How long will grains last?

[Anthony_Lopez]

After a conversation over the weekend, I began to doubt my perception of how long my grain will last uncrushed. Late last winter, my LHBS owner got a ton of extra grain due to a mistake by his distributor. I bought up a good bit of it for under $1 a pound and I have had most of it stored in vacuum bags. Any issues anyone could think of?

Members of my club were trying to tell me it would go bad regardless of how I stored it. I also have some that were stored in airtight tupperware containers (not bagged).

I look forward to your responses, since I have seen this issue re-hashed in the past.

 

[chefmike]

i have some that is 4 years old. brewed a 2 row smash. Drank the whole thing. Been using it up since. YMMV

I am trying to use all mine within a year... but it should be fine.