13 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I found in another forum where someone said 2 years. What say the experts around here?

[earthtone]

this is tough, I doubt there is a set length of time. Store them well and they might last longer and still be fine. Just make sure they stay crisp and you're good to go.With the humidity here, I doubt grain would last a year unless it was stored airtight....

[Kansan]

Humidity, humidity, humidity. That is the key. Dark roasted and chocolate type seem to have the longest shelf life- some say a few years. I have had base grains that I keep in a dry basement at 13--14 months and they tasted great and made a fine beer. Let your taste bud and nose tell you about the state of your grain. Musty or an off-flavor would be a sign it is time for the compost pile.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Humidity, humidity, humidity. That is the key. Dark roasted and chocolate type seem to have the longest shelf life- some say a few years. I have had base grains that I keep in a dry basement at 13--14 months and they tasted great and made a fine beer. Let your taste bud and nose tell you about the state of your grain. Musty or an off-flavor would be a sign it is time for the compost pile.

I take it humidity is the killer? The living areas of my house stay pretty dry all the time due to central air heating and AC. My living area does not however stay super cool - is this a problem?

[ncbeerbrewer]

I say if your grains are dry Zym then being warmer is ok. Heat + moisture will promote growth and mold and you don't want that too.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Get a vacuum sealer and do a couple pounds at a time, should stay good for a long time.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Get a vacuum sealer and do a couple pounds at a time, should stay good for a long time.

I actually already have one but I can't imagine vacuum sealing 50lbs of grain at a time! I guess I'd have to see how big a 50lb bag is to decide if it's worth it. I guess I could make really long tubes of grain b/c the widest bag my sealer can take is probably 12-14" across.

[3rd party JKor]

My feeling is if you store them in a closed container with some desiccant, like DampRid, they'll probably last an awfully long time.

[Kansan]

Any tight sealing container would certainly help. Of course even plastic has an osmotic transfer of air, albeit it slow. But yes, a sack of grain, or multiples, can be tuff to store it all in containers. Dry-- number one priority. Try not to stockpile more than a years supply at a time. Trade with other brewers if you think you won't be able to use a grain in x amount of time. If buying bulk, and you have to throw out a qrt of the bag-- the savings on the price per pound paid for it anyway. Of course you should always brew more-- which solves most problems!!!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Any tight sealing container would certainly help. Of course even plastic has an osmotic transfer of air, albeit it slow. But yes, a sack of grain, or multiples, can be tuff to store it all in containers. Dry-- number one priority. Try not to stockpile more than a years supply at a time. Trade with other brewers if you think you won't be able to use a grain in x amount of time. If buying bulk, and you have to throw out a qrt of the bag-- the savings on the price per pound paid for it anyway. Of course you should always brew more-- which solves most problems!!!

I've found that's the answer to most problems

[Jeff]

Had 50 lbs hidden for 5 years in a rubber maid container in a cool dry spot. I thought they were pretty good. Made a batch that turned out OK. The efficiency was pretty low, but that was likely due to it being 20 degrees outside during mashing and the brew system wasn't used for those 5 years either, so this was like a first use of it after a refurb. However my brewing buddies decided to toss the rest of them when I wasn't looking so I will never know if a good mash would have happen this summer at normal conditions.I say if they crunch nicely and don't taste stale, they are just fine!

[UGALawDawg]

I brewed 2 weeks ago with grains that were close to 2 years old. They were stored in plastic containers in my basement. Everything looked, smelled and taseted fine. The malted wheat was the only stuff that seemed iffy. I'm going to do a heffeweizen next to see if the wheat has degraded past the point of useability.

[weave]

I've brewed with 1.5 yr old base malt. Grain was stored in Home Depot pails with gasketed lids. I detected no change in efficiency or flavor. Pails were kept in an upstairs closet. Temps ranged from upper 80's in summer to upper 50's in winter.Keep the humidity away from the grain and minimize air contact and you should be OK.

[MolBasser]

2 years no problem.As has been mentioned moisture is your biggest enemy.BrewBasser