Buying first 50 bag o' grain - please share how you store yours.

[kcpup]

I'm buying a 50 of two row. I have a Food Saver vacuum sealer. I was thinking about splitting into 5 pound bags using the Food Saver and storing in freezer.

Is that ok, or are there other viable methods? Just wanting to hear thoughts from those that bulk buy.

I don't have a ton of space at home. Some in a basement freezer over the fridge, and I could put some in the keezer set at 39 with the kegs.

A buddy has a chest freezer I could get some space in if it is best to freeze it all (based on my reading so far I think that is the best plan).

Thank you for your thoughts.

Cheers

 

[dwarven_stout]

I put mine in a big tupperware in the garage. No need to freeze it unless you plan on taking years to use it all.

 

[wyzazz]

Don't freeze un-crushed grain, put it in a couple of 5gal homer buckets with lids or the like. Keep it dry and it'll be just fine.

 

[TyTanium]

Don't put it in the keezer! Way too much moisture. Rubbermaid or sealed bucket in a cool basement should be perfect.

How often do you brew? A 50# sack should last 5-10 batches, depending on recipe.

 

[Homercidal]

Mine sits in it's sack, inside a plastic tote with no lid, in the garage.

 

[Psych]

I leave mine in the bag they came in, tucked under my laundry room counter to keep the cat out, and I just twist the top shut, expel as much air as possible and seal with a bit of twine twisted around and tied.

No problems over the course of ... 7 sacks? Something like that...longest one stored this way has been maybe 6 months now and zero issues, no bugs, etc.

Keep it simple

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Original bag or plastic totes.

 

[Conan]

Or similar. Original grain bags in the tote, tote in the basement. I was nervous about that at first but I opened the tote when we moved this weekend and the grain smelled sooooo fresh and delicious. Kyle

 

[Revvy]

2 homer buckets hold 50 pounds of grain.

 

[smalliewader]

I keep my 50# 2 row and a bunch of single pound specialty grains in a big rubbermaid tub with lid. Like others, no problems.

 

[rico567]

I use cat litter buckets that come with 27 pouns of litter. They will hold about 18-19 pounds of 2-row just fine, so three buckets will easily hold the entire 50 pound sack. These are heavy HDPE buckets, I just snap the lid on and store them in the basement until I'm ready to mill. The unmilled grain will keep in these just fine.

 

[jaysbrewing]

I just keep mine in a metal trash can inside of the bag it came in. The metal will discourage any critters coming and eating up my grains.

 

[FredTheNuke]

Stop by Lowe's and buy a few of their $4.00 food grade white 5 gallon buckets and a gasketed lid for each one for another $1.00. Each bucket holds exactly 25 pounds of uncrushed grain and is essentially airtight. I typically keep 300+ pounds on hand and store it like this. Works great!

 

[jtejedor]

I keep unopened bags in my spare room/garage thing. Opened bags go into a big Tupperware container but is still left out. Summers get really hot here but I don't have space in the house. I have only had a problem with weevils when I had some grain in there that was really old, like 3 years old. Call me gross but there wasn't too many and they got ground up and made some good beer .

 

[mattmcl]

http://www.amazon.com/Iris-MP-12-NAVY-Airtight-Container-Quarts/dp/B00186RTWW/ref=sr_1_1

I have a few of these. Nice to have them on casters too. THey are airtight and food grade.

 

[ShinyBuddha]

Rubbermaid storage bin for bulk and homer buckets with snap-on gamma lids for specialty grain.

 

[kcpup]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Looks like it will be simpler than I thought.

Cheers

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

2.5 gallon ziplock bags. The heavy duty kind with the actual "zipper" 50 pound sack splits into four bags.

No need for food saver.

 

[mikescooling]

I keep it in the bag, in a clean trash can with the lid on.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Ideally, store per instructions below. In reality I store in tubs in the garage once opened, just like most people here.

 

[bighorn_brew]

Yep, rubbermaid see through bins, and then individually in Gallon? ziplock bags which I pre-measure into 5lb increments. Makes it nice to grab two bags plus specialty grains and your good to go.... I have a nice bakers rack that keeps all my brew ware and ingredients on. Makes me happy seeing it fully stocked!

 

[Newgene]

stop by lowe's and buy a few of their $4.00 food grade white 5 gallon buckets and a gasketed lid for each one for another $1.00. Each bucket holds exactly 25 pounds of uncrushed grain and is essentially airtight. I typically keep 300+ pounds on hand and store it like this. Works great!

+1

 

[weirdboy]

2 homer buckets hold 50 pounds of grain.

Yeah, this is what I use. They sell white buckets marked food grade right next to the orange ones. I put labels on them so I can tell apart US 2-row from Maris Otter from Weyermann Pils.

 

[boscobeans]

You can easily vacuum pack 10 pounds of grain in a single bag made from the large size roll. I order 50 pounds when I need grain. 10 pounds for the current brew and 4 ten pound bags for the shelves in the basement.

bosco