# Grain Storage



## Wolfman (8/7/11)

Just needing some ideas on how you store your bulk grain. I am thinking of buying some grain in bulk say 100kg. Now as these won't be the same types of grain, and my 10kg buckets are all full.

How do you store your grains? Do you keep all the little critters out? What about moisture? How long should grain be kept before it goes "off"?

Cheers

Shan :beerbang:


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## lastdrinks (8/7/11)

I use the white plastic pails you can buy from bunnings or plastic container shops. They sell them from .5litre to 20 litre sizes. sturdy and seal very tight.


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## Malted (8/7/11)

Generally bulk bought grains come in 25kg sacks (or 22kg sacks sometimes?) unless you buy it by the tonne or in kg amounts from a store.
I have seen some folks store them in plastic rubbish bins (cheap round ones with a push on lid).
I use food grade butchers bins with lids; They are stackable and very robust.

25 kg of grain takes a fair volume and I reckon you need something sturdy to put it in. Some cheap plastic containers are just that; thin and brittle.

I have heard of a few bay leaves being put into each bin is a good bug deterent. Some folks even gas their grains with C02.


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## keifer33 (8/7/11)

Black Willow bin from bunnings for about $13 works a treat. Holds a 25kg sacks no problem.


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## Brad Churchill (8/7/11)

Hi Shan.

The best way to store grain is in air tight containers in a cool dark place. Moisture is probably your biggest enemy along with rodents.
Under the right conditions grain can keep for up to 5 years. I personally wouldn't get more grain than I would use in say 12 months because you dont know how old it is when you get it.

Cheers
Brad


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## argon (8/7/11)

i have the whit handi pails as available from bunnings... very sturdy, robust and airtight... not the cheapest at about $12 each but they work well. 2 buckets will hold 25kgs so a good size and stackable. 12.5kgs is not too bad to pick up, stack and move about as needed. 

Occasionally bunnings or others will have specials on bigger containers (60L black ones recently for less then $20 from memory), but for me bigger would be a bit unwieldly and take up too much floor space.

I then store my specialty grains in spent 3L juice bottle. Holds about 1.5kg each. Go through a bottle a week anyway so good reuse for me.


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## Darkman (8/7/11)

Do a search under plastic drums in ebay. There are a handful of 80 liter drums that once stored olives for export to australia (at lease the one's I bought were)so they are made of food grade plastic.


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## adryargument (8/7/11)

I've heard garbage bins work great.
I use some huge plastic things from ikea or similiar, each hold 2x25kg + some smalls on the side.

Possibly get 80KG in if you poured in your grain.


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## MattC (8/7/11)

I use the 52L starmaid clear or blue containers with lid which clicks on at either end (K-mart of Big W I think. I store the grains inside a plastic wheelie bin liner available from woolies. Fits 25kg of grain perfectly. I fit the plastic bag in the plastic tub then carefully pour in the grain, push the air out and spin the excess plastic and clip a clothes peg around it. Keeps very fresh. You really want to keep it away from the air particularly during humid periods, hence my double seal method. The bags are quite brittle and can split easy if you dig in hard with a cup or bowl to get the grain out so you may have to double up the bag. I use the same approach with my spec grains (3L Decor rectangle tub with the grain inside a large freezer bag sealed with a clothes peg).

Cheers


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## kieran (8/7/11)

Gavonised iron bins. You can get 50L ones. These are about the only things that Rats wont easily chew through. Rats go through wood, plastic, etc.

This was advice from my local council pest control. Mice and rats gravitate towards grain like flies to shit. And they have a great sense of smell!


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## altstart (8/7/11)

I had a large freezer that held a dozen cornies but it died on me put some wheels under it and turned it into a grain storage bin works very well.
Cheers Altstart :icon_chickcheers:


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## Wolfman (8/7/11)

Cheers for all the replies guys, keep em comming if you have any more.

Rodents are a big problem here with all the old drains and ally ways. As much as I try it is hard to keep the little bastards at bay. Have had a look on evilbay and there are quite alot of plastic ones around. With regards to the galvanized ones are they air tight?


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## razz (8/7/11)

kieran said:


> Gavonised iron bins. You can get 50L ones. These are about the only things that Rats wont easily chew through. Rats go through wood, plastic, etc.
> 
> This was advice from my local council pest control. Mice and rats gravitate towards grain like flies to shit. And they have a great sense of smell!


Amen to metal containers kieran. I got a large steel bin on castors from a local fabricator that makes them up as horse feed bins. The only thing that would keep the rats out. I lost 7-8 plastic lids of my 20 lt pails to rats, they chew straight through them. Plenty of poison around the garage helps as well.


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## mmmyummybeer (8/7/11)

I normally had kept my grain inside with not a problem but this year with the increase in mice numbers I ended up having to throw grain out because a mouse had nibbled a hole in a bag, luckily it was a smaller bag but annoying just the same :angry: . 
Solution we managed to get hold of an old no longer working freezer, removed the motor to lighten it then laid it on its back. Obviously gave it a super clean and it now holds my grain with no chance of mice getting it :beerbang: . I am also thinking of adding some silica gel crystal sachets in there to ensure moisture is always kept to a minimum. I also now dispose of the spent grains in the bin rather than using them for garden compost as I had been previously been doing as that can attrack the mice and rats.


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## jbumpstead (8/7/11)

keifer33 said:


> Black Willow bin from bunnings for about $13 works a treat. Holds a 25kg sacks no problem.



+1 . Keeps it cool, dark, dry. Keep the grain inside the sack inside the bin.


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## tavas (8/7/11)

I use these. Go for the 42 litre one and it holds 25kgs of grain no problems. Has wheels and is stackable.


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## kieran (8/7/11)

shan0066 said:


> Rodents are a big problem here with all the old drains and ally ways. As much as I try it is hard to keep the little bastards at bay. Have had a look on evilbay and there are quite alot of plastic ones around. With regards to the galvanized ones are they air tight?



They aren't air tight. I have whole sacks, and I either zip-seal, or use those crazy tight thick bands that come inside the grain sacks.. so they're basically air tight anyway. If you want the best of both, put an airtight container inside a metal bin/storage system. As long as the outer skin is metal, you should be good.

I can't stress it enough, use a metal one if you have the odd rodent likely to travel past.. because if they catch a whiff of that oh-so-sweet grain, you'll be screwed if they set their radar on you. 

Mice & rats love grain! 







razz said:


> Amen to metal containers kieran. I got a large steel bin on castors from a local fabricator that makes them up as horse feed bins. The only thing that would keep the rats out. I lost 7-8 plastic lids of my 20 lt pails to rats, they chew straight through them. Plenty of poison around the garage helps as well.



Yeah, I just have one bin that looks like:




(jeez, has anyone lately done a google image search with the term "bin"?)

And I can cram 2x25kg bags, and all my other odds and sods of grain, into one of them. I also bait the garage to keep the bastards out, Talon Wax blocks are good, also the green pellet bait stations are good (with them, if you see green shit, they're dead or will be soon). I've had mice, and rats. Its a freakin curse being next to a national park!
But I'm onto it now, and I haven't had a problem in over 6 months, and my grain is all good.


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## adniels3n (8/7/11)

We have bulk grain in transit & I plan on keeping it sealed in white plastic buckets inside these


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## kieran (8/7/11)

That's the ticket


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## punkin (9/7/11)

Seems funny that no-one seems to worry about weevils.

They are a big problem for me as most of my grain is feed grade. Really good seals help and can stave off weevil damage, but the bastards eventually get in anywhere.


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## brando (9/7/11)

punkin said:


> Seems funny that no-one seems to worry about weevils.
> 
> They are a big problem for me as most of my grain is feed grade. Really good seals help and can stave off weevil damage, but the bastards eventually get in anywhere.



If your storage container is air-tight, perhaps the wevils or their eggs were in the grain beforehand. Your might need to fumigate somehow (e.g. CO2, phosphine, Methyl Bromide, etc).


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## wynnum1 (9/7/11)

Put in 2L plastic drink bottles or 3 L fruit juice just sterilize and dry first .


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## NickB (9/7/11)

Dead 500L chest freezer for me. When I open a bag and use some grain, the remainder stays in the bag and I seal with a cable tie. Specialty grains in 5L 'airtight' containers, although they may not actually be that airtight... 

Cheers


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## punkin (10/7/11)

brando said:


> If your storage container is air-tight, perhaps the wevils or their eggs were in the grain beforehand. Your might need to fumigate somehow (e.g. CO2, phosphine, Methyl Bromide, etc).




Yes that's correct. Grain has weevils already in it. Was at one of the big names from here's store the other day and he showed me the poison canisters he uses to keep weevils from multiplying in the bulk grain. I just was suprised that people were only considering rodents.
I got a few mice, but the bugs are my biggest problem.


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## 1975sandman (10/7/11)

This may be a silly question.............

But does humidity affect grain in storage to some degree? Living here in the NT, we do get some humidity (for a few months  )

Cheers


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## QldKev (10/7/11)

lazy brew said:


> This may be a silly question.............
> 
> But does humidity affect grain in storage to some degree? Living here in the NT, we do get some humidity (for a few months  )
> 
> Cheers



Yep, humidity is bad news. Just keep the grain air tight and all should be ok. We don't get as bad down here in Bundy as you do, but I've never had an issue yet. I store my grain in the original bag with plastic ties, or in the hadi pals. And my spec malt in food storage containers. 


With weevils, I know in feed grain the eggs are an issue, but I though that would not be such an issue as our grain has been malted and basically cooked. 

QldKev


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## peaky (10/7/11)

My grain stays in the original sack and gets chucked in the corner of the spare room. Haven't had any issues so far. It's probably too cold for rodents and weevils down here in Vic anyway......


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## Logman (10/7/11)

Good excuse to buy some Fresh Wort Kits IMO. I had about 8 empty (15 ltr kits) and got about 40KG of grain last week, it went into about 6 of them. 

You might get a sack in 2 20ltr kits, would be close.


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## Effect (10/7/11)

keifer33 said:


> Black Willow bin from bunnings for about $13 works a treat. Holds a 25kg sacks no problem.



+1

I have about 8 or 9 of these. Worked really well when I had rat problems. I had some grain sitting in the sacks they came in and during last winter the rats ripped through them with ease. I then doubled the amount of bins I had and put all the grain inside of those. The rats still tried to get into the bins, as I could see their scratch marks...however, they didn't even break into one.

Cheers


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## Dazza88 (21/5/12)

Just found 2 holes in two bags of grain. 

Would people still use the grain or chuck? Dependent on how much got eaten?


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## hoppy2B (21/5/12)

DazDog said:


> Just found 2 holes in two bags of grain.
> 
> Would people still use the grain or chuck? Dependent on how much got eaten?




People wouldn't. Zombies might.


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## Dazza88 (21/5/12)

Thanks for your informative response hoppy? 

What i meant have others tried to salvage the sections of the bag that are not directly near the hole. E.g.the hole in one bag is near the bottom, would you use try to salvage the the grain at the top or not?


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## Midnight Brew (21/5/12)

Id make the hole bigger and remove a fistful or grain around the hole. DONT just put the removed grain anywhere as they will find it. Best wrap up in a bag and place deep in the bin.

The rest should be fine, as you mash it then boil it. Leave a few traps around and see how many you can catch to also prevent it from happening again. Also if you can get your hands on those thick massive bins they are awesome for storing grain. A rat may be able to chew through it but I mice wont, especially when you've set traps for them.


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## Dazza88 (21/5/12)

Thanks mate. 

Got a black willow bin. 


Just saw the fecker poking his head out behind some furniture!

Time to get the cat.


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## Yob (22/5/12)

hoppy2B said:


> People wouldn't. Zombies might.



It seems to me that you have learned very little in the last 10 months hoppy, still spitting out random shit that just has no logic, as midnightbrew points out, the grain is still mashed and boiled, why the hell would you bin the lot? Your refusal to understand things and regurgitate senseless shit is reminiscent of dear old Speedie.. May he rest in obscurity..

Set some baits (out of the way of children or friendly animals) this can quickly get numbers back under control. The thicker amd more secure your containers are the better off you will be. I was fortunate enough to score some very sweet containers and id be surprised if anything got into em, the one bag of grain that ive got that doesnt squeeze into the containers is in a steel cabinet.

Yob


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## Dazza88 (22/5/12)

Thx yob, 

All grain in containers. 1 willow black bin and various other rectangle ones. 

Baits when i visit green shed this arvo. 

Wearing some type of dust mask and blending grain outside when i use this stuff. Its the handling/ingesting of mouse poo before the boiling i am worried about (probably paranoia there). 

Mainly pissed off about the 4kg rice bag of new wey pils it got into but it really smashed the big bag of bb ale (8g left maybe chewed through 1 kg) the night before. The main bag of pils and maris are untouched. May salvage a bit of bb ale and chuck the bottom half that is left. 

Severe talking to cat when i see it next. Bad kitty.


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## pk.sax (22/5/12)

> Severe talking to cat when i see it next. Bad kitty.


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## CONNOR BREWARE (22/5/12)

practicalfool said:


>


Gold


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## sponge (22/5/12)

Bunnings often have large (50L?) clear/white rectangular plastic storage containers for <$10.

Fit a sack perfectly in them and stack up nicely to limit space.

Ive got 6 or 7 of them which I use for base malts and a few larger amounts of specs.

For small amounts of spec malts I use plastic buckets with tight fitting lids that used to hold donut icing/fondant as I could get them for free from working at one a while ago.

The place still sells them cleaned with lids for $2 so might be worth asking around anyways. I often see similar things in the fruit market/deli near my house which would also work quite nicely


Sponge


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## seemax (22/5/12)

Ikea black containers, $10 including airtight lid .. can also get clips
Strong enough to hold a sack of grain

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products...6322/#/60206324


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## spog (22/5/12)

i use 60 litre wheelie bins from " cheap as chips" a cheapo shop they cost $12.00 ,fits a 25kg bag of grain perfectly.
i havnt had any troubles with mice (yet) or weevils, but to get around the moisture problem i put a packet of silica beads (those little bags that come in electrical appliance boxes to absorb any moisture) into a piece of stocking and tape it to the under side or the lid
works a treat.....cheers....spog.......


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## srcossens (22/5/12)

hoppy2B said:


> .......Doubtless you have happily brewed with urine soaked grain.....



I can safely say that we would have all brewed with urine soaked grain from mice, probably birds as well. There is an old story, from the 90's about the owners of Guinness who went to check on the various malting houses that they owned. They were at Warminster maltings when they opened the door to the malting room and there was a cat sitting there on the grain with half a mouse!! :icon_drunk: 

I keep my grain in 2 x 110lt old olive/pickled onion/gherkin drums. They seal great and only cost $12. I have seen places where you can get them for free, but they were too far away for me.


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## punkin (23/5/12)

sponge said:


> Bunnings often have large (50L?) clear/white rectangular plastic storage containers for <$10.
> 
> Fit a sack perfectly in them and stack up nicely to limit space.
> 
> ...




Got a pic of these please mate?


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## QldKev (23/5/12)

I used the large clear plastic boxes for grain storage for a year or so. The ones I had could just fit a full bag of grain in them. All now have gone to plastic heaven, as after the year one by one started cracking and falling apart. 

I'm now using a large old chest freezer to store the grain bags in. Not turned on, and the drain hole left open with a bit of flywire over it. 


QldKev


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## altstart (23/5/12)

ScottC said:


> I can safely say that we would have all brewed with urine soaked grain from mice, probably birds as well. There is an old story, from the 90's about the owners of Guinness who went to check on the various malting houses that they owned. They were at Warminster maltings when they opened the door to the malting room and there was a cat sitting there on the grain with half a mouse!! :icon_drunk:
> 
> I keep my grain in 2 x 110lt old olive/pickled onion/gherkin drums. They seal great and only cost $12. I have seen places where you can get them for free, but they were too far away for me.



In 2000 I was called to a house in Brisbane to fix a car. The guy who called me had a dozen of these 200ltr ex pickle barrels at the back of his house filled with water as a precaution against the dreaded Millenium Bug. He stated that he did not know how to dispose of them now they were no longer needed I offered to take 6 of them even though it meant another trip back to his place as I could only fit 3 in my van. Over the years I have used them as a fermenter, rotary composter, grain storage, and made liquid manure in one. All in all these are very handy to have around.
Cheers Altstart


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## sponge (23/5/12)

punkin said:


> Got a pic of these please mate?



Wasn't sure which you were asking for so thought I'd post them both up

(pics taken from google, not from personal stash)







for the 5/10L fondant buckets from the donut shop






For the bunnings storage containers. They have small wheels on them which make them pretty convenient to move, along with being able to stack them.

And yes, I'm aware the picture is of a 35L one, but pretty sure the 50/60L ones fit a sack perfectly :icon_cheers: 


Sponge


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## dago001 (23/5/12)

I use the small wheelie bins for base malts. Holds a 25 kg bag. Cost about $14.00 from the cheapo shop. I used to use the clear plastic 50 litre jobs, with wheels. When you start stacking them on top of each other with 25kg of grain, the lids eventually break. They also get brittle over time.
With my spec grains, I vac seal them in different size bags, from say 500g through to 5kg depending on the grain. Crystal malts in smaller sizes and base type malts in larger sizes. With the larger bags, as I use some, I can then reseal the bags. 
Cheers
LagerBomb


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## Wolfman (23/5/12)

I went down the path of the olive bins. They are great. Air tight and rodent free now for almost 12 months, touch wood. Great to see so many differant ideas on grain storage.


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## Dazza88 (23/5/12)

Everything in suitable containers now. Got traps set and the cat had a good sniff of another mouse invaded food item found un another cupboard.


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## hoppy2B (23/5/12)

ScottC said:


> I can safely say that we would have all brewed with urine soaked grain from mice, probably birds as well. There is an old story, from the 90's about the owners of Guinness who went to check on the various malting houses that they owned. They were at Warminster maltings when they opened the door to the malting room and there was a cat sitting there on the grain with half a mouse!! :icon_drunk:
> 
> I keep my grain in 2 x 110lt old olive/pickled onion/gherkin drums. They seal great and only cost $12. I have seen places where you can get them for free, but they were too far away for me.




I use the 200 litre ex pickle drums for my grain storage. Straight into the drum off the harvester. I have never suffered insect damage to a single drum of grain, even after several years of storage.

I wonder what a Health Inspector would say if he walked into a craft brewery and saw mouse damaged bags of malt lying around. 
Would a craft brewer be confident to inform patrons to his premises that the malt bags were chewed on by mice but not to worry because we threw away a fist full of grain around where the bag was chewed ?
That said, I've heard stories about how in England when they're making cider, all sorts ot things end up in the crusher like rats and mice etc. Apparently it makes for a better brew because the little critters add protein for the yeast. :icon_vomit:


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## Midnight Brew (23/5/12)

hoppy2B said:


> Would a craft brewer be confident to inform patrons to his premises that the malt bags were chewed on by mice but not to worry because we threw away a fist full of grain around where the bag was chewed ?



On a homebrew scale it makes bugger all of a difference as you are talking about 150g tops of grain. I'm not sacrificing a whole sack of grain to the beer gods because of a little mouse that ate 0.0001% of the contents. Do you know of anything accosiated with mice that can survive a 60-90 mash then a 60-90 minute boil?


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## punkin (24/5/12)

Thanks sponge, it was the bunnings ones i was interested in. I have a hundred of those fondant/cheesecakeshop/maggigravy buckets mostly with a stack of 1-1/4" holes in em for growing gourmet mushrooms.

The bunnings ones sounded interesting, but unfortunately they wouldn't be robust enough for the likes of a punkinheaded ogre.
Also i have many many moths from my other hobbies, some involving feedstock grains that require me to store grain airtight. These wouldn't last 10 mins without fluttery invasion.

ATM i use a combination of olive drums and really neat 40l chlorine buckets. Just a pity that i can't get the chlorine buckets anymore as they hold a full sack of grain and stack nicely while being mothproof :unsure: 

Bloody OH&S has them in 10l buckets now in case someone strains a heart muscle.


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## seemax (24/5/12)

Midnight Brew said:


> On a homebrew scale it makes bugger all of a difference as you are talking about 150g tops of grain. I'm not sacrificing a whole sack of grain to the beer gods because of a little mouse that ate 0.0001% of the contents. Do you know of anything accosiated with mice that can survive a 60-90 mash then a 60-90 minute boil?



A new strain of nasty bug called Noi Chillus Botulism !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Midnight Brew (24/5/12)

seemax said:


> A new strain of nasty bug called Noi Chillus Botulism !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




I'm doomed!! I no chill


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## spog (24/5/12)

LB, you said you did use the stackable 50l boxes? on wheels but the lids break.
this is why as you do now use the small wheelie bins,i reckon they are the best for me as i can wheel them out of the storage area,take what i need then wheel them out of the way without having to lift and shove boxes about the shed....cheers.....spog......


LagerBomb said:


> I use the small wheelie bins for base malts. Holds a 25 kg bag. Cost about $14.00 from the cheapo shop. I used to use the clear plastic 50 litre jobs, with wheels. When you start stacking them on top of each other with 25kg of grain, the lids eventually break. They also get brittle over time.
> With my spec grains, I vac seal them in different size bags, from say 500g through to 5kg depending on the grain. Crystal malts in smaller sizes and base type malts in larger sizes. With the larger bags, as I use some, I can then reseal the bags.
> Cheers
> LagerBomb


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## jackmarshall77 (11/6/18)

I went with the handy pail. At bunnikins. 2 of the 20 litre buckets hold 25 kg of grain neatly and are easy to handle. Also very good bottling buckets or small batch fermenters. Beware many of the square tubs on wheels are deliberately not airtight, especially if they are big enough to put a small child in. They have little ribs under the lip of the lid which hold it up a bit so that no one suffocates. For reference a 25kg sack of grain is just under 40 litres when poured in loose. I would estimate that the same buckets would hold around 7-8 kg milled for those of us who do it a few days in advance - so would suit most batches.


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## Amber (12/6/18)

I use an old green plastic army trunk. It seals up perfectly. Due to a reno it is actually outside right now but no problems with moisture or critters.


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## PTG (12/6/18)

Your responding to a 6 year old thread


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## scomet (12/6/18)

PTG said:


> responding to a 6 year old


still a good read/thread but; these old threads seem to pop up?? the forum must be getting a bit jaded…

ps, knocked over a 5kg pail of milled grain, swept it up and called it ‘Hairs of the Dogs Bitter’ tasted gr8 :-}


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## Dilligaf (13/5/19)

so 2 of these should do the trick for 25 kg you would think...
https://www.bunnings.com.au/handy-storage-35l-all-purpose-storage-barrel_p2583956


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## labels (13/5/19)

... In the meantime, people throw their old fermenters out. WTF!


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## trb990 (13/5/19)

Dilligaf said:


> so 2 of these should do the trick for 25 kg you would think...
> https://www.bunnings.com.au/handy-storage-35l-all-purpose-storage-barrel_p2583956
> 
> View attachment 115684



Yep with room to spare, I picked up some a few weeks ago and they are great.


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## malt and barley blues (14/5/19)

Dilligaf said:


> so 2 of these should do the trick for 25 kg you would think...
> https://www.bunnings.com.au/handy-storage-35l-all-purpose-storage-barrel_p2583956
> 
> View attachment 115684


I got a couple of those when they were on special about $14 if I remember.


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## reddog (16/5/19)

malt and barley blues said:


> I got a couple of those when they were on special about $14 if I remember.


Are they stackable?


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## trb990 (16/5/19)

reddog said:


> Are they stackable?


Sure are. I've got 4 stacked up with no issues.


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## beer gut (16/5/19)

I bought one of these yesterday and just squeezed about 19.6kg into it after one brew from a 25kg bag


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## blekk (17/5/19)

Too lazy to read through all the replies but I use a 60L food grade drum with sealing ring like this. Heaps on gumtree I think I paid about $25


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## Barry (18/5/19)

I keep my sacks of grain in a Rhino galvanised tool box, about $99 from Bunnings. Up to four 25 kg bags, more partially full bags, put mash tuns etc on top. Rodent proof and fairly space friendly.


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