# When Is Malt To Old To Use?



## balldale (16/4/10)

Does any one know generally when malt is too old to use? I have some which is about 18 months and I am tossing up whether to toss it.

And what adverse affects can/does 'old' malt have on your beer?


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## razz (16/4/10)

have malt that is about the same drum. I keep it in plastic storage bins. Haven't had any problems yet. Have you tried to chew some and see what the flavour is like?


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## Pennywise (16/4/10)

Dry or liquid? Liquid malt darkens as it ages, not sure if it goes stale but I reckon if it was past it's use by date you might get some twang from the tin. Dry malt you shouldn't have a issues, I buy 20kg bags of the stuff because it keeps so well when stored cool & dry (as above I keep it in plastic storage tubs), all I'd suggest is that you boil it for a few mis to sanitise it (if it's dry).


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## balldale (16/4/10)

No I haven't razz, but as a fairly new person to all grain brewing I am getting some off flavours and I am trying to eliminate/determine where they are coming from. As a I live in Albury I don't have access to a lot of experienced brewers who could probably tell me what the issue is straight away, so thought I would post the quesion.


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## argon (16/4/10)

drum said:


> Does any one know generally when malt is too old to use? I have some which is about 18 months and I am tossing up whether to toss it.
> 
> And what adverse affects can/does 'old' malt have on your beer?



umm.... Can you just clarify... Liquid malt, dry malt or malted grain? I assume you're not on about chocolate malt 

edit: well beaten


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## balldale (16/4/10)

Its all grain, no liquid.


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## Pennywise (16/4/10)

Sorry thought you were talkin bout extracts, +1 to having a chomp on some


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## daemon (16/4/10)

Like others have said, have a chew of a bit and see what it tastes like. It'll also tell you if there's excess moisture, it should be still nice and dry to be any good.

I've got some grain here that's 18 months old and that's exactly what I did to test it. The grain seems fine, no excess moisture and still a lovely malty taste.


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## tallie (18/4/10)

The thing you might find with old grain is a drop in efficiency. This is not necessarily a function of the age, but the absorbed moisture.

Eg, 1kg fresh, dry grain contains more extraction potential than 1kg grain that has absorbed moisture, because part of the weight of the latter is made up of the absorbed moisture.

If the grain has been stored in an container with a moisture barrier and/or has been stored under low relative humidity conditions, then it might not be a problem.

Cheers,
Kris.


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## BjornJ (18/4/10)

not having a grain mill, I usually just buy the crushed grain per recipe.
Having a look at full bag prizes it is so much cheaper that I consider buying a whole bag.
But will it be ok to store it for say 3-4 months in air-tight plastic containers?

thanks

Bjorn


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## Steve (18/4/10)

BjornJ said:


> But will it be ok to store it for say 3-4 months in air-tight plastic containers?



yup


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## RdeVjun (18/4/10)

BjornJ said:


> not having a grain mill, I usually just buy the crushed grain per recipe.
> Having a look at full bag prizes it is so much cheaper that I consider buying a whole bag.
> But will it be ok to store it for say 3-4 months in air-tight plastic containers?


Absolutely Bjorn, bags of unmilled malt come with a plastic liner, so you can exclude most of the moisture (and insects) anyway. Some brewers will store them in air- tight drums too, I don't though and have had no trouble at all with spoilage in the time it takes me to finish it (about three months). Transferring it to other containers is another step, probably unnecessary IMO but if it works for you...
Otherwise, with milled grain, some folks report that it degrades within days of milling (IIRC, one reported it spoilt overnight!) others not so, I'm inclined to think it should keep for weeks if not months in a sealed container. One of the AHB sponsors sells milled malt in sealed plastic bags, pretty sure they'd divvy it up to your heart's content too, so keep that in mind.
Have to say though, bulk grain prices are fantastic for saving a quid, particularly if you are able to get into a bulk buy in your area, whereas a Marga Mill* (<$140 + freight) should sort most home brewers out who are looking to save a few clams, I'm well- pleased with mine now I've worked out how to adjust it (search for "Marga Mill" & modify). Won't take long to pay for the mill at bulk grain rates!
* No affiliation.


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## tallie (18/4/10)

RdeVjun said:


> Some brewers will store them in air- tight drums too, I don't though and have had no trouble at all with spoilage in the time it takes me to finish it (about three months). Transferring it to other containers is another step, probably unnecessary IMO but if it works for you...



I transfer to air-tight plastic drums, as I store my grain in an area that is accessible by the local wildlife. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I can't imagine it would be difficult for the critters to get through the bags!

Cheers,
Kris.


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## RdeVjun (18/4/10)

tallie said:


> I transfer to air-tight plastic drums, as I store my grain in an area that is accessible by the local wildlife. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I can't imagine it would be difficult for the critters to get through the bags!
> 
> Cheers,
> Kris.


Fair call Kris, I have a handful of mean- fed cats, they keep most of the rodents at bay!


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## TerritoryBrew (18/4/10)

tallie said:


> I can't imagine it would be difficult for the critters to get through the bags!



:icon_offtopic: Sort of...

Storage is key. I went away last year for two months overseas. Came back, looked at my grain and found that bush rats had chewed through the plastic boxes (the ones you get from Supercheap) and then through the bag. Ate most of it and then shat inside it also. 

Put the dog in there for an hour - No more rat problem.


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## haysie (18/4/10)

TerritoryBrew said:


> :icon_offtopic: Sort of...
> 
> Storage is key. I went away last year for two months overseas. Came back, looked at my grain and found that bush rats had chewed through the plastic boxes (the ones you get from Supercheap) and then through the bag. Ate most of it and then shat inside it also.
> 
> Put the dog in there for an hour - No more rat problem.




Must have been some dog! to beat up those plastic tub, grain eating critters from hell by the sounds of it. Like a good hunter you picked the shit :lol:


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## BjornJ (18/4/10)

thanks guys


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