Crushed grain shelf life

[pumblechook]

Well.... It's about to get very dark around here

Tomorrow sees the arrival of:

25kg sack of Maris otter, crushed

1kg black malt

1kg crystal malt

1kg chocolate malt

2kg torrified wheat

100g challenger

100g fuggles

5x s04

Together with the EKG, Styrian Goldings and a small bit of northern brewer I've already got, I think I should be able to come up with plenty of good brews. Did some planning and the above let's me create numerous brews in my GW book.

The individual kits look very good but couldn't resist a bulk purchase in the end, especially since the shelf life is way better than originally anticipated.

Top dog stout first I think. Anyone else made it?

[guypettigrew]

Well done you! Have fun brewing.

Guy

[Jimmy321]

I have also ordered a 25kg sack of MO, what sort of bags do you guys use to split it up as I can use the scale in work to measure in to bags up to 5kg which as mentioned up thread for is ideal for 5% beers.

If I can't buy suitable bags I was thinking about lining boxes with bin bags, filling with 5kg and storing it in my garage.

[Matt12398]

Well done. You won't regret it.

[jaberry]

Yep. Made Top Dog as a celebration ale for the birth of a friends son. Went down very well

[guypettigrew]

I have also ordered a 25kg sack of MO, what sort of bags do you guys use to split it up as I can use the scale in work to measure in to bags up to 5kg which as mentioned up thread for is ideal for 5% beers.

If I can't buy suitable bags I was thinking about lining boxes with bin bags, filling with 5kg and storing it in my garage.

I measure the malt into 2kg bags. Ordinary ones you get for freezing food in.

A 1.050 brew would take 2 1/2 bags. A 1.040 brew would take 2 bags--approximately.

2kg is easy to handle and to tip straight from the bag into the mash tun.

Guy

[orlando]

I can thoroughly recommend something like this, there are cheaper about so shop around but you can get 25k in there with space for other bagged grains if you must. I have heard that base malt can "acquire" other smells if not sealed away from it so think about maybe 2 to keep the other grains away from it. Since I have had one I have never noticed the smell of malt that used to pervade the cellar before I bought this. A dustbin is a cheaper option but this one has a seal and a metal clamp to keep the lid shut, that is why you can't smell it.

[Dr. Dextrin]

I recently brewed a beer with some pale crystal malt that was about 3 years old. It was crushed and had been kept cool, dry and dark in the plastic bag it came in. I did this to try and diagnose some odd tastes I'd found in a few older bottled beers. My test brew was just pale malt, pale crystal, Fuggles and Goldings. And very nice it was too!

I then compared it with exactly the same brew made with fresh crushed pale crystal malt bought from the Malt Miller just a few days earlier.

Could I tell any difference? Nope. The 3-year-old pale crystal appears to have been just fine and had stored perfectly.

I should say that all the other ingredients were fresh in both cases.

[Matt12398]

Nice one Orlando. I've been looking for these online and they are ridiculous prices. If you can get them even cheaper than that even better. What would you expect to pay?

[crafty john]

I have kept pale malt for 18 months or more and never had any issues, speciality grains up to 3 years. It just has to be stored properly.

[Dave S]

these guys are good for mash kits, in that u decide what u want exactly, they also just added a load more hops to the selection, also excellent service if they mess up they make it right and more -also my local but have just massively expanded due to volume of orders:
http://www.brewstore.co.uk/mash-beer-br ... 2321-p.asp

They seem a tad more expensive than many, certainly the ones I normally buy from.

[pumblechook]

I can thoroughly recommend something like this, there are cheaper about so shop around but you can get 25k in there with space for other bagged grains if you must. I have heard that base malt can "acquire" other smells if not sealed away from it so think about maybe 2 to keep the other grains away from it. Since I have had one I have never noticed the smell of malt that used to pervade the cellar before I bought this. A dustbin is a cheaper option but this one has a seal and a metal clamp to keep the lid shut, that is why you can't smell it.

Mind reader! I was just thinking about going to b and q to find some sort of storage bin. This is what I had in mind but I doubt I'd get anything close in there. I might just have to purchase one of those!

[legion]

Hi. You will not be able to fit a 25kg bag of grain in a 30litre one. i just bought a 50l one which can fit most of a 25kg sack and a 120l one which can fit a whole sack in with the bag plus plenty of room for specialist grains.

bought both from the same ebay seller for approx £44 delivered

[boingy]

Wilko black plastic dustbin, about a tenner.
Not food grade and not completely airtight but but the grain stays in the sack. Roll down the sack tightly and stick a couple of kilos of other grains in bags on top to keep it closed. Then lid on. Rodent proof, almost airtight. Job done.

[pumblechook]

I really like the look of those clamp lid barrels, but for now I think a tenner for a bin is more my thing. Was planning to buy a wort aeration kit this month as well so I doubt I'll be able to stretch to both. All in good time!

On the other hand, I do have this small airbrushing compressor which I was thinking of using for that purpose so I might be ok. It should do the trick as long as I put one of those sterile pads in the air line.... Semi worried that oil could end up in the brew.