Best way to store crushed grain?

[LarryC]

Normally I like to go to my LHBS and get my supplies the day before I'm going to brew. Unfortunately my schedule is a bit hosed up right now so I think I am going to get a chance to go to the LHBS soon but it will be one to two weeks before my brew day. I don't have a grain mill so crushing it there is pretty much a requirement.

What is the best way to store crushed grain for a week or two? This won't be a real exotic grain bill but it is for a FW Wookie Jack clone and I want it to be good. Thanks!

 

[dynobyte]

I'm not sure about the best way but I have left it in the bags I crushed & filled at the HBS for a couple of weeks. They were "sealed" with a twist tie, so nothing special. I've done this two, maybe three times & each time my brew has turned out well...no discernible difference to other brews I've made immediately. The room it's kept in is mostly dark & stays around 70 degrees.

 

[teddy4xp]

Crushed grains will and do stale. If you have the room, try to store them in a freezer

 

[LarryC]

Crushed grains will and do stale. If you have the room, try to store them in a freezer

I thought about the freezer but I was worried it might have a negative impact on the grain (not sure why, just a thought)

 

[BigEd]

It's cereal. Airtight, cool and dry is the way to go. Ziplock bags, plastic or glass food storage containers with snap or screw lids or other types of kitchen devices are all good. For short term storage I would skip the freezer to avoid freezer burn or condensation.

 

[geckholm]

"I would skip the freezer to avoid freezer burn or condensation." this. I tried storing milled grains in the fridge, they became moldy after about two weeks. A grain mill is high on my list of things to get....

 

[Xpertskir]

in beer form.

seriously though, cool, dry and airtight. People get freaked out on here about milled grain and time. I have heard of people making good beer with crushed grains months after purchase. I just got a mill so luckily this is no longer a concern of mine.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

seriously though, cool, dry and airtight. People get freaked out on here about milled grain and time. I have heard of people making good beer with crushed grains months after purchase.

I've got some 18 months old grain at the house, some milled, some not. Still raking some ribbons with the beers made from that grain!

MC

 

[boscobeans]

I'm lazy and buy my grain crushed then vacuum pack it all.

A 50-55 pound sack of 2 row pale will last me about 6 months.
I divide each sack into 5 equal portions. ( 5 bags each either 10 or 11 pounds)
Malts like biscuit, vienna, etc. go in smaller bags from 1-4 pounds.
Specialty grains like chocolate and stuff like DME goes in 1/4 and 1/2 pound bags.

All the bags get dated and go on shelves in the cool, dry basement well protected from light.

On brew day I bring up a bag of base malt and pick through the others depending on what I intend to make. I guess I'm boring since all I brew are simple brown ales.

I start checking out prices when I'm down to my last bag of base malt and order the other grains at the same time depending on inventory.

Six to eight months doesn't seem to bother them in any way.

bosco

ps. If you don't have a vacuum sealer put the weighed out grains in double plastic bags and throw one of those handwarmer packs in each to use up the oxygen and keep the grain fresh.

 

[LarryC]

Thanks all! I think I have a nice cool dry place I can put the grain for a week or two so now I can DWRHAHB