Grain Storage ? ?

[mashman]

Was wondering how everyone likes to store their grain in between brews to keep it as fresh as poss and how long a life you expect to get from it.

I was thinking about those screw/clamp top chutney barrels washed out and dried for keeping bulk stuff like Maris Otter in.

 

[Runwell-Steve]

The mango chutney bins should be fine. Their lids never seem to seal though.

I keep my Pale Malt in a 60 litre fermenting bucket. The rest I keep in their bags in other fermenters.

It has been known for mice to chew through plastic buckets though, so if mice are a problem you may want to consider a metal dustbin.

 

[screamlead]

I keep mine in those type of barrels too as long as its kept dry there should be no problems and it will last ages - unless you use it fast for brewing!! :party:

 

[HLA91]

A couple of packets of silica gel in your container probably wouldnt hurt either.

 

[hairybiker]

For my uncrushed malt I just left it in the bag I got it in, inside a plastic bin. Since I got crushed last time (it was cheap ) I bagged it up into easlable freezer bags (about 1.5Kg per bag) and put it in the same bin. This was on the assumption that crushed goes off quicker than uncrushed. :wha:

 

[31bb3]

I keep mine in a metal dustbin still in the sack for the smaller grains i keep them in the bags inside a tupperware tub then inside the bin just incase critters try sniffing around

 

[keith1664]

In ziplock bags in a metal dustbin.

 

[Kev888]

I keep smaller quantities in large tupperwear boxes, and bigger quantities in the sack or in 60L clamp-top blue bins (the lids seal better than the screw-top mango bins I have) - 60L will take 25kg of crushed grain.

But I moved them into the house after a rodent chewed through a (thick!) blue bin that was stored in the garage - i need to sort out something metal to put the bins/sacks in for garage storage.

Cheers
kev

 

[luckyeddie]

The base malts I leave in their fibre sacks (polythene bags inside the sacks too). The speciality malts are in their bags inside sealed FVs. All bags have 2 or 3 50g silica gel bags tossed in them.

I try to rotate my grain so that the old stuff gets used up first. If we're down to 100g or less at the end of weighing out for a brew, it gets either tipped in (if it's something unobtrusive like light crystal, amber, biscuit etc) or thrown away if it's heavily roasted or black malt.

 

[Titch]

what do you lads think of these

saw them at LHBS he had all his grain etc in them

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90076364


couple of those stacked on top of each other

 

[Good Ed]

Probably not airtight, so no good for a damp environment. I just use 30L plastic buckets, the same I use for FV's.

 

[Titch]

surely the 25kg sack left in its own sack and then in a tub will be fine?
the rest would be in there own bags

but the LHBS just has his grain directly in them

airtight only matters in a damp environment?

im thinking these stacked and contents in bags?

pictures of anyones current storage gratefully appreciated

 

[dennisking]

I've kept the sack in a bog standard black plastic dustbin, in the garage that is fairly cool and dry for years. Never had any problems with damp etc.

 

[Good Ed]

surely the 25kg sack left in its own sack and then in a tub will be fine?
the rest would be in there own bags

but the LHBS just has his grain directly in them

airtight only matters in a damp environment?

im thinking these stacked and contents in bags?

pictures of anyones current storage gratefully appreciated

You'll be fine with these containers in a dry environment; I store in a damp cellar and use airtight plastic buckets.

 

[Cyclops]

leave mine in the sack it came in, then i put it in a plastic container in the garage.

 

[Darcey]

Simply because I have the space all of my grain is vacuum sealed and frozen -25C. But I hadn't actually thought if it was a good idea. Esp if no one else does that?!
d