Storing grains

[Huck-E-bear]

anyone know a good way to store cracked grains for a week or more... or am i just screwed

 

[wildwest450]

If possible put them in a ziplock bag (if their not sealed) and put them in the fridge, they'll be fine.


_

 

[Huck-E-bear]

thanks. do you know how long you can keep them in there?

 

[passedpawn]

sealed in a bag (garbage bag, etc). Don't overthink this.

 

[Huck-E-bear]

im not over thinking. just never know unless you ask.

 

[brehuh]

Milled grain is good for about 2 weeks. Zip top bags are good or home depot buckets for storage.

 

[brehuh]

Personally I have used 6 month old milled grain (it was vacuum sealed) and the beer turned out great. It says 2 weeks in how to brew.

 

[osagedr]

If you happen to have a vaccuum sealer they would stay good for a ridiculously long time. I've stored cracked grains in the freezer and it seems to work well.

 

[Calder]

Keep them dry and sealed from bugs and they will be OK for 6 months ...... OK maybe up to a year.

For freshness use as soon as possible, but don't fret it. Just like flour, it's best fresh, but it's still OK to use 6 months or more after opening. Flour is just milled grain after all.

 

[iron_city_ap]

I'm fortunate enough to have a fridge dedicated to beer, and mixers. I keep any grains I have in the freezer. I've had stuff in there for close to a month with 0 issues. I'm sure they would keep MUCH longer. A fridge would probably work just fine too, especially since you are talking 2 weeks.

 

[wildwest450]

Keep them dry and sealed from bugs and they will be OK for 6 months ...... OK maybe up to a year.

Fine if you want "ok" beer. Who wants to spend 5-6 hours brewing an all grain batch with potentially stale grains?


_

 

[joeldp144]

If you're talking about one week, then you're fine. Doesn't really matter where you put it as long as it is sealed in a bag, but the fridge or freezer would be best. I have brewed with 6 month old grain before (specialty grain at relatively small quantities), and there were no issues with the flavor. Of course, I double bag all of mine to try and maintain some freshness.

One of my best beers that I have made to date (a vanilla porter) was made with 6 month old grain, and it got rave reviews. How long do you think your supplier has had the grains anyway??? Probably not fresh from the oven the day you got it anyway.

 

[Huck-E-bear]

thanks everyone for the help!!