Tainted grain? help me decide

[HBC]

Well, the unmentionable happened. I thought keeping my bag of Maris Otter over winter in a rubbermaid tote would keep out the critters. When I went to make a batch a few weeks ago, I opened the 'sealed' lid, to find a mouse hole in the poly bag, and a few cups of cracked barley & dust. I had about 32lbs of grain..

Today, I bought 5-gallon buckets which probably holds about 20lbs. I transferred the untouched grain until I got to the cracked grain and flour which obviously was due to the mouse. I stopped there, and decided to post.

Now, I will be the first to say that I KNOW that my grain (and all of ya'lls) has probably been touched by a few thousand mice over its short life as it sits on the malting floor. And I suppose I realize that any bacteria those critters left with their spit will be boiled and killed. We are talking 12lbs of grain that has hulls & dust intermixed in that precious little grain!

Therefore, would you just use it and name it as a special Mickey Mouse Beer? Or toss the loss?

 

[novahokie09]

I really wouldn't worry about it. I'd be more worried about the grain's age resulting in a dull malt aroma/flavor rather than the Mickey Mouse beer.

 

[HBC]

I really wouldn't worry about it. I'd be more worried about the grain's age resulting in a dull malt aroma/flavor rather than the Mickey Mouse beer.

Yeah.. I bought new grain this week for a batch that I wanted to be sure I was on flavor with... I assume it will have a dull(er) flavor.. but my guess is that being 4-months since I purchased-- the flavor is probably not going to be drastic. I will report on that too.. could be a myth to bust/or could be spot on.

 

[Cyclman]

I think you're fine on all counts. Malted grain has a good shelf life if kept dry.

 

[novahokie09]

I think you're fine on all counts. Malted grain has a good shelf life if kept dry.

This statement needs to be clarified.

Yes, malted grain (assuming self-converting malts here) will have enough diastatic power to convert starches to sugars for up to/over 2 years. However, you shouldn't confuse enzyme activity with grain freshness. Two year old malt will convert, but it will not have a strong malt aroma/flavor.

 

[cjgenever]

Stored cool and dry it's good for a year. This was reported on brew strong by bries. I trust bries

Op...
It's gonna be boiled for an hour. Throw the whole damn mouse in there if you want to!

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[novahokie09]

Once again, ability to convert and grain freshness are separate items.

One year old grain will not taste as fresh as 1 month old grain. With that said, it'll be fine. Throw the damn mouse in.

 

[cjgenever]

Agreed. I was only saying that proper storage will keep the grain fresher longer. if I had one year old grain I probably use it in a recipe with a lot of specialty grains or dark roasts just to be safe

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