I think there were bugs in my malt.

[Todes]

Hello, today As I Was cleaning my mash tun I noticed these little things. I believe they came from The cristal malt. Here are some pics of them. How Bad is it?

 

[jmcquesten]

How old was the cry malt? How was it stored? They could be bol weevels (sp?). Those bugs (larve) are said to be in all grain, but if you keep it stored airtight and cool and dark, it helps prevent them from hatching. I don't know that I would drink a beer made with bugs, but I'm sure plenty people will tell you it's fine and come up with clever names for it, but it's bug juice.

 

[lari]

theres bugs, feces, all sorts of things in your food all the time. a few bugs in a beer that has been boiled and fermented is nothing to worry.

 

[RedlegEd]

theres bugs, feces, all sorts of things in your food all the time. a few bugs in a beer that has been boiled and fermented in nothing to worry.

+1 ^^^ this! RDWHAHB! A little extra protein in your beer won't hurt anything. I would, however, double check the rest of your grain/storage area(s) just to make sure the infestation hasn't spread. If you haven't already done so, take that one container outside and clean the snot out of it. Here's a good article that explains what they are and how to get rid of them.Ed

 

[shortyz]

for the cost id rather not brew something with alot of bugs in it, grain isnt the cleanest thing so a few weird bugs show up. I always say, if you feel this might effect a brew then toss it. reason being is, if the brew is terrible you will automatically blame that.

 

[jtratcliff]

When this turns out to be the best brew you've ever made, you're gonna be putting bugs in all your malt from now on...

 

[r4dyce]

I've heard the white powder on sticks of gum is to help hide bug parts. The red dye that used to be on pistachios all the time was also to cover up bugs in the pods. I don't really have a point, just saying, lol

 

[imasickboy]

Use whirlfloc in the boil to help drop those extra "proteins" out.

No worries for this beer, but do check your storage area for a bug problem.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Well, it's not nice to think about, but after you boil this wort for an hour nothing untoward that was introduced by the little bugs is going to survive. Let's face it any processed food you buy has an allowable amount of bug parts and crap in it.

 

[IchLiebeBier]

It could be worse. My wife was once drinking hot chocolate and remarked she must not have mixed it up well enough, because it was crunchy. Yep, bugs in the hot chocolate package.

 

[Mothman]

It could be worse. My wife was once drinking hot chocolate and remarked she must not have mixed it up well enough, because it was crunchy. Yep, bugs in the hot chocolate package.

Hahahaha same thing happened to me once as a kid.

Made hot chocolate for my mom and I, and mom commented on the floaters. I said it's just chocolate bits and drank up.

Mom just watched, didn't drink a drop of hers.

I then looked closer and realized they were, in fact, little bugs. My mom laughed at me... A lot. Hahah

 

[Puddlethumper]

Hello, today As I Was cleaning my mash tun I noticed these little things. I believe they came from The cristal malt. Here are some pics of them. How Bad is it?

Your pictures don't get enough detail but you're most likely dealing with sawtooth grain beetle, confused flour beetle or another similar stored food insect. That's the bad news. The good news is that boiling your wort not only kills every stage of insect development but also completely sterilizes the stuff you are eventually going to drink.

Your problem now rests in how to keep these insects from infecting the rest of your stored grain products. There are several steps that you may find helpful. 1) Keep all grains separated in sealed containers. Insects can't move from one sealed container to another. 2) Freeze anything you suspect or know is infested. Freezing at 0 degrees F for 10 days kills all stages of stored food pests, 3) Inspect and discard. If you have stored grains that you can see are infested then discard them right away, 4) Store all grains in cool and sealed environments. Insects are cold blooded and their development is extremely temperature dependent. Keeping storage temperatures below 60F retards their growth and prolongs the shelf life of your stored grains. (Ever notice that grocery stores are always cool?)

As any grain miller will tell you the key to preventing stored insect problems is sanitation. I buy my base malts in 55# bags and store them in steel trash cans. I always inspect the cans very carefully when I get down to the bottom. If there is ever any doubt I thoroughly clean the container before dumping in a fresh sack of malt. My milling bucket is used in cleanup after every brewing session so it is always thoroughly cleaned. My mill is cleaned regularly and I never allow milled grain dust to set between brewing sessions. As a result I have never had a stored grain pest problem.

I also happen to have been involved in the pest control business for well over 40 years and own and operate a pest control company. We spend a lot of time, money and energy educating our customers so they can make good decisions about control of pests in their homes and businesses. Please keep the thread going if I can be of any further help in this. I do wish you well.

Cheers!