Riddle me this: grain storage

This may sound stupid to those of you who buy grain in bulk, but how long can you store grain (not crushed) before it gets stale? I am not talking about having air tight seals, etc. I am talking about just keeping it in a cool dry place, in the plastic bag from the LHBS. Up until now, I have always brewed within 48 hours of purchasing the grain. I am thinking of buying grain today but if things do not go as planned, it could be a few weeks before I can brew. Am I ok even if I do not have good bins to store it in?

I'm no expert, but I assume as long as you are storing it properly (dry, dark, cool) there shouldnt be any issues.

I'm brewing today with grain from a sack I bought in 2011. I dont notice any flavor loss, but I'm betting someone will disagree.

I've stored them in their sealed bags in the fridge for a month with no degredation. The smaller amounts in those tall skinny zip lock bags go into a zip lock freezer bag for added protection. works fine for me.

unionrdr said:

I've stored them in their sealed bags in the fridge for a month with no degredation. The smaller amounts in those tall skinny zip lock bags go into a zip lock freezer bag for added protection. works fine for me.

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So, if I don't get to it this weekend, you would suggest putting the grains in the fridge until I have a chance to brew? I was just going to find a clean corner of the basement for them.

I am sure I'm worrying about nothing. If people are keeping grains for months then I should be fine...I'm talking maybe a few weeks.

I store my grain in 5 gallon plastic buckets with a heavy plastic bag inside the bucket. I have used uncrushed grain that I bought over a year ago with no problems. I buy the buckets from the paint departments in Lowes, Menards, Home Depot and Walmart. A 5 gallon bucket will hold about 25 lbs of grain.

msa8967 said:

I store my grain in 5 gallon plastic buckets with a heavy plastic bag inside the bucket. I have used uncrushed grain that I bought over a year ago with no problems. I buy the buckets from the paint departments in Lowes, Menards, Home Depot and Walmart. A 5 gallon bucket will hold about 25 lbs of grain.

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I didn't think of that. I have a fermentation bucket free that I could put the grains in (still in the bag) and then seal the lid (I have a lid with no airlock hole). I'm buying it and not worrying about it.

I am currently using bulk grain stored in buckets with Gamma lids that I bought last summer. I expect the grain is fine. I have not used any since January. We'll see brew day is Tuesday.

I would say cool and dry = several months minimum.

I personally don't like basements for storing food products that aren't sealed really well. Lots of nasties down there. If this is just 1 kit's worth,the fridge will work great. But bulk amounts,I'd use plastic buckets with sealed lids.

unionrdr said:

I personally don't like basements for storing food products that aren't sealed really well. Lots of nasties down there. If this is just 1 kit's worth,the fridge will work great. But bulk amounts,I'd use plastic buckets with sealed lids.

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Finished basement, though.

Bucket in basement. Bag in fridge. My concidered opinion.

unionrdr said:

I personally don't like basements for storing food products that aren't sealed really well. Lots of nasties down there. If this is just 1 kit's worth,the fridge will work great. But bulk amounts,I'd use plastic buckets with sealed lids.

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Finished basement, though.

kh54s10 said:

I am currently using bulk grain stored in buckets with Gamma lids that I bought last summer. I expect the grain is fine. I have not used any since January. We'll see brew day is Tuesday.

I would say cool and dry = several months minimum.

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I use the gamma lids too. I use the food grade buckets from Lowes and store in the basement. I've used 6-month old grain without any problems.

Well there's only one harvest season per year so it's not like the LHBS is getting fresh grown grain every month. The sacks sit in a back room when I go in there that gets pretty hot in the summer. At home I store them in sealed pet food containers in the garage as that's the coolest area in my house. The critters haven't figured out how to open the lids yet that I can tell . I've also used grain over a year old. I chew on it and if it seems fine I don't worry.