Malt storage - square, stackable, food safe, not Vittles/cost

[Gadjobrinus]

I know this has been gone over ad nauseum, but I have gone through the forum and have not come up with an answer. I hope this is specific enough to warrant its own thread.

So, a very demanding query.

I will be storing in our basement, 55F as an average, with a dehumidifier. I don't know airtight is needed so much as pest control via the lids, though we seem to be pretty lucky in this way. Nevertheless, will need something that prevents pest opportunities.

I buy base malts (maris, almost exclusively) in 55 pound bags. Generally, specialty malts in 10 pound increments.

I'd prefer not to use buckets, and I can't give a great reason. I know I don't want to pay fermentor prices for storage needs (in our case, I think it's $12 or $13 per, IIRC). If I were to go with buckets, or round containers, I'd like not to split up my bulk 2-row so would be looking at something around 12 gallons; 5 gallons maybe for the specialties, though I've heard that can be tight.

I don't want to spend for specialty needs for something like the Vittle series.

I'd love to find a stackable series of square/rectangular storage containers, that are positively known to be food safe. I haven't gone to HD to check the bottoms, which I know is my bad, but even there, I'm a bit skeptical, to be honest. Probably shouldn't be.

At any rate, any recommendation for square or rectangular food safe containers with tight and secure lids, that don't cost an arm and a leg? (Right now, and it's just a start, I have 8 specialties and 1 bulk). In the alternative, 3 gallon buckets with lids (I don't know if I care about gamma storage), and preferably one, 12 gallon or so bucket with lid.

Thanks.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I keep my base grains in their original bags in a pair of these 32 gallon trash bins. I can keep 100 pounds of base on hand and still have room between the two for all my specialty grains.

Totally mouse proof (and we've had an epic mouse season this winter ) and easy to move around when necessary.

Specialty grains are kept in the bags I weighed them into at my lhbs, with everything L<50 collected into a big ass Ziplock bag and put in one of the bins, and all the darker grains put in the other...

Cheers!

 

[Passito]

My LHBS uses 18 gallon rubbermaid containers.

 

[philly224]

I use a large cooler. Probably not cost efficient but I had an extra i wasn't using

 

[mj1angier]

I got some like this used off craigs list for $15:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079SJ135Z/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Thanks guys, some food for thought. One thing that I've always shied away from is dyed HDPE, even if it is, well, HDPE, concerned about long-term leaching (OK, truth moment - I couldn't care less at this point what I take in, but I care very deeply about what I serve to trusting friends, you know? I know we all do, just wanted to mention, I guess....). Is this just irrational?

Trippr, a very cool solution. I think I'd like to have things out and in separate containers, but that is a solution I've never seen before, very clever. I should mention my "mill room" is in the basement as well, and I intend to weigh and mill everything downstairs - bins will more or less be permanently in place.

 

[greyghost]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DJOOI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I use these work well. They are on sale every once and awhile. I paid $17 for mine.

 

[mj1angier]

With the blue barrels is use, I keep the grain in a plastic bag inside the barrel. The ones I have came from a pharmaceutical company and they get the items shipped to them the same way- in bags in the barrels

 

[Gadjobrinus]

With the blue barrels is use, I keep the grain in a plastic bag inside the barrel. The ones I have came from a pharmaceutical company and they get the items shipped to them the same way- in bags in the barrels

Gotcha. OK, thanks.

 

[shelly_belly]

Petsmart and chewy.com both have the 50# vittle vaults for $21. I see people sell them used for that price, so take care of them and you can get your money back down the road.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Petsmart and chewy.com both have the 50# vittle vaults for $21. I see people sell them used for that price, so take care of them and you can get your money back down the road.

That's funny, shelly belly, I added to the cart and completely spaced I'd been there already....lol. I had a 60# on there. For bulk, at $27, that might be a great solution. Not sure on the smaller amounts (roughly same price as an ail pail), but probably overthinking this.

I don't know where I got this, but saw a rough concordance: 5# malt-1 gallon container (makes sense, without testing it, as I hear a lot of people say two 5 gallon buckets work for a 50# bag, but not quite a 55# bag). Looking at the vittle 15# container, as an example, I'm coming up with a 6 gallon container (1404 c.i.). Anyone speak to this? Is this 5#/1 gallon volume about right?

I'm only asking all this because I know myself. I will very easily add to my current Fawcett M.O. base malt some Golden Promise, 2 or 3 makes of M.O., Chevalier if I could ever get it, dark and light munich, vienna, and pilsner. May seem like hyperbole....but I know myself, lol.

 

[shelly_belly]

Here's a claim of getting 55# in 2 buckets.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...35-pounder-anyone-use-it.636565/#post-8110958

 

[MaxStout]

For smaller amounts of specialty grains, I have several of these 1 gallon plastic food storage jars. Enough room to hold around 4 lbs. grain.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

I discovered something last night, thought I'd mention it - We have a number of containers leftover from our old restaurant, most if not all from Camro. The clear, hard plastics are all No. 7, which I never knew. Yet they have the fork and knife symbol on them as well. My point being, at least insofar as what I've been reading on the web would seem to indicate, is No. 7 is to be avoided (as are no. 3 & 6). I suspect these clear camros came out before there was a broad concern with BPA's? (These would be 2000-2004ish).

Thank you for your help, everyone. Because I have this weird thing about wanting my bulk malt in one bin, I'm going to either go for a large vittles, or a large Brute tote (20 gallon). They're both right around $20. For the 5# and 10# increments, I'll likely go with HD pails. Or heck, the True Value down the street has pails at $4ish with a (standard) lid, No. 2. I called the company and they confirmed they're food safe though again there is this question of how the plastic is "stripped" from the mold. I plan to keep the smaller increments in their plastic anyway.

If anyone has a screaming idea I'm missing for these smaller amounts, still ears! Otherwise, thanks everyone.