how long does unmilled grain stay good for?
-
CorneliusAlphonse
- Award Winner 1
- Posts: 2988
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:28 pm
how long does unmilled grain stay good for?
I just found a bucket of MO from a group buy a year ago, unmilled. will it still convert properly? it hasn't been stored great (plastic bag inside a non-airtight plastic bucket, room temp). maybe i should just take half a pound, try mashing it and do a starch test?
planning: beer for my cousin's wedding
Fermenting: black ipa
Conditioning:
Kegged: barrel barleywine from 2014 - i think i still have this somewhere
Fermenting: black ipa
Conditioning:
Kegged: barrel barleywine from 2014 - i think i still have this somewhere
-
LiverDance
- Award Winner 6
- Posts: 4013
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 4:50 pm
- Name: Brian
- Location: Sprybeeria
Re: how long does unmilled grain stay good for?
My philosophy towards things like this has always been; there is only 1 way to find out. Brew up a batch and see how it turns out, sounds like they were stored very well.
"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.
-
akr71
- Award Winner 4
- Posts: 2644
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 7:18 pm
- Name: Andy
- Location: Amherst, NS
Re: how long does unmilled grain stay good for?
I think moisture will affect the quality more than temp will. Conversion efficiency will suffer if it has absorbed a lot of moisture from the air. I suppose it could go mildewy or worse if it was really damp, but I agree with LD - brew on!
Andy
"Now son, you don't want to drink beer. That's for Daddies, and kids with fake IDs." - Homer J. Simpson
"Now son, you don't want to drink beer. That's for Daddies, and kids with fake IDs." - Homer J. Simpson
-
mr x
- Mod Award Winner
- Posts: 13764
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 5:30 pm
- Location: Halifax/New Glasgow
Re: how long does unmilled grain stay good for?
I've used year old grain. I bet it's fine. If it's really from a year old buy, the date in the original bag was probably 6 months from the time we got it, so it may not be that far over the best before time.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. 
-
NASH
- CBA Award Winner
- Posts: 4085
- Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:33 pm
- Name: Nash
- Location: Halifax, NS
- Contact:
Re: how long does unmilled grain stay good for?
I wouldn't hesitate to brew with 2 yr old malt if stored properly. It's fine. 
-
Tony L
- Award Winner 10
- Posts: 1848
- Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:04 pm
- Location: Heart's Delight, NL
Re: how long does unmilled grain stay good for?
NASH wrote:I wouldn't hesitate to brew with 2 yr old malt if stored properly. It's fine.
Me either. I haven't bought grain since some time last year. When I get my grain, I weigh it into 2 pound lots and bag it and vacuum seal it.
As long as it isn't damp or wet it should be good to go. If in doubt try tasting it and checking to see if you can notice any stale flavour from the grain.
I still have enough grain to see me through until spring, although with grain prices due to rise, I might buy a few sacks soon.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests