how soon must I use my grains before they degrade?

[bbriscoe]

I read somewhere that you don't want to store specialty or base malts/grains after they have been run thru the grinder for more than a couple of days. Why is that, and how soon before brewing is too long to buy a mini-mash kit from the LHBS?

 

[Nateo]

The grains keep better when they're unground. Once they've been milled, they go stale a lot more quickly. Think of it like the difference between leaving a whole loaf of bread out, and leaving a lot of slices of bread out. The slices will go stale very quickly.

I've heard within a week is the ideal time, but I've never had more than a couple day's lag time, so I can't comment from experience.

 

[hiberntepaths]

I haven't heard this! I assumed you could keep them for a long time, whether ground or not. I wonder...

Also, my LHBS sells pre-milled grain, sealed in bags. I wonder if these are ok to buy, of if they might be stale after sitting on the shelf?

 

[Ace_Club]

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks. I just brewed a British Bitter (extract w/grains) that I ordered back in March. The crushed grains and bulk LME sat in the fridge until yesterday when I brewed it up.

The wort tasted normal, so when it's finished fermenting I'll let you know if there are any off-flavors that I can detect.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Crushed grain is probably best used within a month. Whole grain keeps for over a year if it's in a cool, dry place.

 

[passedpawn]

Bagged, it will last a long time. Keep exposing it to air, and it will stale. It's just like a box of cereal or bag of chips.

Uncrushed, it is good for at least years (from my experience).

 

[WildGingerBrewing]

My LHBS says no more than a week once they are crushed.

 

[TheMan]

i've used a couple month old crushed grain before...didn't seem to harm anything or taste off. It's not ideal obviously, but I didn't notice anything off.

 

[Randar]

You keep it cool and dry and un-crushed, it will keep well over a year. Crushed? I don't know, but I have used pre-crushed specialty grains a year later without noticing any degradation, but I stored them air-tight and in a cool place.