Grain Storage

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GSRman

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As i dont have a mill yet, and i dont brew *THAT* often i would love to hear some opinions on how long cracked grain keeps?

should it be in the fridge? freezer? or just a dark spot?
 
GSRman said:
As i dont have a mill yet, and i dont brew *THAT* often i would love to hear some opinions on how long cracked grain keeps?

should it be in the fridge? freezer? or just a dark spot?
I personally wouldn't put it in the fridge or freezer - moisture would play havoc with it in no time! Just a cool, dark place, in an air-tight container, would be perfect. Stored like this I can't see why it would not last a couple of months, although the differences would be noticable after a few weeks.

Cheers,
Pete

:chug:
 
moisture was actually the reason i thought of using the freezer.. eg, in a freezer the humidity is insanely low.. because all the moisture is frozen...

as long as you didn't unthaw it all to weigh some out, it would be fine i would have thought..
 
I must admit I hadn't though along those lines, as I keep thinking of the bread forming ice within the packaging in my freezer at home. You are right though, the moisture would likely only be a concern in the fridge. Try it out and let me know of the results.

Cheers,
Pete

:chug:
 
will do...

what should i look/smell/whatever for?
 
What type of grain?

I've been told that with grain such as crystal, black, chocolate etc that it will keep fine for a few months cracked as they dont have any enzymes to "go slack".

Base malts should be cracked as freshly as possible though.
 
GSRman said:
what should i look/smell/whatever for?
Mouldy, wet or earthy smells are the big ones to look out for. Mousiness, or that classic "wildlife" smell are also bad signs. Other than that, grain that turns sticky (obviously) or has any kind of growth, I would throw out as well. Basically, if it don't look right and it don't smell like grain any more, don't use it. I'm fairly certain you would pick out any of the signs as soon as you saw/smelled them at any rate.

Cheers,
Pete

:chug:
 
So I have just reeived some cracked pilsner malt which is in a sealed bag.

Where should I store it and how long? I thought the freezer would have been the best place at a guess but it seems this is wrong?

Thanx
 
Freezer does have the advantage that if there are any weevils or other grain chewers in the bag they will all die in the freezer.
I had a bag of birdseed that was infested with the little buggers, but, strangely, after a week in the freezer, they were all dead, and did not return...so it must have killed all larvae/eggs whatever the bastards have.


dreamboat
 
So your saying stick it in the freezer and it will last longer?
 
A possible issue with freezer storage could be condensation. Probably nothing that can't be managed with careful handling though.
 
Heat kills the enzymes in your cracked grain. I have no idea what freezing them will do. If freezing kills the enzymes, your grain is almost useless.

Keep your cracked grain in an airtight bag in the fridge, or somewhere cool and out of the light.

Once the grain is cracked, the enzymes start degrading, and you also have the problem of the oil in the grain oxidizing and going rancid.

Use the grain sooner rather than later, I think I have heard/read 4 weeks.
 
I went to Bunnings and picked up some 20L White plastic pails. 2 pails hold a whole exactly one sack of grain so they're airtight when you first store them. I also store the pails in the dark cellar at 18C all year round.
No probs - keep the grains away from moisture, air and warm temps and grains will be good for a long time - er, that's if you only brew occasionally!!
Cheers,
TL
 
PMyers said:
I must admit I hadn't though along those lines, as I keep thinking of the bread forming ice within the packaging in my freezer at home. You are right though, the moisture would likely only be a concern in the fridge. Try it out and let me know of the results.

Cheers,
Pete

:chug:
The moisture in the bread bag is actually from the bread itself. As long as the grain is dry, (ie kept in an environment of less than 20% RH) it sould be right to stick in the fridge.

GSRman is right, the humidity in a fridge is low because and the condensation on the evaporator is the moisture that was in the food/air inside the fridge. A suggestion would be to put the grain in an open bucket in the fridge for a day or so, to dry out and then bag / seal it for long term storage.
 
Hey Guys.

I've got just a standard garbage bin, that I genuienly cant remember what I brought it for, but anyway its just one of your standard jobs with the metal clips on the side making it airtight.

I am ordering a fair bit of grain for my partials at the moment and trying to order it in value lots from Gerard IE where discounts are applicable buying 4kg instead of the 1kg that I need for the brew I am planning.

Where this bins currently residing(Never had anything in it at all) would this be okay if kept in a cool place to store my cracked grain in, and what shelf life would you give it?
 
Hey Guys.

I've got just a standard garbage bin, that I genuienly cant remember what I brought it for, but anyway its just one of your standard jobs with the metal clips on the side making it airtight.

If it's just a plain old garbage bin I'd be surprised if it was airtight. Put the lid on and give it a sqeeze in the middle to see if you can hear air going in and out of it. I'd reckon you'd need something with a screw on lid and a rubber gasket to get a good airtight seal - something like a fermenter.
 
May not be a 100% airtight but it would be extremely close seals completely.

Plus the grain will be sealed in the bag that Northern districts delivers to me, I'll be tieing it up with a rubber band.
 
Quick question

How long should cracked grain be stored before use?

Cheers
 
I was browsing an American malt supplier's website a while ago and they sell malt by the silo load both whole and milled. iirc, they said milled grain would keep for 12 months on a commercial scale. ie, if the customer (a micro) did not use the cracked grain in 12 months, they would get a partial rebate on its return. I thought this flew in the face of everything I'd read and heard about cracked grain. Personally, I've had cracked base malts for over six months, in sealed plastic bags stacked in a plastic lidded tub (I doubt airtight) and had no issues with conversion, efficiency, flavour, etc.
 
Phew.

Thanks PostModern my plans to save a few $$$ almost came to a disastrous halt.

What temp would you recommend - room temp would be okay I presume?
 

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