bulk grain shelf life????

[2ned-up]

Im thinking about getting some bulk grain. I wanted to know peoples opinions on storage of grains and how soon they should be used up? Also grain mill options!?

 

[shoreman]

Whole 6 months
Milled 3 months

 

[MalFet]

Considering the grain itself is only getting harvested once a year or so in most parts of the country, you should be able to last at least that long. There was an episode of Brew Strong a while back that went over grain storage with someone from Briess, who said more or less this. Highly kilned grains last significantly longer. All that is contingent on being able to store it cool and dry, though.

 

[naz420]

Where do you buy bulk grain?

 

[G_Brew]

it's always worth buying pale malt in bulk... I've never managed to keep it long enough to find out how soon it goes bad

 

[2ned-up]

Where do you buy bulk grain?

Depending on where you live people do group buys or if you have a good connection at a HBS or a micro/nano brewery.

 

[2ned-up]

Where do you buy bulk grain?

Depending on where you live people do group buys or if you have a good connection at a HBS or a micro/nano brewery.

 

[Warrior]

You can keep bulk grain a very long time as long as you store it properly! I have stored grain for several years and had great results with the grain. Food grade (think white juice drums) work very well. These drums have a lid with a rubber O-ring that seals tight. OXYGEN AND MOSITURE ARE LOCKED OUT!!! There's a metal ring clamp that tightens lid lid against the drum. Try and find some used ones but I have been able to put at least 3 full 55 lb bags of grain in each one.

 

[Dhruv6911]

Whole 6 months
Milled 3 months

Do you have a source/citation for this? As far as i know, properly stored grains can last 8-10 years.

 

[idahobrew]

Do you have a source/citation for this? As far as i know, properly stored grains can last 8-10 years.

Wow, how would I properly store 8-10 years?

 

[pjj2ba]

I'm currently brewing with 2 yr old malt (I stocked up a bit too much) and the beers are still turning out very well.

The biggest issue is going stale/rancid. If stored cool and dry, this can be minimized.

I've been having the students here do a lab where they test the activity of finely ground malt that has been stored for various lengths of time. So far, two-year old milled grain (ground to a powder) still converts pretty well. Not as fast as freshly milled, but still pretty quick.

 

[Jayhem]

Just FYI: Food grade 5 gal buckets with rubber seal lids are available from Lowes and Home Depot for about $5 each. I have several of these I store my grains in my cool basement in.

 

[kpr121]

Just FYI: Food grade 5 gal buckets with rubber seal lids are available from Lowes and Home Depot for about $5 each. I have several of these I store my grains in my cool basement in.

+1 this is how I store my grains. Zip lock bags in the Rubbermaid containers get used first:

Edit: just realized this is an old pic. I have since put those 3 sacks in similar buckets. 2 full buckets will hold a single 50 lb sack.