Back in the saddle—but with old grains. Should I dump them?

[DanMalleck]

I haven’t brewed for over two years due to renovation and general lethargy. But I’m back at it. I brewed a gluten free for my gf and it was based in rice syrup so didn’t need to deal with grains.

But, now I’m ready to hit the all grain.

I have a lot of unmilled grain that has been sealed in air tight plastic containers for two years in a non-temperature controlled environment (aka spare bedroom). How can I tell if it’s any good? I’ve heard grains can get some kind of mold but apart from obvious smell/visual signs, is there a way to tell if I can salvage this? Or should I throw it all out?

Btw my hops, although stored in the freezer, are all going in the composer.

 

[day_trippr]

If they pass the smell test, chew a pinch. If they taste good - like, something you'd want to brew with - go for it.
Otoh, if there's not much character there - or especially if they taste off - dump 'em.
It's pretty much that simple...

Cheers!

 

[probablynotnick]

^ This and they should still be crunchy too. Don't use em if they're mushy

 

[DanMalleck]

Thanks folks! It all sounds reasonable, I just didn’t want to do a batch and find it tastes bad, and not due to the brewers poor skills (for a change)!