Storage Life of Malted Barley

hennesse · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 3:52 am Post subject: Storage Life of Malted Barley

What's the shelf life of malted barley?

Here's my situation: my nearest LHBS stores are 2, 3, and 4 hours round-trip away. That doesn't include shopping time, lunch, or pit stops. Grain-wise, I'd like to buy as much as I can when I make the trek, but how long can it be stored?

I transfer the grain from 50-lb sacks to 5-gal plastic pails I get free from the bakery at the local grocery store. I keep the brewery, antique motorcycles, woodshop, malted barley storage, chicken scratch, et cetera in the garage.

Brewing, woodworking and motorcycle-fixing means the garage doors are usually open. The temperature in the garage reaches 95 degrees in the summer, and 20 degrees in the winter.

How long can I keep grain in these conditions before it starts deteriorating?

Thanks - Dave

perogi · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:35 am Post subject:

See this article - I don't think that your garage is the best location with those temperature swings: http://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices/38-ingredients/1394-shelf-life-storing-your-ingredients?ref=39

Do you have a basement? I would imagine that it would have more consistent temperatures than your garage.

Also, my LHBS is 10 minutes from my workplace and I still buy grain in bulk online - you might want to look at that option instead of driving those distances.

**kal** · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject:

It's not black and white. It's a food product and will start deteriorating the moment it is kilned.

Keep it in a cool dark place in an airtight container (not in the fridge) and you'll minimize deterioration.

I've made beer with year old base malt stored this way and it tastes great. Some of my speciality malts (crystal/roast) are 2-3 years old and I haven't noticed any issues but then you often use very little of it and I would think that something that's been kilned to higher degrees will tend to keep longer too.

I buy gain in bulk about twice a year and try to use up my base malt within 6-12 months.

More info on how I store my grain (including pictures) right here: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/parts-list-using?page=9
Also has links to buy malt in bulk to help support the site! Smile

Kal

hennesse · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:16 pm Post subject:

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately, no basement. I just got The Electronic Brewery up and running this spring, and grain storage wasn't a problem when the weather was mild. Summer started yesterday (95 degrees) and I realized I needed a better solution. I'll have to zip-lock the grain, put it back in the pails and bring it inside. Maybe those gamma-lids too. Mice are a problem out here in the country, so I really didn't want to store it in the house. I guess I'm going to have to rethink my ordering habits during the hot/cold months.

I hadn't considered mail order before, due to the weight and hence shipping costs. I was surprised to find that MoreBeer's grain prices - with free shipping - are competitive with the LHBS. Are there other mail-order places with competitive prices? Never hurts to have choices.

When I lived in the Washington DC suburbs, I built a carriage house to accommodate all my hobbies. It took me years, but when I was done, I had plenty of room to fix motorcycles, brew beer, photo darkroom, play with computers, have parties - all in air-conditioned comfort. Then I met this girl. When I retired, we decided to move down to Virginia's horse country. Beautiful property, nice house, but standard garage and no basement. What was I thinking?

I'm planning to gut and remodel the garage next spring. It won't give me any more space, but it will provide comfort control for both me and the grain.

Dave

**kal** · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:30 pm Post subject:

hennesse · Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 1:09 am Post subject:

Kal,

Thanks for the advice. I just ordered 6 Gamma Seals. Let me see how they work on my grain buckets. Maybe I'll get more for the chicken feeds which I also store in recycled bakery buckets.

Now the important question - got any suggestions on how to keep the foxes from smelling chicken dinner?

Dave

**kal** · Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 7:06 pm Post subject:

Can't help you with that... I like a good chicken dinner too... Wink

Kal

MishaBrewer · Joined: 16 Apr 2012 Posts: 23 Location: Frederick, MD

hennesse · Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:49 pm Post subject: Thanks guys!

**kal** · Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 3:03 pm Post subject:

Glad you like them! I find the gamma seal lids so easy to use too. So simple to spin open/closed.

Here's a link for others on how to use them/install them for those that are curious:

http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/parts-list-using?page=9

Kal