Base Malt Freshness. How critical is it ?

[The Epworth Brewer]

On another thread the question of freshness was raised in relation to the base malt. It set me thinking as I never realised that malt, in it's crushed form, would deteriorate even within the manufacturers 'best before' date.
Until recently I only ordered enough crushed MO for 3-4 brews and usually got it weighed out by the retailer to fit each brew, i.e I didn't have to leave a part used bag until the next brew. Then I switched to the 25Kg sacks because it worked out much cheaper and I didn't have to order as often. But I never reckoned that each time I opened the sack the malt would suffer from exposure. I can get 6 brews per sack, so for me that would be about 15 weeks from first opening the sack to using the last grains up. I have a number of questions.
1. If freshness is paramount what is the point of buying a bulk bag in order to cut down costs if the later brews turn out inferior?
2. Why do suppliers such as Fawcett's and Crisp knowingly supply bulk grain to the home brew market without making it clear that the grain will deteriorate even though it is well within the 'best before' date?
3. If you buy it in smaller quantities crushed by the retailer how can you be sure it is fresh anyway?
4. And finally, does this mean that we should all be buying our grain uncrushed and crush it ourselves?

[millmaster]

From my own experience ( for what its worth ) I think the storage conditions matter most. I buy a 25kg sack of ready crushed pale malt ( from Bairds - aka Brewers Select in Peterborough ). That sack last me about 6 months, brewing once a month. I split the sack between 2 off 25 Litre airtight blue ( opaque ) plastic drums - the lid has a gasket and a metal sealing ring that clamps the lid on. I'm not aware of any problems with off-tastes or other issues from the extended storage - although that doesnt mean there arent any. I wouldnt be buying sacks of malt if I didnt have airtight storage, though.

[Jocky]

Do the maltsters actually supply ready crushed grains themselves?

Simplest thing would seem to be to buy a crusher and DIY if you want ultimately fresh malt.

[another nice mess]

I'm still using crushed malts that are nearly three years old without any problems. All I do is keep it in the spare bedroom in constant conditions.

[simon12]

I buy 25Kg sacks and just twist the top up each time and not noticed any problems. My last bag the last batch had the highest efficiency, possibly due to it was the finest stuff that made its way to the bottom (of my poor measurements).

[The Epworth Brewer]

I have e-mailed both Crisp Maltings and Fawcett's on this issue. Although I only contacted them this morning I have received a reply from Dr David Griggs at Crisp within an hour. His reply is:-
"Crushed malt is very hygroscopic and so will pick up moisture resulting in 'slackness' leading to a potential decrease in performance. Typically, you would expect to use crushed malt within a couple of days of opening the sack. My recommendation would be to try and keep the crushed malt in an air-tight container once the 25Kg sack has been opened."
Very helpful advice and something I never thought about, but it seems millmaster has it nailed. I do as Simon 12 does but left it in my shed which appears to me to be where I have gone wrong. What a 42 carat plonker.
From now on all my grains will be kept in the house and I'm going to invest in a malt crusher of some description.

Dear Santa..........

[Kev888]

I used to get several 25kg sacks of crushed malt at a time and use them within a year, but recently (due to a break) I used some that were between eighteen months and two years old. Perceptually all seems normal with flavours etc and the efficiencies haven't dropped at all - its a reasonably good comparison because I brewed the same beers I've made several times before. I was quite surprised, I actually used a bit more malt to offset an anticipated lower efficiency which didn't in fact happen, so Christmas will be a heavy one this year!

That said, I have stored the grain reasonably well, indoors where its very dry with the sacks tied tightly shut. Also, these were all bought before some maltsters started forgoing the plastic liner sack; some of the single-sacks seem to have a slightly open weave (especially after being put through the post!) so I would be more concerned of those if conditions were less than ideal. I've had good luck with those blue clamp-top barrels in the past so could start putting the grain in big ones of those, though sadly they are a bit awkward and not very space-efficient compared to simple sacks.

Cheers
Kev

[Rick_UK]

I usually buy a sack of pale and a sack of lager malt (Crisp) which last me about a year. Never noticed any issues with staleness or efficiency. I keep it tightly clamped in the sack inside a dry wooden box with a lid in the garage.

I did have an issue with a hungry mouse once, but that's another story.....

Rick

[charliemartin]

I used to use crushed malt stored in my shed for up to 6 months. Never noticed any issues with it, however since I got a malt mill for my last birthday and started crushing my own, my efficiency has increased. There is also something quite satisfying about crushing your own malt!

Cheers,
Charliemartin

[Matt12398]

Do the maltsters actually supply ready crushed grains themselves?

Simplest thing would seem to be to buy a crusher and DIY if you want ultimately fresh malt.

A lot of maltsters provide freshly crushed grain to breweries. I guess that not all of them want to be bothered to crush it themselves and just put it straight in the mash tun. I've recently bought malt from Tucker's maltings and there was a choice between crushed or uncrushed.

Ultimately you're always going to be better off using freshly crushed grain as long as you buy a decent grain mill. That said, as long as you store it right you will be fine for several months

+1 to what charliemartin said. Crushing grain yourself is very pleasing.

[far9410]

Base malts go down pretty quick, additionals are more of a problem, you buy a little of this and that to make various brews then can't use em. Unless you make up a recipe!?!