Should I freeze or refrigerate my grains?

[Demaskee]

I just bought my second extract batch from a local HBS. It's an English Brown Ale (MMMMM Hopefully).

Anyhow, I'm not planning to brew it for about 2 weeks (first batch is still in the primary), should I refrigerate or freeze the grains in the meantime? They are loose in a ziplock bag right now.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

 

[andhou27]

They should be fine, nothing to worry about. Just keep them sealed.

Happy New Year!

 

[Calder]

If you have the space, put them in the fridge, sealed so they don't get any moisture. But it is not necessary.

I keep mine (about 100 lbs) in sealed containers in my basement with no issues

 

[rorypayne]

I have used grains that sat in storage for over 2 years that were in plastic bags and zip tied closed and had 78% efficiency. Just keep all moisture out and you will be fine.

 

[DocScott]

I agree that 2 weeks will be fine if sealed and away from moisture. If they are crushed already, I would throw them in the freezer as crushed grains will "go bad" much faster than unmilled. At 2 weeks though, no worries either way.

 

[Demaskee]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to wait two weeks to brew this up. Especially now that my first batch has stopped bubbling the airlock.

 

[NBBC13]

I bought some really nice sealable coolers from Target - 3 of them, that I keep about 70-75 lbs of grains in. Works really well. Keep them in my basement and never had a problem.