Old Grain

[Emian]

I have a recipe that was milled 3 months ago. Can I still brew OK with it, or does something happen to the grain if it's not used right away?

Ian

 

[cweston]

I have a recipe that was milled 3 months ago. Can I still brew OK with it, or does something happen to the grain if it's not used right away?

Under what conditions has it been stored for those three months? In a seal container in the freezer? If so, it should be OK. If not, I'd be wary.

I buy pre-milled grains (a mill is my next big purchase, but it may be a while). They go straight to the freezer if I'm not going to be brewing that week. I try to use them within about 6 weeks and they always seem fine.

 

[Emian]

They've just been at 70F in a cupboard.

Ian

 

[david_42]

If the milled grain was at room temperature, a month is about the practical limit. Take a bit and give it a good chew (several minutes). If there are no stale or racid flavors and it slowly sweetens (enzymes in saliva break down starches) as you chew, it's ok.

 

[Mikey]

There's no practical experience been presented to date to show that precrushed grains 'goes off' after a certain time period.

You've got nothing to lose by brewing with it, go ahead and tell us how it works out.

 

[budbo]

It will become obvious they have issues if your mash comes out with really low OG or smells like someone vomited in the tun

 

[RichBrewer]

There's no practical experience been presented to date to show that precrushed grains 'goes off' after a certain time period.

You've got nothing to lose by brewing with it, go ahead and tell us how it works out.

Nothing to loose except a batch of beer.
Are you talking about a few pounds of specialty grains or enough for an AG batch? If it is just a few pounds I would toss them and get fresh grains. IF it's an AG batch I guess you could try brewing with them and see what comes out.

 

[sonvolt]

Don't worry about it - brew with it, unless there is obvious spoilage or mold issues. You will notice that your efficiency will be substantially low, so you may want to adjust in terms of you hop balance.

I usually buy 50 lbs of milled grain and brew within 3-4 months. The only issues I have are low efficiency numbers with the final two brews. For these brews, I always try to make a hoppy APA or IPA so that I can use a bunch of hops. This way, even if my malt profile is not where it should be, the hops come through in a way appropriate for the style.

That being said, a mill is the way to go (I have come to realize), and it will be one of my next purchase as well.