Grain... how old is too old?

[NoCornOrRice]

I have a large amount of grain from 2014. Its been stored dry and cool and smells and tastes fine. Any foreseeable issues with using it?
Thx

 

[jheinikel]

If it’s not overly stale, go for it. Storing it correctly saved you and should be fine.

 

[MrPowers]

As long as it’s still reasonably crisp/crunchy when you eat some raw kernels and the flavor is ok, you should be fine to use it.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

You’re fine. I did an experiment and brewed 2 beers. One with fresh malt and one with malt that had been stored in a hot/cold/hot/cold attic for 2 years.

Tasters could not tell a difference.

However, now I vacuum seal my malt 10lbs at a time. Keeps it super fresh.

 

[grampamark]

I've used grain that was stored for over a year after being crushed with good results.

I'm a grain farmer. You'd be surprised by how old your "fresh" malt really is. It's not uncommon for grain to be stored on the farm for up to a year before it begins the lengthy journey through the system which, eventually, ends in the back of your LHBS.

Mark

 

[Calder]

Taste it. If it tastes fine, it is good. If stored dry and bug free, it will keep for many years.

I have a lot of specialty grains, and some get left for years. I'll still use it if it is 5+ years old. My base grains get used within a couple of years. I think I did toss some recently, it was from 2000, I'd been avoiding using it for years because it was so old, but thought ..... I might just need this .... It just got too old. It didn't seem bad when I tossed it.

 

[NoCornOrRice]

Cool. Thanks folks.

 

[lschiavo]

I have a few hundred pounds in 4 mil barrel liners (big plastic bags) inside garbage cans that I haven't touched for a few years. I hope it's still good when I get to it.