Grain too old?

[RStolz]

I've recently gotten back into all grain brewing after two years due to moving, money, life, etc.

Anyways, about 2ish years ago I ended up buying too much grain for a beer and vacuumed sealed it with a food saver. Here's the bill:

1 lb flaked oats
1 lb flaked barley
6 lbs German pilsner
1 lb Munich malt
1 lb caravienne malt
1 lb chocolate malt

I've also saved and refrigerated the hops and yeast since then but I'm assuming those are a no go.

Question is, can I brew with the grain? What is the downside if I do?

Thanks all!

 

[atoughram]

I've got a couple hundred pounds of two row that are nearly two years old that I've been brewing through - and it tastes and smells great! Taste the grain, if it tastes good it'll brew fine.

 

[Pantherjon]

If it was vacuum sealed and the seal is still intact the grains should still be good...Yeah, the hops and yeast I am pretty sure are toast tho..

 

[RM-MN]

Liquid yeast or dry? Make a starter or a small batch and see if the yeast are still viable. It might surprise you.

Open a package of hops and take a careful sniff. Then you can decide if they are good or bad. If they smell good you might want to buy some more for bittering as I have read that the older hops may lack some of the ability to bitter your beer.

Grains are pretty robust and unless stored with too much humidity don't even need to be sealed. I've used base malts that were 2 years old with good results and they were stored in an open bag. Specialty malts seem to be fine even longer than that.

 

[andylipp]

I think everyone's assuming that those grains are not yet milled. Is that correct? If they are already crushed, I wouldn't use them, foodsaver notwithstanding.

 

[HighlandRanger]

If the grains are NOT crushed, then yes you should be good. I have been brewing all my beer this year with grain that was given to me from a friend. It was several years old but kept in airtight containers. These beers have been some of my best ones yet!

 

[ARS]

Even the hops are good, dont worry.

 

[konofaye]

Hops: at the very least you can use them for bittering. May have lost aroma or oils, but I would still brew with them. If they smell good, throw them in for aroma.

Yeast: Try a starter with it a couple days before brewing, if it starts up and smells good, you're good to go. Have a newer pack for back-up.

I've kept yeast in the fridge for years and had it be okay for brewing, both commercial packages and stuff I've cultured from dregs. Starters can take a while to get going, but more often then not they'll reawake and do their job.

If the starter doesn't smell like fermented beer, is sour, or funky, then toss it depending on style. You might fight you've got a good "house saison" yeast. If it smells like vomit, you've got butyric acid and it should be tossed.

 

[pashusa]

I agree. If it tasts good use it.

 

[Coiz]

I used a bag of two year old two row and although it tasted fine, the efficiency was 20% low.

 

[david_42]

I'd chew a few grains of the pilsner, ditto the flaked oats and barley. Stale grains are easy to identify by taste. The roasted/toasted grains should be fine.

 

[whmeh0]

Even the hops are good, dont worry.

I second the motion! Hops should be fine if they've been in the freezer, and especially if they're frozen vacuum-sealed pellets.

 

[SeanMcEntee]

Slack grain is caused by an increase in moisture content after malting. Levels above 6% are deemed unsuitable. Reduced enzymatic action and a change in the grain's husk impacting its milling characteristics are the main symptoms of slack malt.

I'm guessing the vacuum sealing obviated any moisture problems,

Not sure of posting link etiquette, but you can read a short article about slack grain here:
https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/Vckow3Sjxy/slack-malt/

Hmm, that was cribbed from the Oxford Companion to Beer, apparently.

 

[RStolz]

The malt and pilsner grains are crushed. I sealed right away when I realize that I wasn't going to use them.

 

[MaxStout]

Those crushed grains might be well beyond their freshness--put them out for the birds to eat. Uncrushed grains should be fine. The hops may have lost some of their alpha, so you'll probably need to bump up the amount to hit your target IBU.

 

[FranklinNewhart]

Hops: at the very least you can use them for bittering. May have lost aroma or oils, but I would still brew with them. If they smell good, throw them in for aroma.

Yeast: Try a starter with it a couple days before brewing, if it starts up and smells good, you're good to go. Have a newer pack for back-up.

I've kept yeast in the fridge for years and had it be okay for brewing, both commercial packages and stuff I've cultured from dregs. Starters can take a while to get going, but more often then not they'll reawake and do their job.

If the starter doesn't smell like fermented beer, is sour, or funky, then toss it depending on style. You might fight you've got a good "house saison" yeast. If it smells like vomit, you've got butyric acid and it should be tossed.

When you have old stock you might want to brew a light beer without to much colour or flavour. This will tell you how good the product really is. make a small smash batch with it and you will know if your hops still have zing in them. You will notice off flavours in your grain as well. If they are not there in an IPA then they sure won't be there in something more complex.

 

[THVbrew]

What about crushed 2-row that has been sitting in a tied off plastic bag at room temperature for 6 months. Plan on using it in an IPA.

 

[MaxStout]

What about crushed 2-row that has been sitting in a tied off plastic bag at room temperature for 6 months. Plan on using it in an IPA.

It might be OK. I've seen brew kits in some LHBSs that have probably been on the shelf that long (with crushed grains inside a bag), and they typically turn out alright.

Like FranklinNewhart suggested above, brew a lighter beer (like your proposed IPA) and see if the flavor is OK.

 

[Mobstar76]

It really depends how they were stored.
I had Bohemian pilsner malt and it was only stored for a little over a year. I made my usual recipe and it had a really musty aroma to it. my supplies are stored in a basement cool room. I'm guessing the humidity got to the grains.
Just go ahead and brew. worse case, it goes down the drain!

 

[FranklinNewhart]

Just go ahead and brew. worse case, it goes down the drain!

I have pored more than one batch of bad brew down the drain. But usually I try to drink it first and get it going down the drain after some bodily processing.

 

[HTH1975]

As the grains have been vacuum-sealed, I don't see the problem. Just brew with it. The hops have been frozen, so you'll be fine. Worst case scenario you use them for bittering and use fresh hops for aroma.

 

[kingmatt]

It's one of those things where yes, you can make beer with old ingredients (maybe even good beer) but it probably won't be as good as it could be with fresh ingredients.

It's up to you whether the cost savings in using old ingredients outweighs the potential effect on the quality of the final product.

 

[FranklinNewhart]

Here is the problem for me. I get my Malt from Prairie Malt in Saskatoon SK. I live in Ceylon SK. That is a 5 hour drive each way and they only sell it in 50 Lbs. sacks. Now to make a decent brew I need more than one kind of malt. To store that malt I use garbage cans with tight lids. Four kinds of malt, four garbage cans, fifty pound in each can. Do you think I can use it up before it goes stale. Not likely. Am I gunna waste it? Not likely. Get over it and brew your beer.