# How Long Can You Store Milled Grain?



## boriskane (2/11/10)

hey brewers,

i was looking to buy a 25kg bag but dont have a mill. 

are there any disadvantages to storing milled grain for an extended period of time? 

or how long does milled grain 'keep' for?

thanks,
boris


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## Phoney (2/11/10)

Yes, it goes stale after a while. I try to use mine within 6 weeks.


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## ekul (2/11/10)

Maybe you could get some cubes and cube a whole heap before it went stale?


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## dkaos (2/11/10)

boris kane said:


> hey brewers,
> 
> i was looking to buy a 25kg bag but dont have a mill.
> 
> ...


Hey boris,
Are you doing BIAB or 3V? If doing BIAB, you can buy a coffee grinder to mill the grain to almost flour as it doesn't matter. Check out Nick JD's thread about Stovetop Lager to get some insight.

Cheers

Clint


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## boriskane (2/11/10)

ekul said:


> Maybe you could get some cubes and cube a whole heap before it went stale?



yeah i might look into that, cheers, and i could use it for no chill as well in the future




Clints Gadgets said:


> Hey boris,
> Are you doing BIAB or 3V? If doing BIAB, you can buy a coffee grinder to mill the grain to almost flour as it doesn't matter. Check out Nick JD's thread about Stovetop Lager to get some insight.



yeah doing biab. ah great yeah i used a coffee grinder for some crystal because i read it from that thread. only issue is its going to be one long grinding session for base malt amounts. but probably cheaper than getting a cube, not to mention i dont think the lhbs will appreciate having to grind 25kg worth all too much


cheers for the tips


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## proudscum (2/11/10)

if you are going to buy a coffee grinder to mill the grain why not just buy a mill for close to the same price.here is a link that is up to date with all the info i have gathered on price etc.
they are very nice people to deal with.means if you go into bulk grain buys you will pay the mill off in the saving s you make on the grain.


"http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=48762"


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## Nick JD (2/11/10)

proudscum said:


> if you are going to buy a coffee grinder to mill the grain why not just buy a mill for close to the same price.here is a link that is up to date with all the info i have gathered on price etc.
> they are very nice people to deal with.means if you go into bulk grain buys you will pay the mill off in the saving s you make on the grain.
> 
> 
> "http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=48762"



$200 for a coffee grinder? Mine was $20 - it's ground up over 100kg of grain, still going strong. I can do 1kg in 3 minutes and that's not hurrying, although I don't get the workout like those hand-cranked ones which is sad for my puny arms.


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## felten (2/11/10)

Crankandstein's cheapest mill is $76, shipping is probably around $40-50, that is fairly cheap. You should upgrade nick!


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## Nick JD (2/11/10)

felten said:


> You should upgrade nick!



I don't want to lose efficiency or have to crank the thing. 

And nothing, I mean nothing will come close to my new router-powered grinder.Design specs have 2kg of grain powdered in about ten seconds. 

Now I need to make that sound Tim the Toolman makes.

Crushing grain is all well and good if you suffer from stuck sparges. I don't; I want finly milled.


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## proudscum (2/11/10)

Nick JD said:


> $200 for a coffee grinder? Mine was $20 - it's ground up over 100kg of grain, still going strong. I can do 1kg in 3 minutes and that's not hurrying, although I don't get the workout like those hand-cranked ones which is sad for my puny arms.




Sorry nick like my beer i like well ground coffee so my grinder cost more than the expresso machine i own and i make better coffee than the Barista who charges me $3.70 a cup using a $4500 machine.Its all down to the grind and the ingredients really.


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## husky (2/11/10)

How long would you keep un milled grain for?


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## pk.sax (2/11/10)

more importantly, how long has somebody's airtight stored malt lasted? I'm guessing stored in a big cube or plastic box with airtight lid.


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## Fourstar (2/11/10)

practicalfool said:


> more importantly, how long has somebody's airtight stored malt lasted? I'm guessing stored in a big cube or plastic box with airtight lid.



low humidity and consistant moderate to low temps (below 25) and i have grain under the stairs that close to 12 months old and no signs of going slack as of yet. infact my ingenious way of storing it is to roll up the top of the bag and stash them all away in a corner. no fancy tubs for them. The only grain i have in tubs is ones i have out on display in the kitchen, purely for aesthetics and safe storage away from pests and avoid it from going slack from the humid kitchen air, typically in summer.

:icon_cheers:


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## Nick JD (3/11/10)

Fourstar said:


> low humidity and consistant moderate to low temps (below 25) and i have grain under the stairs that close to 12 months old and no signs of going slack as of yet. infact my ingenious way of storing it is to roll up the top of the bag and stash them all away in a corner. no fancy tubs for them. The only grain i have in tubs is ones i have out on display in the kitchen, purely for aesthetics and safe storage away from pests and avoid it from going slack from the humid kitchen air, typically in summer.
> 
> :icon_cheers:



Could milled grain be frozen for longterm storage?


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## Fourstar (3/11/10)

Nick JD said:


> Could milled grain be frozen for longterm storage?



I have no idea, i wouldnt atempt it for the cost of grain to freezer space taken up. If anything i'd vac pack it. Also, plastics are permeable so moisture *will *get in eventually, especially in a frost free fridge.


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## pk.sax (3/11/10)

I know I know I know! Put it all in glass carboys 

^ was a joke. Dunno abt malt itself but we used to have a steel grain drum (mini silo) to store wheat (back when the parents decided they wanted to get their own grain milled for making bread) and I recall that we got delivery of grain every year and no real problems with year long storage at room temps. This was back in India, so higher humidity, more extreme temps and pest problems which we used to use some poison tablets in drum for (grain washed and air dried before milling, the chemical gave off fumes).

I don't know how malted grain storage differs from unmalted grain but sounds like you have no probs at all 4*


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