How Long And Whats Best?

[nickel]

I know fresh is always best, but just wanting some info on storing cracked grain when having too is it better freezing, fridging? Is there a use by date when cracked?

 

[newguy]

I once bought 25kg of cracked 2 row but it didn't sit for long. I think I used it all within 2-3 months with no issues. It should be fine for several months if kept dry. Keep it in an airtight container if you can, and beyond that just keep it dry. Malt doesn't mind temperature extremes but getting it moist is very bad.

 

[Fantoman]

The biggest problem with cracked malt is staling - I have kept cracked malt for up to around a month with no problem, but it was in vacuum sealed bags, so minimal oxygen and moisture exposure.

 

[Greg Lawrence]

And here I was a bit concerned that I have had grain cracked for 2 weeks. It was supposed to be for a brew last weekend, bit I ran out of time.
I suppose fresh is best, but how long before it does start to go down hill?

 

[gjhansford]

I had a problem with stored grain ... the rats (a single rat?) got into the packet ... cracked it all by himself ... left nothing but the husk ... so now it's all in sealed plastic buckets from Bunnings. The resident cat is on notice :beerbang: . Bottom line ... vermins are the problem ... not time!

 

[Tony]

I have used this before.......

I compare grain to bread.

Leave it un sliced, protected by its crust and it will last a week
Slice it up and keep it stored in a bag free from air..... it will last a few days, but not as long as a Whole loaf.
Slice it up and leave it sitting around on the bench exposed to air...... its got about 12 hrs...... max

LEave it sitting on the bench for a couple days...... you can still make a sandwhich with it..... but it wont be as good as if its freshly sliced from the whole loaf thats sat there for a couple days.

And then you have Enzyme degridation to deal with.

I say fresh is best. I feel bad about cracking it the night before and prefer to crack it and mash it within the hour.

cheers

 

[nickel]

Should I put it in the freezer? Will it do damage?

 

[dr K]

Should I put it in the freezer? Will it do damage?

Seriously, if you are thinking of ways to store cracked grain I would suggest that you go the malt extract path.
Tony's comparison with bread is very accurate, back in the dim 90''s when I first started "AG" all I could buy was pre-cracked, now my extract beers were not great but my AG's were dismal, then I met some guys who had crackers (primitive in them days) and access to whole grain, the rest, as they say..is history.

K

 

[t2000kw]

This isn't about cracked grain, but I've stored uncracked grain for a few years without any problems except for the little bugs that are in the grains growing and drilling through the grain and flying away. Some of it was n the house so we had these strange little flying bugs in the house until my wife figured where they were coming from.

They're in almost all base grains, so if you don't use your grains up with several months, you may see these. If it's grain that gets kilned at high enough temperatures to kill off the little critters, you won't see this happen. You can also store the grain frozen or put it in kegs and pressurize it with CO2 to keep out the air. One supplier I know does that for his personal grain stash.

 

[mauriceatron]

This isn't about cracked grain, but I've stored uncracked grain for a few years without any problems except for the little bugs that are in the grains growing and drilling through the grain and flying away. Some of it was n the house so we had these strange little flying bugs in the house until my wife figured where they were coming from.

They're in almost all base grains, so if you don't use your grains up with several months, you may see these. If it's grain that gets kilned at high enough temperatures to kill off the little critters, you won't see this happen. You can also store the grain frozen or put it in kegs and pressurize it with CO2 to keep out the air. One supplier I know does that for his personal grain stash.

I think if you put it in the freezer for about 24 hours, that should be enough to kill the critters. It definitely works with flour so I think it would also work with grains. As long as you store it in an air tight container after that, all should be well. No critters going through the grain mill!

 

[goomboogo]

Should I put it in the freezer? Will it do damage?

Don't put it in the freezer. As others have stated the most important thing is to eliminate exposure to moisture. The fridge or freezer is not the best place to achieve this. A sealed container in a dry environment is the way to go.

I agree with Tony and Dr.K that using freshly cracked grain is best practice. I know this is moving away from the original intention of your question but it is something to consider. Most people who get into mashing tend to continue making beer this way in the long term. Therefore, items such as grain mills are definitely a worthwhile investment. One way of reducing the outlay on a mill is to find like-minded brewers and share a mill. This of course is dependent on finding those brewers.