How to store my malt - specific questions

[Braumeise]

I just realized (after almost 4 years! *hand to forehead) that had I bought a grain mill it would have paid for it self 4 times by now hence I am seriously contemplating getting a grain mill and buy my grains in 55 pound bags henceforth.

I have specific questions though:

I do not have a basement, attic or garage (I could use the hayloft in my barn though but I am not sure how much good that would do especially in super hot summers here)

My most practicable solution would be storing grain in my house (at least I think so)

"IF" I get the feed storage containers we have for horse feed and store it in my house:

1. will that work?
2. how long can I store them like this without compromising quality?
3. Should they go in a storage closet or does the Container shield them enough from sun light for instance?
(Problem with my closets they are incredibly cold in winter and super hot in summer since the heat/AC does not have a closet outlet.)

or

4. hay loft at the barn or basement at my cousins house better alternative?

Thanks
Braumeise

 

[McKnuckle]

The main things are to keep moisture and critters away. Otherwise when you say "incredibly cold" and "super hot" - yet you are referring to something inside your house - exactly how cold and hot are we talking about?

 

[mongoose33]

Things that tend to compromise food quality--and brewing grains are exactly that, food--are large temperature swings, moisture, light, oxidation, time, and critters. So your task is to minimize the effect of these things.

For starters--grain is stored in bags in open air conditions, so it's not absolutely necessary to seal it up, unless you're going to store it for a long time. Problem w/ open storage is primarily critters, i.e., rodents and bugs, so sealing the grain against those things is important.

Second is temperature swings. It's never good for food. Grain already has had some of that given storage conditions prior to your purchasing it, but more swings is not helping anything, so reducing that as much as possible is a worthwhile goal.

Third is time. You probably can get away with storing grain under good conditions for a year or more, so there's no hurry to use it--so long as the grain is not crushed. Crushed grain has a timeline and it's not very long compared to uncrushed grain.

Without knowing what "feed storage containers for horse feed" means, there are some ways you can deal with all this. If I knew the form factor of those containers I might have better ideas, but here are some in no particular order, and you might be able to adjust the ideas to something more suitable.

***************

I use 5-gallon buckets with something called a "gamma seal" lid that screws on. Others use something called a "vittle vault" which is made for pet food. Both have the same lid, so they're air-and-critter tight. {BTW, the link I showed for the gamma seal lids is, IMO, an expensive price. My local home store (Menards) sells them for $6.97 apiece, and when they have the 11-percent-off sale I get them for $6.20 apiece, which I consider a fair price.}

Depending on the form factor of the storage and the space you have available, you can make them part of your furniture. Make a coffee-table out of 4+ buckets, put a piece of plywood or similar on top, cover with a "tablecloth" that extends to the floor, and voila! Almost free coffee table and storage for brewing grain!

Same thing with a nightstand; two buckets stacked, small square or round piece of wood or plywood on top, drape a tablecloth over it, and there you are.

You can store these things behind furniture, under a desk, all kinds of things. I hava "desk" that's a solid-core door supported by two small filing cabinets; room for several buckets underneath next to the wall. Heck, you could support the door with the buckets! Lift one end of the door with a prop and you can easily move the buckets in and out.

Same with other form factors. There are lots of ways to accommodate buckets, they stack four-high, and the other form factors of storage have similar advantages and disadvantages.

All of this is hopefully designed to get the grain out of the closet whose temperature swings are extreme. Another option is to take the closet door off and let the inside ambient air heat/cool that space. Maybe put a small curtain in the opening, open at the top and bottom about 4" to allow air to circulate in there via convection but which covers up the closet.

Finally, I've attached a pic or two showing other storage solutions that may give you an idea or two. My grain is stored in the basement where temps range from about 63-67 year-round, but I don't have unlimited wallspace there for stacking them. So I built a rolling shelf unit that I can push against other shelves, and wheel out when I want to get what's behind them.

 

[RM-MN]

Note: This is unmalted grain so the effects on malted grain may not be the same.

The grain I raise on my farm goes into steel grain bins. The interior temperature ranges from -40 to +120F. I can keep the grain in there for at least a few years and it still can be planted to make a new crop. Germination rate will go down after a couple years but still be adequate for planting.

 

[Braumeise]

The main things are to keep moisture and critters away. Otherwise when you say "incredibly cold" and "super hot" - yet you are referring to something inside your house - exactly how cold and hot are we talking about?

It feels like an ice box when I walk in in Winter and like a sauna in summer. If I have to guess I'd say winter around 40° and summer around 90+° and in comparison to my normally heated/cooled house it is quite a stark contrast.

Things that tend to compromise food quality--and brewing grains are exactly that, food--are large temperature swings, moisture, light, oxidation, time, and critters. So your task is to minimize the effect of these things.

For starters--grain is stored in bags in open air conditions, so it's not absolutely necessary to seal it up, unless you're going to store it for a long time. Problem w/ open storage is primarily critters, i.e., rodents and bugs, so sealing the grain against those things is important.

Second is temperature swings. It's never good for food. Grain already has had some of that given storage conditions prior to your purchasing it, but more swings is not helping anything, so reducing that as much as possible is a worthwhile goal.

Third is time. You probably can get away with storing grain under good conditions for a year or more, so there's no hurry to use it--so long as the grain is not crushed. Crushed grain has a timeline and it's not very long compared to uncrushed grain.

Without knowing what "feed storage containers for horse feed" means, there are some ways you can deal with all this. If I knew the form factor of those containers I might have better ideas, but here are some in no particular order, and you might be able to adjust the ideas to something more suitable.

***************

all of this is super helpful already! Thank you.

I was planning to store uncrushed grain and the containers we have for horse feed are 10?, 20 and 30 Gal Behrens galvanized steel cans or if we need to store more grain like 3 55 pound bags of the the same feed grains we have really big, heavy duty Rubbermaid cans with lids.

I use 5-gallon buckets with something called a "gamma seal" lid that screws on. Others use something called a "vittle vault" which is made for pet food. Both have the same lid, so they're air-and-critter tight. {BTW, the link I showed for the gamma seal lids is, IMO, an expensive price. My local home store (Menards) sells them for $6.97 apiece, and when they have the 11-percent-off sale I get them for $6.20 apiece, which I consider a fair price.}

My tractor supply has them for less (at least I think I saw them there)

Depending on the form factor of the storage and the space you have available, you can make them part of your furniture. Make a coffee-table out of 4+ buckets, put a piece of plywood or similar on top, cover with a "tablecloth" that extends to the floor, and voila! Almost free coffee table and storage for brewing grain!

Same thing with a nightstand; two buckets stacked, small square or round piece of wood or plywood on top, drape a tablecloth over it, and there you are.

OMG! I love that idea!
I was honestly thinking, if I use the galvanized Behrens bins to put them in aesthetically pleasing sopts and make it as if it was decoration - lol...
Your idea opens a whole new world of possibilities
I love that!

You can store these things behind furniture, under a desk, all kinds of things. I hava "desk" that's a solid-core door supported by two small filing cabinets; room for several buckets underneath next to the wall. Heck, you could support the door with the buckets! Lift one end of the door with a prop and you can easily move the buckets in and out.

Same with other form factors. There are lots of ways to accommodate buckets, they stack four-high, and the other form factors of storage have similar advantages and disadvantages.

All of this is hopefully designed to get the grain out of the closet whose temperature swings are extreme. Another option is to take the closet door off and let the inside ambient air heat/cool that space. Maybe put a small curtain in the opening, open at the top and bottom about 4" to allow air to circulate in there via convection but which covers up the closet.

Finally, I've attached a pic or two showing other storage solutions that may give you an idea or two. My grain is stored in the basement where temps range from about 63-67 year-round, but I don't have unlimited wallspace there for stacking them. So I built a rolling shelf unit that I can push against other shelves, and wheel out when I want to get what's behind them.

View attachment 619472

Thank you so much!
This is awesome info and fantastic inspiration.

I'll make a picture of my "set-up" as soon as I have re-decorated my house

Note: This is unmalted grain so the effects on malted grain may not be the same.

The grain I raise on my farm goes into steel grain bins. The interior temperature ranges from -40 to +120F. I can keep the grain in there for at least a few years and it still can be planted to make a new crop. Germination rate will go down after a couple years but still be adequate for planting.

Awesome info!

Thank you so much.

I have a much better idea what I can do now.

Thanks a lot!

 

[PADave]

IMO, saving a few dollars isn’t worth buying in bulk. Factor in the cost of storage containers and the space that they take up, not worth it to me. Grain is cheep, I’ll let my supplier store it.

 

[kh54s10]

IMO, saving a few dollars isn’t worth buying in bulk. Factor in the cost of storage containers and the space that they take up, not worth it to me. Grain is cheep, I’ll let my supplier store it.

But now you have to plan ahead. Either make another trip to the LHBS or order online. Gas or shipping add to the cost.

If I decide I want to brew today I can sit at my computer, work up a recipe in about 10 minutes, go to garage where my malts are and start the brew day. I also keep hops and yeast on hand at all times.

OP, I am not sure of the feed containers you are talking about but I would make sure you get something with a seal in it to limit humidity and open air conditions. The grain will last a long time in open air, but most likely a lot longer in a sealed container.

 

[TheMadKing]

IMO, saving a few dollars isn’t worth buying in bulk. Factor in the cost of storage containers and the space that they take up, not worth it to me. Grain is cheep, I’ll let my supplier store it.

+1 I buy a bag of base malt once a year to help my brew club get the minimum number of bags needed for a discount. I brew an average of once a month so it takes me almost a year to use 55lbs of any single grain. It's just not worth it for me.

For me it's not worth the few bucks I'd save in grain costs to buy the storage equipment, take up a bunch of space, and store large amounts.

I do own a mill though and I always mill my own grain for 2 reasons: I have control over the crush size which is important for consistent efficiency, and crushed grain starts to go stale immediately after crushing, so I always crush while my strike water is heating to maximize freshness.

The most efficient way to save money on your ingredients is to harvest and store yeast IMO.

Or if you brew IPA'S buy hops in bulk when there's a good sale and a vacuum sealer to seal them back up for maximum shelf life.

I keep 4-5lbs of hops on hand at any one time: magnum, hallertau, EKG, Cascade, and Citra or Simcoe. With that combo I rarely need to buy hops unless I'm brewing something special.

 

[PADave]

But now you have to plan ahead. Either make another trip to the LHBS or order online. Gas or shipping add to the cost.

If I decide I want to brew today I can sit at my computer, work up a recipe in about 10 minutes, go to garage where my malts are and start the brew day. I also keep hops and yeast on hand at all times.

OP, I am not sure of the feed containers you are talking about but I would make sure you get something with a seal in it to limit humidity and open air conditions. The grain will last a long time in open air, but most likely a lot longer in a sealed container.

I plan my next 3-4 brews and place an order, always having ingredients on hand for at least one brew. Shipping is free, I have my stuff in 2 days.

 

[kh54s10]

I plan my next 3-4 brews and place an order, always having ingredients on hand for at least one brew. Shipping is free, I have my stuff in 2 days.

To each his own. I have enough space for grain storage. I have probably paid less than $100 for my storage containers. I have a Food Saver for the hops. I buy 4 ounce packages from Farmhouse Brewing supply, sometimes by the pound. They cost less than single ounce packages elsewhere. I freeze yeast so I can brew many times from a single purchase of liquid yeast. A quick estimate is that I have saved over $400 on the bulk grain alone. That may not mean much to you, but it does to me.

YMMV

 

[Braumeise]

IMO, saving a few dollars isn’t worth buying in bulk. Factor in the cost of storage containers and the space that they take up, not worth it to me. Grain is cheep, I’ll let my supplier store it.

It is also saving trips to drive all the way to the store - and I usually buy grains for 2-6 brews hence I am storing grain any way but milled grains and I am occupying one person with my recipe list for at least 45 minutes in the store.

Also the difference between recipe grains and bulk isn't "a few dollars" where I buy. For my brews only in 2019 it adds up to over $100.00 - 4 more brews and I have an awesome grain mill... plus I am not in the store for at least an hour.

While I perfectly understand where you are coming from (and I do that with fresh produce for example - I never buy in advance I buy what I want to cook on the spot before I cook it because the store is on my way home) I have so many areas in my life where ordering on the spot simply doesn't work (like feed and hay storage for instance just to name one).

Plus but that is jut me - I really like doing stuff from scratch (if I can) so I guess this step of milling my own grains was sort of overdue.

But now you have to plan ahead. Either make another trip to the LHBS or order online. Gas or shipping add to the cost.

If I decide I want to brew today I can sit at my computer, work up a recipe in about 10 minutes, go to garage where my malts are and start the brew day. I also keep hops and yeast on hand at all times.

OP, I am not sure of the feed containers you are talking about but I would make sure you get something with a seal in it to limit humidity and open air conditions. The grain will last a long time in open air, but most likely a lot longer in a sealed container.

That is exactly my thought. If I have to plan a trip to the store each time I want to brew I will not be able to brew on that day because half of my day is gone just getting to the store and usually it isn't easy for me to get there during the hours they are operating.

The liberty to have everything at hand when I have the time to brew would help me tremendously.

The lids of the feed bins I am looking into do seal air tight so I guess they should work.
I am settling on getting Pilsner base malt and a couple of 10 lb bags of specialty malts since I usually have Pilsner as a base.

+1 I buy a bag of base malt once a year to help my brew club get the minimum number of bags needed for a discount. I brew an average of once a month so it takes me almost a year to use 55lbs of any single grain. It's just not worth it for me.

For me it's not worth the few bucks I'd save in grain costs to buy the storage equipment, take up a bunch of space, and store large amounts.

I do own a mill though and I always mill my own grain for 2 reasons: I have control over the crush size which is important for consistent efficiency, and crushed grain starts to go stale immediately after crushing, so I always crush while my strike water is heating to maximize freshness.

The most efficient way to save money on your ingredients is to harvest and store yeast IMO.

Or if you brew IPA'S buy hops in bulk when there's a good sale and a vacuum sealer to seal them back up for maximum shelf life.

I keep 4-5lbs of hops on hand at any one time: magnum, hallertau, EKG, Cascade, and Citra or Simcoe. With that combo I rarely need to buy hops unless I'm brewing something special.

I do that Buy the hops I always need in bulk and harvest my yeast.
I used almost 70 pound of Pilsner malt in 2019 already (and I have milled grains containing 30 pound pilsner for my next brews store here already since my last trip to the store) hence I guess I'll go through a sack of Pilsner fairly fast

I plan my next 3-4 brews and place an order, always having ingredients on hand for at least one brew. Shipping is free, I have my stuff in 2 days.

I do that as well. But I don't get it shipped. I drive to the store.

 

[Braumeise]

To each his own. I have enough space for grain storage. I have probably paid less than $100 for my storage containers. I have a Food Saver for the hops. I buy 4 ounce packages from Farmhouse Brewing supply, sometimes by the pound. They cost less than single ounce packages elsewhere. I freeze yeast so I can brew many times from a single purchase of liquid yeast. A quick estimate is that I have saved over $400 on the bulk grain alone. That may not mean much to you, but it does to me.

YMMV

I gradually started harvesting yeast, buying hops in bulk after I figured out what I most likely use and what I like brewing. I bought everything according to recipe for years and if I was to add that up it would amount to a substantial number.

However I am totally cool with that since I needed the time to figure out what my personal "base" styles are and what I use most.

So I guess all good and it is time to get a tiny malt storage space now.

Thank you everybody for your thoughts and inspiration on this.
Mille grazie

 

[TheMadKing]

But now you have to plan ahead. Either make another trip to the LHBS or order online. Gas or shipping add to the cost.

If I decide I want to brew today I can sit at my computer, work up a recipe in about 10 minutes, go to garage where my malts are and start the brew day. I also keep hops and yeast on hand at all times.

OP, I am not sure of the feed containers you are talking about but I would make sure you get something with a seal in it to limit humidity and open air conditions. The grain will last a long time in open air, but most likely a lot longer in a sealed container.

Agreed, but I always plan ahead anyway since I make a yeast starter 4 days in advance.

Plus I just order online from my LHBS (an hour away) and it's delivered the next day. I pay $9 shipping.

Yes it's absolutely more expensive but it's far more convenient and I'm paying for the freshness of the grain since the stock at my LHBS turns over every couple months.

For me the fresher ingredients and convenience outweigh the added cost, which adds up to about $150 per year between shipping and increased grain cost. So I'm spending about the cost of 2.5 bags of weyermann Pilsen for someone else to store, portion, and deliver my fresher grain to my door.

 

[kh54s10]

The lids of the feed bins I am looking into do seal air tight so I guess they should work.
I am settling on getting Pilsner base malt and a couple of 10 lb bags of specialty malts since I usually have Pilsner as a base.

Be careful on what specialty malts you buy in 10 lb bags... For many of them a little goes a very long way.. For instance Black malt. An average recipe that uses it might only call for a few ounces.... And most recipes would not use it at all.

 

[mongoose33]

Everyone gets to decide what works best for their circumstances.

Nobody is wrong for making the choices they do. I personally see big advantages to buying in bulk, storing it myself, and crushing it just prior to brewing. I save money, there's a convenience factor, it works for me.

But that doesn't mean my values will resonate with others. Maybe money is tight and buying bulk grain and storage is more than the budget can stand. Maybe they feel a need to support the LHBS by purchasing there. Maybe the LHBS is very close and convenient. No mattter--everyone needs to pick the approach that works best for them.

 

[TheMadKing]

Everyone gets to decide what works best for their circumstances.

Nobody is wrong for making the choices they do. I personally see big advantages to buying in bulk, storing it myself, and crushing it just prior to brewing. I save money, there's a convenience factor, it works for me.

But that doesn't mean my values will resonate with others. Maybe money is tight and buying bulk grain and storage is more than the budget can stand. Maybe they feel a need to support the LHBS by purchasing there. Maybe the LHBS is very close and convenient. No mattter--everyone needs to pick the approach that works best for them.

Agreed, I wasn't meaning to imply one way is right or wrong, just trying to give the OP a good perspective on the pros and cons of the other side of the coin.

When I have more storage space and more neighbors to drink my beer so that I can brew more often, I will probably begin storing grain as well.

 

[Braumeise]

Be careful on what specialty malts you buy in 10 lb bags... For many of them a little goes a very long way.. For instance Black malt. An average recipe that uses it might only call for a few ounces.... And most recipes would not use it at all.

I am using acidulated often - also CaraMunich, CaraPils, Honey, Bisquit and Abbey malt
That is about it. Everything else I would get from my HBS in the quantity needed.
I guess if I get those in 5 and 10 pound bags according to my experience of how often I use them I should be fine.

Everyone gets to decide what works best for their circumstances.

Nobody is wrong for making the choices they do. I personally see big advantages to buying in bulk, storing it myself, and crushing it just prior to brewing. I save money, there's a convenience factor, it works for me.

But that doesn't mean my values will resonate with others. Maybe money is tight and buying bulk grain and storage is more than the budget can stand. Maybe they feel a need to support the LHBS by purchasing there. Maybe the LHBS is very close and convenient. No mattter--everyone needs to pick the approach that works best for them.

I absolutely want to support my HBS. They have been more than patient and helpful hence I don't mind paying a little bit more when buying from them instead of ordering online. But even they suggested last time it might be a great idea for me to get a mill and buy 55, 10 and 1 pound bulk from them instead of recipe grains.

 

[brewcat]

I really like my 60# vittles vaults. Wait until they are on sale! Nice to have 2-row and Golden Promise on hand. Still trying to figure storage for specialty grains. I'm eyeing some of their smaller buckets.