Is Specialty Grain Really That Good?

[Renegade]

no need for a drive - visit the site sponsors online & get em posted directly to your door

Sound advice. In this day and age, remote location isn't an inconvenience when Aussie Post can do the leg work for ya. And when you order, don't hesitate to get a full kilo of crystal, instead of some pissy little amount - you will use it up soon enough. A darker grain is also handy to have around if you enjoy making porters & stouts. Cara also makes for a lovely flavoured beer. But in a nutshell, for your first grain buy, crystal would probably be the recommendation.

Just make sure you specify that with whatever grain you get, that they crack it for you beforehand.

 

[tahzan]

Is there a shorter shelf life if the grain is ordered cracked? Or is it fine as long as kept dark, cool etc?

 

[manticle]

There is. Uncracked grain, properly kept, will from all reports keep for at least 1 year. Cracked grain will keep much, much much less. I can't give you an exact figure since I crack my own. I have heard several weeks but don't quote me and if you do decide to, wrap whatever it's in, in foil or something light resistant and keep it cool.

 

[Cube]

Is there a shorter shelf life if the grain is ordered cracked? Or is it fine as long as kept dark, cool etc?

Much debate here on this very subject. A rule of thumb is keep the cracked grain in a air tight bag/container (vac sealed even better), away from sunlight and heat. Either in a cool place or in the fridge. Use within three to four months of buying (stored correctly) and you will be fine. Don't be to anal about 'must use in a week or it will not be fresh' etc. You're not entering a beer making competition right? !


:icon_drunk:

 

[King Brown]

I've stored cracked grain for a long time in airtight bags kept in a dark drawer, it hasnt gone "off", but has gone a little "stale" ie stops smelling and tasting as fresh. I bought myself a marga mill and now I buy all my grains uncracked, but most home brew stores or mail order suppliers will crack it for you, just order enough for 2 or 3 batches if your gonna get it pre-cracked.

 

[Pennywise]

Personally, I haven't noticed any difference when keep ing cracked grain for up to 2 months, I store mine in the bag it came in (all air pushed out) and seal it with a big metal clip in a dry cool place. It doesn't smell as fresh, but taste wise I've not noticed. I do chuck out little bits after then though, grain is pretty cheap and throwing out 100g of whatever would be better than possibly making a beer with stale grain, especially if using a fair bit of it.