Quick grain question

[Skittlebrau]

Hi all

Was around August/September when I brewed last, changed jobs and moved house etc. Anyway, I'm going to have the opportunity to brew again soon.

My question is - my malts have been stored since that time, and some of them were getting on a bit in age by that time anyway. During the period of storage they will have been expose to sub-zero temperatures on a few occasions. Will they still be okay for use or should I ditch and start again?

Cheers

Tim

[Dave S]

Hi all

Was around August/September when I brewed last, changed jobs and moved house etc. Anyway, I'm going to have the opportunity to brew again soon.

My question is - my malts have been stored since that time, and some of them were getting on a bit in age by that time anyway. During the period of storage they will have been expose to sub-zero temperatures on a few occasions. Will they still be okay for use or should I ditch and start again?

Cheers

Tim

I think the crucial thing is whether they have been stored dry. I would go on the appearance and smell. If both are OK, the the grain is probably OK. There was a thread about storage recently and a few people had stored for in excess of 6 months without mishap.

[crafty john]

Just open the bags and grab a handful and give it a good sniff, if it smells OK and not musty it will be fine so get a brew on

[Skittlebrau]

It wasn't the time I was worried about so much as the temperatures, I figured if this were to have a bad effect it might not show up in the old "sniff/chew" test.

[Dave S]

It wasn't the time I was worried about so much as the temperatures, I figured if this were to have a bad effect it might not show up in the old "sniff/chew" test.

If it passes the 'old sniff/chew test' I'd go for it, unless you're really rich and can afford to chuck it away.

[Skittlebrau]

Okay cool. Just wanted to check that the enzymes wouldn' be denatured by the freeze or owt...