What to do with grain leftovers?

[STL]

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new at this hobby (I'm at my 5th batch, all-grainer from the beginning) and I was wondering what you guys do with the milled grains you don't get to use (I don't have a miller).
I brew once a month (about 20L per batch) and the vendors sell only round quantities (1 kg, 5 kg, 25 kg) so I usually end up with small portions of unused malts (right now I have 0,5 kg of Pale Ale, 0,2 kg of Chocolate, 0,1 kg of Black, etc).

(I'm from Argentina, pardon my metrics)

I'm considering the following options:

1) Making single-variety mini mashes and freezing the pre-boiled extract, so I can add it directly to the boiler in a future batch (mainly for specialty malts).

2) Making a multi-variety mash and freezing the pre-boiled extract to use as a starter for yeast (low fermentables malts won't be very useful for this).

3) Store them as-is in the freezer, in an air tight bag.

4) Throw them away.

I'm particularly interested in the first option (maybe using something like a small scale BIAB?).

What do you think?

 

[brownni5]

I wouldn't get too fancy, and in fact I'd just plan a brew for the leftovers. Nothing wrong with a Franken- brew.

Whatever you do, don't give into your urge to go for option #4! There are fermentable sugars to be released locked away in those grains!

A bit more pale and it looks like you've got the makings of a porter there.

 

[Rev2010]

I store mine in the refrigerator, not the freezer. When I rebrew some of my beers I'll often realize I still have enough of a grain that I don't need to order another pound or so. Been doing this for years.


Rev.

 

[wmubronco]

Friends have 'em or you? Make some tasty dog treats.

 

[MaxStout]

Make a 1 gallon batch! We have a whole thread devoted to those.

 

[kevin58]

I dump it in the woods where the deer eat it. This fall I will (hopefully) take a deer and then I will eat venison that fed on the spent grain while drinking a homebrew that was made with that grain.

 

[Rev2010]

I dump it in the woods where the deer eat it. This fall I will (hopefully) take a deer and then I will eat venison that fed on the spent grain while drinking a homebrew that was made with that grain.

He was asking what to do with small excess amounts of grain, not spent grain ;-)


Rev.

 

[RM-MN]

Are you sure you need to brew the recipe exactly as it is written? Sometimes the beer may turn out better if you simply use all the grains instead of saving that little bit that wasn't in the recipe. For instance, a recipe that calls for 4.8KG and you got 5KG, just use it all. If the amount is off by a lot, then save it for future batches that might need it or parcel it out over several batches.

 

[catdaddy66]

Are you sure you need to brew the recipe exactly as it is written? Sometimes the beer may turn out better if you simply use all the grains instead of saving that little bit that wasn't in the recipe. For instance, a recipe that calls for 4.8KG and you got 5KG, just use it all. If the amount is off by a lot, then save it for future batches that might need it or parcel it out over several batches.

I will round up to even amounts, generally a quarter pound is my preferred minutes with grain measurements. I kind of chuckle when I see things like '3.8 grams/ounces' in a recipe. I like a bigger beer so I will increase to an easy number.

 

[Soulshine2]

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new at this hobby (I'm at my 5th batch, all-grainer from the beginning) and I was wondering what you guys do with the milled grains you don't get to use (I don't have a miller).
I brew once a month (about 20L per batch) and the vendors sell only round quantities (1 kg, 5 kg, 25 kg) so I usually end up with small portions of unused malts (right now I have 0,5 kg of Pale Ale, 0,2 kg of Chocolate, 0,1 kg of Black, etc).

(I'm from Argentina, pardon my metrics)

I'm considering the following options:

1) Making single-variety mini mashes and freezing the pre-boiled extract, so I can add it directly to the boiler in a future batch (mainly for specialty malts).

2) Making a multi-variety mash and freezing the pre-boiled extract to use as a starter for yeast (low fermentables malts won't be very useful for this).

3) Store them as-is in the freezer, in an air tight bag.

4) Throw them away.

I'm particularly interested in the first option (maybe using something like a small scale BIAB?).

What do you think?

leftovers, like grains I didnt mash with? Save them of course. Seal the bag it came in , you can use a curling iron if your wife doesnt find out ...
If youre talking about spent grains youve already mashed with, theres really no nutritional value left after mashing so I throw those over the fence. I might start composting with them since the local wildlife I intended it for doesnt seem interested .
Got 4 batches still in undisturbed piles...

 

[kevin58]

He was asking what to do with small excess amounts of grain, not spent grain ;-)


Rev.

Well, phhht... if you're actually going to read more than the thread title then yeah.

 

[OpenSights]

I second the Frankenbeer! Keep them in the fridge ‘till you have enough to make a batch. Take notes on what you use, you might make a really good new type of beer that you want to brew again.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I would get a few air tight containers or mason jars and store them at room temp. You will find a need for them down the road. Specialty grains usually are roasted or some other way heated and usually dont carry the weevels that can sometimes be in base grains. If they are base grains i would just round up the recipe and brew them. Or you can get the 5 gallon food safe buckets with gamma lids.

 

[Sadu]

Keep them in zip lock plastic bags and keep those in a bucket or container with a lid (to keep mice away). They will keep a long time like this. At some point you'll look at your ingredient stash and find the inspiration for something.
We made a smoked porter recently with 14 different grains, just to use up the stash. My friend liked it so much he went out and ordered those 14 ingredients again so he could do a re-brew.

 

[Home_alone1]

I put them in plastic bags and label them , then put the bags in a plastic bucket with a lid for storage

 

[Bilsch]

I make pressure canned starter wort with extra grain.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I use Brewer's friend and track my inventory there. Generally I can get really close to what I want, but BF tracks my inventory so it knows when I have stuff for a recipe.

I haven't done a frankenbrew yet, but maybe some day. Generally I find ways to incorporate leftovers into my recipes, but I also don't use a lot of strange malts. Other than base malts, I don't have much other than acidulated malt, an assortment of crystal, some carapils and munich.

When I've brewed stouts and porters, I've been able to get the dark malts in amounts close enough to what I need to not have leftovers just by rounding up a bit. I figure the difference between 1% and 1.3% won't be a big deal. I usually design my recipes to use amounts that are relatively "even".

 

[BongoYodeler]

I put them in labeled vacuum sealed bags and toss them in the freezer. I brew in one gallon and five gallon batches so when I get enough I'll brew a one gallon test batch. I haven't yet, but I should inventory them and input into Beersmith so I don't always have to open the freezer door to see what's in there.