I know that the shelf life of crushed grains have been a topic on here before and I had a couple questions. I found a 50lb sack of crushed 2row base malt online for 37 bucks and I can't help but want to buy it. I obviously don't have a mill yet and will have one eventually but it isn't in the cards right now. If I buy this bulk base malt crushed would vacuum sealing 5-10lb bags be my best route to long term storage? MY basement is nice and cool right now(55f ish) and should remain so for a few more months at least. I should be able to use up this 50lb sack in about 3 or 4 months I would imagine and wondered if getting the base malt pre crushed is gonna give me noticeable lack of malt flavor/aroma when it gets a few months old.?? Cheers! Pat
You should be just fine if you use your grains in a few months. Packaging them in vacuum sealed bags will be ‘good’ but I suspect that it is overkill. Below is what pweis909 posted recently: “The last time I answered it (about two weeks ago) I quoted this statement from the Spec Sheet from Briess malting, so this is coming from a beer products professional and not some anonymous dude with a bird avatar: STORAGE AND SHELF LIFE Store in a temperate, low humidity, pest free environment at temperatures of <90 ºF. Improperly stored malts are prone to loss of freshness and flavor. Whole kernel diastatic and preground malts are best when used within 6 months from date of manufacture. Whole kernel roasted malts may begin experiencing a slight flavor loss after 18 months. EDIT: FWIW, I have brewed several batches with 6 month old grains and not found it detrimental.” Cheers!
Thanks for the info Jack!! Was your 6 month old grain pre crushed or whole kernal? I know whole kernal will store a lot better than crushed but I think as long as I use up the pre crushed base malt in a few months I shouldn't notice any defects?
That sentence was still part of the quote from pweis909 (Peter). Hopefully he will read your thread and clarify whether his 6 month old grains were pre-crushed or not. Cheers! Jack
It seems like whenever I buy a bag of grain I always do a 1070+ beer. Then I have about half a bag of grain to deal with.
I've got a Cali Common, Robust Porter, American Amber, and of course Vikeman's Averagely IPA in my brewing pipeline so I think I should be able to finish the grain off in a couple months hopefully.
I'd be disinclined to sealing bags of pre-crushed grains at room temperature then storing in a 55-ish environment b/c this will invite condensation. More better to acclimate the grains to 55-ish before sealing or seal and store at 'upstairs' room temperature.
