Old Grain?

[jma99]

I'm about ready to start up brewing again after a two year hiatus.
I have about 40lbs of 2 row pale malt that has been stored in a airtight dog food container. This malt is now 2 years old!

Ok to use, or should I feed the deer?

 

[birvine]

I don't have the answer, but if it were me... I'd brew a mini-batch of say one gallon and see how it turns out. Then you'll KNOW.

B

 

[BigEd]

Taste it. If the flavor is good and it still has good texture use it.

 

[FightingBob]

I don't have the answer, but if it were me... I'd brew a mini-batch of say one gallon and see how it turns out. Then you'll KNOW.

B

+1 on the small test batch.

Test batches are so useful for everything from testing a new recipe to figuring out what is wrong with your process; and even if your ingredients are still good.

I did this with some old hops once, I'm glad I didn't brew a full batch!

 

[Mparsons327]

I agree with tasting it. I have brewed with stale grains and couldn't tell the difference honestly.

 

[shutupjojo]

I think I would buy a pound of fresh grain and compare the taste and texture but no bugs or stale flavor it's gotta be fine.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

If the grain it's self smells and or tastes like cardboard that's a bad sign. It is quite likely okay if it's unmilled, but a test batch is always a good idea.
You can just do a really small stove top mash big enough for a starter. You'll likely be able to tell if it's okay before fermenting.

Even if it is bad you can still mash it and use it for starters.

And as someone suggested, it would be good to compare it to some newer malt.

 

[jma99]

I pulled out the two year old malt and tasted some.

Tastes great! nutty and a bit sweet, not stale at all.

I have stored this un-milled malt in this container for the past two years:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=13025238

Works pretty well!

 

[Rogsterman]

I had a 55 lb bag of milled 2 row that was in a hot garage for about a year and brewed 4 batches with it (5 gallon each). The only thing I lost was mash efficiency (60%), so I just added more grain than usual in the mash to get my OG up to par. No off flavors and the grain didn't spoil. You could say I lost 5 gallons of beer, but I was able to salvage the grains.

 

[cockybitz]

They only harvest grain once a year. Seed that is YEARS old will still germinate just fine. Especially if it is unmilled, use it. If it has already been milled...... well, use it.

 

[pjj2ba]

They only harvest grain once a year. Seed that is YEARS old will still germinate just fine. Especially if it is unmilled, use it. If it has already been milled...... well, use it.

This is true, but they make malt year-round. When the malting is finished, that is when the clock really starts clicking, not when the grain is harvested. Many of the enzymes we take advantage of in mashing are not present in freshly harvested grain, and only appear once the germination process has started.

I've finally gotten about to the end of some grains I bought over two years ago. They still make great beer (even won awards). However, I have some new malt, and the beers I've made with those is even better. Freshness of malt is not as important as freshness of hops, but it does make a difference. I have no problem using 2 year old malt, (don't like to waste it) however, I much prefer fresh malt.

 

[cockybitz]

Placebo effect, I say. Realistically, what in the grain is going to break down? I'm talking microscale. What in that kernel is really deteriorating and how? What we consider is oxidation that causes decline in quality, but that is nil in this instance. Enzymes, though organic in nature, are not living and are not subject to decline, and even if they did their only purpose is to break apart the starches in the grain. Molecularly, oxidation to a kernel is irrelevant because once the enzymes do their work it results in an entirely new product.

 

[pjj2ba]

Placebo effect, I say. Realistically, what in the grain is going to break down? I'm talking microscale. What in that kernel is really deteriorating and how? What we consider is oxidation that causes decline in quality, but that is nil in this instance. Enzymes, though organic in nature, are not living and are not subject to decline, and even if they did their only purpose is to break apart the starches in the grain. Molecularly, oxidation to a kernel is irrelevant because once the enzymes do their work it results in an entirely new product.

Probably the biggest factor is the oils in the germ going rancid due to oxidation. This is going to be fairly easy to detect with a taste test. The rancid flavors are not lost with brewing. As an example, freezer burned food (oxidized) still tastes freezer burned when cooked.

Enzymes are most certainly subject do decline!!!! The amino acids in the proteins can easily be oxidized resulting in the loss of enzyme activity - particularly the methionines. I used to study a plant (and animal) enzyme that in living cell repairs oxidized methiniones back to the unoxidized state thus restoring enzyme activity. In fact it is theorized that the presence of a bunch of methionines in some proteins may in fact be "sacrificial lambs" in order to prevent the most critical reaction center from being oxidized resulting in permanent loss of function. This is the last ditch protection if some kind of oxidant actually does make it through the gauntlet of other anti oxidants and makes it to a protein where it could do damage.

We are quite fortunate that the enzymes are fairly stable, but they do lose activity. I've been doing a multi-year experiment and have seen a clear decline in conversion rates as the malt ages (over 2 fold losses). This will not have a big flavor impact, it just takes longer. It is the oxidation of things other than starch that are the problem