and replace the grains. Why go through all the effort for a less than great beer? Your new house deserves a fresh beer! Good luck with it.

That's the reason I went for bulk grains and a crusher so I don't have to get in those situations of not having a fresh crush.

 

[Mirilis]

If the grains were in a paper bag and there was not a lot of humidity where you had them stored. I would think they would be ok. Crushed grains from my reading are good for up to 3 months (again assuming they are kept dry)

 

[wildwest450]

I'd suggest tasting them also, I had a bag for around that time, they were stale and I dumped it.

 

[OLDBREW]

Greetings! I'm getting ready to do my first all-grain batch. I ordered a kit from a popular homebrew supply website last month to do a blind pig clone. I have had a lot going on the past month with buying a new house and I have not been able to use the crushed grains yet. They are approx. 6 weeks old and are still sitting in the paper bag they came in, in a box they were shipped in. Today I put them into an air-tight bucket (maybe too late.) The crushed grains still smell okay and no bugs have gotten into them. Do you think these crushed grains are okay to use? Should I just go ahead and replace them before I brew? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Brew it soon and you will be fine

 

[Synovia]

I'd brew it. (unless you're spending $4/oz on hops)


Most likely, your first AG batch is going to have some process issues, and you've got a chance to work that out without ruining good grain.

 

[hokenfloken]

What should the grain taste like?

 

[OLDBREW]

depends on the malt bill on how each malt will taste none taste the same. Just brew it.. Mash it then taste the runnings. If they are sweet you should be good to go

dont worry, you'll make good beer. Being new to the process, it will help get some procedures down

 

[ibbones]

What should the grain taste like?

Chicken. JK, If they are stale, you will know it.

 

[MultumInParvo]

What should the grain taste like?

Haha. This is what I was thinking of while I was reading everyone else's post. Tasting it is a good suggestion, although since you said this was your first AG batch you wouldn't have much background in grain taste. Even with partial mashes they're probably mostly specialty grains...

I think of a good 2-row tasting like fresh bread. If you buy the more expensive bread with the hard little chunks of grain in it (like my parents) then it tastes very similar. You want to avoid one that tastes like bread that has been left on the counter for a couple of days.

I don't know how other people do it, but I like to have a little water near by to sort of mix them in my mouth. The grain itself is pretty dry.

If it doesn't taste bad, neither will your beer!

Best of luck to you. Congratulations on the new house!

 

[R2-D2]

I had a sealed airtight bag for an Irish Red kit from Austin Homebrew sitting in my closet for 6 months before I brewed it. I can tell that was probably past its limits as it tastes a bit stale. It's not awful and it has alcohol in it so I'm usually good. But, it's not the best I've made, not the worst. Just sorta average.

With a recent purchase from Brewmasters Warehouse I now have 7 kits to brew over the next 2-3 months. I think that is the perfect amount of time to brew within.

 

[hokenfloken]

I opened the bag of grains last night and tasted them. They still taste good. If they are bad, it should be immediately obvious, right?

 

[R2-D2]

Can I ask who shipped in the crushed grains in a paper bag? If I end up ordering from them in the future, I would like to ensure that they are shipped in an airtight sealed plastic bag.

Thanks. This should not be an opportunity to bask the retailer. Just general knowledge to know.

 

[hokenfloken]

I don't want to bash the retailer either. I've had plenty of very very good experiences with them in the past. That said, the retailer was morebeer.

 

[Synovia]

I don't want to bash the retailer either. I've had plenty of very very good experiences with them in the past. That said, the retailer was morebeer.

Statements of fact aren't bashing anyone.

 

[Prionburger]

I had a crushed grain bill from Brewmaster's warehouse sitting for a month and a half. It was in airtight plastic (but not vacuum sealed). The grains smelled malty and yummy, not moldy. The wort tasted fine, and I used some cheap Willamette hops.

The grain bill is the most expensive part of the recipe, so why not make use of it? If it's not moldy, the worst case is that it won't have as fresh a grain flavor.

Brew it!

 

[JonK331]

My LHBS advises to use milled grains within 72 hours. THey say that once the grain is milled, the enzymes can degrade / die making starch to sugar conversion difficult if not impossible. I usually follow this rule but I don't have a proper reference to back it up. I have also heard reputable sources say crushed grain is good up to three months. I think you should try it and let us know how it comes out. Does anyone have any scientific references for this? I don't know whether it makes sense that enzymes would degrade so quickly. This question seems to come up a lot.

 

[Airborneguy]

I stored milled grain in my fridge in a plastic bag for about 2 1/2 years before I returned to brewing and used them. I made a pumpkin beer with them and it came out great.

 

[JimBoWilly]

I have grain a whole lot older than yours. I mean by months! Both whole and milled/crushed. I brew every third weekend with my grain. My beer is fine. Great taste. Lots of body. And a good head.
I would put a tablespoon of grain into a cup of 153° F water/ 20 minutes. If the grain smells like your baking something good. Then your beer will have no problems.

 

[ibbones]

My LHBS advises to use milled grains within 72 hours.

I hope that's not the case for me. I bought three kits to brew and the grains have been in the fridge for three weeks now. I was going to do one a week but life got in the way. Hopefully I can get one done tomorrow. The grain is in a sealed plastic bag but not air tight.

 

[TokyoRoad]

My LHBS advises to use milled grains within 72 hours. THey say that once the grain is milled, the enzymes can degrade / die making starch to sugar conversion difficult if not impossible. I usually follow this rule but I don't have a proper reference to back it up. I have also heard reputable sources say crushed grain is good up to three months. I think you should try it and let us know how it comes out. Does anyone have any scientific references for this? I don't know whether it makes sense that enzymes would degrade so quickly. This question seems to come up a lot.

Of course they will say that, they want you to buy local, this fear mongering wins them business away from a mail order house.

I've had grains sit a few days to a few weeks before brewing, IMO 6 weeks is getting close to brew/trash decision but still should be good.

 

[R2-D2]

I hope that's not the case for me. I bought three kits to brew and the grains have been in the fridge for three weeks now. I was going to do one a week but life got in the way. Hopefully I can get one done tomorrow. The grain is in a sealed plastic bag but not air tight.

I have 7 kits to brew and was looking at tomorrow morning as an option. What to brew first though: Brown Ale, Hefe, or Wit?

 

[OLDBREW]

I have 7 kits to brew and was looking at tomorrow morning as an option. What to brew first though: Brown Ale, Hefe, or Wit?

According to your list, you are in dire need of a Brown Ale

 

[R2-D2]

My list is deceiving because I have 2 bombers of Irish Stout, 6 bottles of Wit, 1 bottle of Blonde and 1 bottle of IPA. Plenty of Red and X-mas. Xmas really needs more time though.

 

[R2-D2]

Decided to brew a Hefe, batch sparging now. First runnings tasted very good.

 

[gturner6ppc]

Dry grain can last years as long as it's not attacked by bacteria, mold, insects, and mice. Your grain undoubtedly spent many months in a silo before it got to the maltster, then spent more months on a shelf somewhere. Kept cool and dry, it could sit for years, but that would cost money due to inventory costs from tying up silos and warehouses.

Bacteria and mold only take hold if the grain gets damp. Grinding it doesn't really change things, as ground grain can sit on the shelf at your supermarket waiting for a customer to bake with it.

As long as you don't detect any mold, insects, or mice, and the grain smells or tastes good (like food), and it manages the starch conversion, it should be okay.

If grain had a short shelf-life (like fruit) we'd only have bread and beer after a harvest. Grapes, on the other hand, do have a short shelf-life. That's why the seasonal rhythms of winemaking are so much different from brewing.

 

[Brewmeistermj]

Greetings! I'm getting ready to do my first all-grain batch. I ordered a kit from a popular homebrew supply website last month to do a blind pig clone. I have had a lot going on the past month with buying a new house and I have not been able to use the crushed grains yet. They are approx. 6 weeks old and are still sitting in the paper bag they came in, in a box they were shipped in. Today I put them into an air-tight bucket (maybe too late.) The crushed grains still smell okay and no bugs have gotten into them. Do you think these crushed grains are okay to use? Should I just go ahead and replace them before I brew? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

By all means Brew with this grain. I have brewed with grain in much worse condition than this and still had great results.