LD Carlson Grain?

[Arrheinous]

One of the LHBS stores is offering 25% off grain tomorrow but their business model is selling pre-packaged bags of grain from LD Carlson in 1# and 50# increments. It's all in the sealed plastic bags rather than burlap/cloth. I'm not entirely sure it's any different than what the other LHBS keeps in its bins.

It's all labeled as Breiss, Dingemans, Muntons, etc. but just looks odd.

What's the word on LD Carlson grains/malts in the plastic bags?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I don't have an answer, but your username rocks

 

[Teacher]

Those are the specialy grains that I buy, and I've always found them to be good quality.

 

[Arrheinous]

I don't have an answer, but your username rocks

Ha, thank you!

Those are the specialy grains that I buy, and I've always found them to be good quality.

Cool, I guess it looks like I'm good to go on grain.

 

[amandabab]

LD carlson moves a lot of grain. A very large portion of grain not labeled LD Carson has been through some part of their distributor system.

there are only 2 major wholesalers to the homebrew trade in the US, Fermemtap and LD Carson.

 

[LKABrewer]

LD carlson moves a lot of grain. A very large portion of grain not labeled LD Carson has been through some part of their distributor system.

there are only 2 major wholesalers to the homebrew trade in the US, Fermemtap and LD Carson.

Don't forget BSG group, formerly Crosby & Baker.

 

[Arrheinous]

But I guess my main concern is if the stuff in the plastic bags that sit at LHBS any fresh?

 

[brewkinger]

I wondered the same thing. There is a local business that has some beer stuff (I would hesitate to call it a HBS)
They have 1# and 5# bags of in crushed grains and DME that I am pretty sure have not moved in the 3 yrs I have been going.
Clear plastic bags, exposed to light, etc...
I was talking to the owner (who brewed long ago and knows very little) and he told me they were good forever. That pretty much alerted me to his knowledge base.
I politely told him he was mistaken and offered to take the grains off his hands for next to nothing and he could use the shelf space for something that would actually produce revenue.
Still waiting on his response as he said he would think about it.
To prove my point, I wrote my initials on 11 bags of grain and I plan on going back in a month to see how many of them are still there.
So back to the OP, how long are these bags of in uncrushed grains good for?
Seems like the going concensus on HBT is that a couple of years?

 

[afr0byte]

I wondered the same thing. There is a local business that has some beer stuff (I would hesitate to call it a HBS)
They have 1# and 5# bags of in crushed grains and DME that I am pretty sure have not moved in the 3 yrs I have been going.
Clear plastic bags, exposed to light, etc...
I was talking to the owner (who brewed long ago and knows very little) and he told me they were good forever. That pretty much alerted me to his knowledge base.
I politely told him he was mistaken and offered to take the grains off his hands for next to nothing and he could use the shelf space for something that would actually produce revenue.
Still waiting on his response as he said he would think about it.
To prove my point, I wrote my initials on 11 bags of grain and I plan on going back in a month to see how many of them are still there.
So back to the OP, how long are these bags of in uncrushed grains good for?
Seems like the going concensus on HBT is that a couple of years?

Where are we talking about? I only know of places in So Ro, Plainfield, and Winooski (though there are probably others)?

 

[brewkinger]

I know about the one in winooski, think the one in Plainfield closed and I am not sure where So Ro is ?
I am talking about Derby. Like I said, I would hesitate to call it HBS.
More like grain/feed store that happens to have minimal beer stuff.
I once bought some notty from them and only when I got home did I notice it was 4 yrs old.
Little to no movement of their beer stuff.
My master plan is to garner interest in brewing in this area and set up a shop.
Real brewer friendly and cost effective.
Phase #1 is getting people interested. Where you at afro??

 

[afr0byte]

I know about the one in winooski, think the one in Plainfield closed and I am not sure where So Ro is ?
I am talking about Derby. Like I said, I would hesitate to call it HBS.
More like grain/feed store that happens to have minimal beer stuff.
I once bought some notty from them and only when I got home did I notice it was 4 yrs old.
Little to no movement of their beer stuff.
My master plan is to garner interest in brewing in this area and set up a shop.
Real brewer friendly and cost effective.
Phase #1 is getting people interested. Where you at afro??

I'm in Randolph. The South Royalton Coop is the place I was talking about in So Ro (South Royalton).

 

[argyle]

They have 1# and 5# bags of in crushed grains and DME that I am pretty sure have not moved in the 3 yrs I have been going.
Clear plastic bags, exposed to light, etc...
I was talking to the owner (who brewed long ago and knows very little) and he told me they were good forever. That pretty much alerted me to his knowledge base.
I politely told him he was mistaken and offered to take the grains off his hands for next to nothing and he could use the shelf space for something that would actually produce revenue.
Still waiting on his response as he said he would think about it.

Brewkinger-- Just curious because I found this a little peculiar.

You seem to have the idea that the grain is in less than prime condition, to say the least, after such a long time sitting on the shelf, but you still want to buy it from the store albeit at "next to nothing."

Why do you want to buy it if you are sure it is not in good condition? Do you plan to brew with it? Surely, you don't want to buy it so the guy can generate profit by using "the shelf space for something that would actually produce revenue." Unless you actually care that much about his business.

I am not being accusatory in anyway. I just thought why would you purchase a product that is no longer viable.

 

[brewkinger]

I'm curious why you are so curious.
Of course I would brew with it.

That is about as far OT that I am wiling to go.

OP asked about viability of old LD Carlson grains and I added albeit with a small elaboration of a similar situation.

 

[argyle]

Brewkinger-- thanks for answering my off topic question. Just a simple bout of curiosity.


To address the OP-- I've had no problem with any product from L.D. Carlson. Others may have had a bad experience with their products, but I've always found them to be quality. I addition, I've used grain that had been ground and sat in a plastic bag and kept in a cupboard for over a year. I was satisfied with the quality of the beer I've made from it.

Some might legitimately question the use of old grain, and surely the longer a food product sits unused, the more likely it is to become stale. However, I think ground grain is pretty resilient to spoilage as long as it is kept in a bag in a dry place.