How Long Will Unstored Grains Last?

[mrgrimm101]

I have a friend who has a 20lb bag of uncrushed/unmilled Golden Promise malt that he is willing to give me. However, it was not properly stored.

He has had the bag since April, so about 8 months. They are uncrushed so the grains are whole.

He said "It has been in tied up in the original grain bag on my 3 season front porch. Hasn't got wet. Cant say no humidity. I shook it around about a couple weeks ago and didnt' see anything growing in it."

Would you use these grains? How long will grains generally last in the bag without proper storage?

 

[JoshuaW]

Stick your hand in the bag, grab a small handful, and taste them. If it doesnt taste stale, its fine.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would use them if they tasted reasonable.

 

[microbusbrewery]

+1, try it. Better yet, pick up some fresh grain from your LHBS (like an ounce) and taste them side by side so you know what it should taste like when it's fresh.

 

[wilserbrewer]

If they are truly "unstored", they are likely pretty fresh....lol

 

[mrgrimm101]

Ok..improperly stored.

My LHBS doesn't sell Golden Promise so I would have to drive too far to get a small sample to compare. I guess I'll get it and get their opinion when I bring it in to get crushed..

 

[wilserbrewer]

I doubt they are unusable....brew on!

 

[applescrap]

I have all my base grain precracked just easier that way so I can brew whenever I want. As I was setting up my Electric this batch got older but I didn't notice anything I don't think it matters. I'm sure fresher is better but this is another place where I don't go with the mainstream. Grain outside would scare me g promise is my new favorite malt and i want to brew all my beers with it eat the grain it should taste good. Smell before you eat it you will know you will as others said already

 

[RM-MN]

Take a small amount of the grains and put them in a blender or crush them with a rolling pin, blender being the better method because you want them into small paticles. Heat about a quart or so of water to 155F. Dump the grains into the water. Sniff! The higher temperature will make any off odors more noticeable. If it smells like oatmeal or porridge, wait 10 minutes and taste it. It should be really sweet. If it is, the grains are fine to use.

What you just did was a mini-mash. If you wanted to keep the wort you just produced you need to separate the grains from the wort. Otherwise just dump it out.