How do you Store Your Grains?

[iijakii]

Does HD sell the gamma lids? How much are they in-store generally? Looks like they're twice the price of the bucket online! Can get nice dog food containers for the same combined price.

 

[CGVT]

Why bother with the gamma lids. The grains store and keep fine with the snap on lids.

 

[cilestiok]

Why bother with the gamma lids. The grains store and keep fine with the snap on lids.

Agreed.

 

[muels]

Vacuum seal all but base grains. They go in old fermenter buckets with a regular lid. Vacuum bags go in homer buckets for tidier storage.

 

[kh54s10]

Gamma lids have a seal in both parts that will keep humidity from spoiling your malts. Snap on lid work fine but are a ROYAL PITA to get on and off the bucket.. Also the more you use it the less likely you will get a good seal.

With Homer buckets or any other colored buckets, the plastic alone is OK. The coloring might not be OK. For storage of grains, IMO the problem is minimal.....

 

[ebstauffer]

Does HD sell the gamma lids? How much are they in-store generally?/QUOTE]

They're at least double! I can't image branded buckets are anything but loss leaders at both HD and Lowes. IIRC, the gamma lids at HD are about $7. Black only.

 

[Brew_G]

Uh...yes they are.

Carry on

Even if I'm wrong, then what's the point is saying "Uhhh..." as if I'm some sort of f'ing moron.

Kind of a douchey thing to do.

 

[Brew_G]

Gamma lids have a seal in both parts that will keep humidity from spoiling your malts. Snap on lid work fine but are a ROYAL PITA to get on and off the bucket.. Also the more you use it the less likely you will get a good seal.

With Homer buckets or any other colored buckets, the plastic alone is OK. The coloring might not be OK. For storage of grains, IMO the problem is minimal.....

Yup. As I said in my post, for some people that doesn't matter. For me, it was simple enough to find a bucket that I know is food-grade, so I got those instead.

 

[Brew_G]

Maybe a simple search to back up my food-grade post would have helped.

Again, if this doesn't matter to you, then feel free to ignore it.

From http://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-Depot-5-gal-Homer-Bucket-05GLHD2/100087613 (my bold):

PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Model # 05GLHD2
Internet # 100087613
Store SKU # 131227

Use the 5-gal. Orange Homer Bucket to haul parts, paint, topsoil and other household and work-site items. This orange, plastic bucket holds up to a 9 in. bucket grid and features the orange Home Depot logo on its side.

Use for mixing paint, hauling topsoil, storing parts and for other purposes
Ideal for use as a utility pail on work sites
Holds up to a 9 in. bucket grid
Plastic construction for durability
Orange color with the Home Depot logo
Buckets are not food grade
Note: product may vary by store

Carry on

 

[kombat]

I use these buckets and the matching Gamma Seal lids for my base grains (2-row, Pilsner, Maris Otter, and Munich) and more commonly-used specialty malts (Carafoam, Carared, Caraaroma, Roasted, Vienna). All other specialty grains I buy by the pound, and unused portions get vacuum sealed in Foodsaver pouches, and stored in a bin on a shelf at room temperature. Seems to work fine for me, although the buckets and lids represented a bit of an up-front investment.

The buckets are HDPE, which is widely regarded as "the best type of plastic for use in long-term food storage".

 

[logdrum]

White food grade buckets w Gamma Seal lids for base malts, vacuum seal specialty malts; left over specialty malts that I can envision using within a couple of months go into 3 & 6 qt food service Cambro containers. I've got some Munich & Vienna that are at least 2 years old, still taste fine.

 

[logdrum]

Oh, and very small amounts of rarely used malts go into qt mason jars.

 

[Brew_G]

Oh, and very small amounts of rarely used malts go into qt mason jars.

That's a really good idea. Might have to steal it...



:cross:

 

[beernutz]

One of these for base malts:

And one of these for specialty malts:

Both work great. I bought the red top container to use as a fermenter but when it arrived I found it wouldn't fit in my freezer. I then took one of my two vittle vaults and converted it to a fermenter as its only 14" wide as opposed to 16" for the red top storage and my freezer is 15" wide. Vittle Vaults are probably harder to clean and sanitize because of more nooks and crannies but a good oxyclean soak and rinse followed by starsan on brewday has worked so far. Problem solved!