A Quick Question

[Long-Haired_brewer]

Hi I have a quick if not fairly silly question regarding grain;
How long will crushed grain stay usable for and how should it be stored?
Just it is looking cheaper buying a 25kg sack rather than 15kg so don't want to buy it then find it's unusable..

[mentaldental]

Hi I have a quick if not fairly silly question regarding grain;
How long will crushed grain stay usable for and how should it be stored?
Just it is looking cheaper buying a 25kg sack rather than 15kg so don't want to buy it then find it's unusable..

That's a "how long is a piece of string question". Once malt is crushed it can quite easily absorb water and become "slack", which you don't want .

If you buy a 25kg sack you will find that it has a polythene liner. Close the bag carefully after use to keep the moisture out and store it in a cool dry place. Treat the liner carefully as it's quite thin. I would think you should be able to keep the malt 2-3 months without problem and probably longer. Anyone know better?

I vacuum seal small quantities of crushed malt which works well but might not be suitable for 25kg sacks.

I bought a crusher years ago mainly so I could take advantage of the better storage properties of uncrushed malt.

[Long-Haired_brewer]

Right cheers hopefully wont have to store it for that long as I aim to get a lot more brewing this year!

[garwatts]

As previously stated keep it cool and dry (and free from pests!) and should be good for 6 months or more

[Long-Haired_brewer]

Right Cheers! Will bear that in mind.

[johnmac]

Munton's give their sacks of crushed malt a shelf life of 12 months and recommend a storage temp of 15c. 12 months is obviously a 'round' figure, so don't worry too much if you keep it for 18 months at 20c.

[Dennis King]

I use 25kg sacks and brew every 2 weeks stored in a plastic dustbin in the garage. Never had any deterioration in about 15 years since the 1st sack.