Storing crushed malt

[TomR]

Hi all I've made a bit of an error I ordered crushed malt in bulk. Meant to order 5kg sealed bags. Instead I've a 25kg sack of crushed pale malt.
Should I portion into carrier bags and seal them as best I can or should I just keep in the sack?

 

[-Bezza-]

Would you be against getting one of these? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0093C7OB4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[MyQul]

Go to the supermarket and buy large zip lock bags. Fill each bag as much as possible (so there's as little air in each bag as possible) before sealing it. Then put the malt back in the sack, but in something that you can seal (such as large 60l tub you can get from argos/wilko/poundshop). This is how I store my milled grain when I buy a 25kg sack. This way my malt lasts for months without any deteriation (none that I can tell anyway)

Edit - I have one of those blue barrels (but 60L) bezza has linked and I keep my zip lock bagged malt in that

 

[MrRook]

I'd portion them into smaller bags and seal tightly. Properly packaged milled grain will last a while, but I'd also get to brewing and use it up.

 

[The Baron]

I would zip lock them but if helps I think you will find many brewers on her that have had crushed grain for many many months with no obvious degradation or noticeable loss of efficiency me being one of them

 

[Leon103]

I keep crushed malt in those blue bins - check eBay for larger and cheaper ones. I have used it a year later with no effect

 

[MyQul]

If you google something along the lines of 'how long does crushed malt last' the basic answer is 'depends on how it was stored'. The ideal conditions are, dry, air free and cool. I can manage two of those conditions (dry and as fairly air free) so as mentioned my crushed malt lasts months. If you've got something like a basement or cellar and cankeep it cool too, it'll probably/possiby last 1-2 years or so if your lucky (It'll defiantly last this long if its uncrushed and you can meet the three ideal conditions) . But I'm sure you dont need to keep it that long

 

[The Baron]

yeah mine is stored in the garage nice and cool maybe thats why mine lasts so long. So there you have it conditions and temp seem paramount

 

[TomR]

Would you be against getting one of these? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0093C7OB4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Ooh I like the look of those

 

[MyQul]

yeah mine is stored in the garage nice and cool maybe thats why mine lasts so long. So there you have it conditions and temp seem paramount

Unless you have it in one of those blue rodent proof bins I'd be a bit careful if it's outside in a garage

 

[MyQul]

Ooh I like the look of those

As Leon says, you can get them cheaper from ebay. I got a 60L one for about £20

 

[TomR]

Thanks for the responses. I'm keeping it in the garage and I'm definitely going to get a airtight container.

 

[TomR]

How much grain would the 30lt hold?

 

[MyQul]

How much grain would the 30lt hold?

I dont think the 30L one would hold a 25kg sack. My 60L one just about fits 25kg of (but of course its all in several zip lock bags, so their a little bit of space between some of the bags)

 

[BarnBrian]

A good rule of thumb is 1 kilo of grain is 2 litres.

 

[HarryFlatters]

Can grain be frozen? I've got a freezer in my garage that's normally empty

 

[MyQul]

Can grain be frozen? I've got a freezer in my garage that's normally empty

Yes, I believe so. The only time I've done it, is when I had some weevils in some flaked barley last summer. So I put the bags of FB in the freezer for 3 days. Killed the weevils. FB fine to brew with

 

[Nicks90]

Another vote for ziplock bags.
I bagged all mine up in 1kg measures and store them in the same 60l blue bin linked above. 50big zip bags from Poundland and the bin was £23 delivered from eBay.
Just enough room for 25kg of malt and about 5kg of crystal / roasted malts.
Jobs a good'un

 

[Drunkula]

B&M / Home Bargains : under bed vacuum bag things, two for £2.49 one you can fit two 25kg sacks in. Get it in there, get your moosh around it - keep for a year no problem.

 

[An Ankoù]

I shouldn't worry too much. If it's your base malt it's only about 5 or 6 or 7 five-gallon brews so it's not going to last forever. The most important thing is to keep it perfectly dry and tie up the top carefully and tightly. I keep mine in the blue plastic barrels shown above, but you'll need a 60 litre one. I can just about get 25kg- in its sack- in a 60 litre barrel with some difficulty and risk to fingers. But I haven't always used these. I just dispensed from the sack, kept in a dry garage, kept out of contact with the floor. Oh, and it's been perfectly good after 6-9 months. I certainly wouldn't bother breaking it down into smaller bags.
And I've never, ever, seen a weevil,