Old Malt

[Alemaker]

How old is too old to brew with? I have some Hugh Baird that's about 3 years old now. Will this taste old? Could I get by with making stouts and porters with it?

 

[mmb]

How old is too old to brew with? I have some Hugh Baird that's about 3 years old now. Will this taste old? Could I get by with making stouts and porters with it?

I wouldn't. Grain prices are still pretty cheap and I'd rather not risk making "bad" beer to use up old stock. Three years is a long time for grain.

How was it stored? How does it taste, smell, and look? Pre-crushed or whole?

 

[Alemaker]

I wouldn't. Grain prices are still pretty cheap and I'd rather not risk making "bad" beer to use up old stock. Three years is a long time for grain.

How was it stored? How does it taste, smell, and look? Pre-crushed or whole?

It's been stored in the original bag, twisted and tied off. It's whole. I haven't even looked at it yet to see. It may be infested with bugs for all I know.

 

[mmb]

It's been stored in the original bag, twisted and tied off. It's whole. I haven't even looked at it yet to see. It may be infested with bugs for all I know.

Well, you could always make a lambic....

I'd label it a casualty of sobriety and move on.

 

[Desert_Sky]

if it's been kept dry and bug free give it a shot.

Take a look at it. Is it starting to shrivel up or is it still round and plump?

 

[Teacher]

Taste it. It should taste like a healthy breakfast cereal. If it tastes like cardboard or nothing at all, it's a goner. If it tastes like bugs, well, you know....

 

[Alemaker]

OK. I'll do all the "sensory evaluation" stuff when I get home tonight.

 

[Alemaker]

The smell was OK, and there were no bugs, but it's not as plump as I remember it, and the taste was not there. It's been so long I may need some fresh malt to compare it to, but I do remember the flavor being better and more pronounced. It's about a 1/3 of a full sack, so it's not that bad I guess. I will just have to buy more. I'm trying to get back into brewing after a long time off.