I've seen descriptions of how it gets stale and now long it takes, etc, but what I'm wondering is what happens if you use stale grain. Does it make your beer taste like crap or is it just ineffective? My reason for asking is that I bought the grainbill for a 10 gallon batch of porter......and let it sit in my garage fridge for about 2 months. The fridge is old and the defrost doesn't work so I had to pull the plug and let it defrosst amonth ago....and since it is winter and I didn't have anything else to put out there, I haven't plugged it back in. Temps have ranged from 20-60 the last month. In the garage the temps tend to be more stable.. 30-45 degrees.
should I pitch the stuff or should I try to make some beer with it. Use it and also throw in some DME?

2 months is nothing.
Stop worrying so much, and make some beer.
RDWHAHB

Really though, I believe that malt loses its enzymatic capacity when it goes stale.
I have that general impression for some reason.
Let's see what someone else says.

Taste it. If it has a bad flavor now, so will your beer.

ok. so lets say I taste it. What the heck is it suposed to taste like that I would know it was good or bad?

That's hard to describe. It should definitely be crunchy and it should smell good.

I assumed that everyone nibbled on their grain like I do, so you'd have a basis for comparison.

David,

I have to ask you with the bloody hell your thinking?
Kissing pretty boys ass....

Blake and John are the only ones that are men enough to say so....

Shawn, WTF are you talking about?

Dave,

Loaded had a Fifth.... 80 Prof... Enough said.....LOL

At 8:00 in the morning?

Up all night bro....

Do I really have to explain myself here ?
Didn't used to be that way.....

Nope, not to me. Go back to drinking.

Love ya Dave

Brothers

Also I'm sorry if I got out of line in this Holyier than though beer Forum where everyone drink...

And you have Illegal 16 year old kids in here under USC 2423 of the United States Cide. And in Breach of State's Laws...
I will mention every State in the Unions Laws....

Knock it off and get back to drinking.


You could have had three drinks in the time it took you to misspell that last comment.

You might think about getting you one of these for the next time you go out and buy a 5th:

http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om06300.html

LOL Rex...

That's just making me thirsty...

That's making me even more thirsty

If you use stale grain you may make decent beer but not fantastic beer. Come to think of it, Hey BB isn't that grain you have like 3 yrs old? Maybe that's your issue I'm just saying... Hello my brewin brothers and sisters...

"And you have Illegal 16 year old kids in here under USC 2423 of the United States Cide."

Don't know what a "cide' is. But if I can give advice to Aidan then I will. If the Pooper wants to come all the way over here and try to arrest me then have a nut. Am tired of hearing his rants about Aidan.

Whatever... Fill it yourself....

I'm calling Washington right now....

It's about as illegal as saying a teenager isn't allowed into a homebrew store and we all know that's not true.

And I'll bet you NEVER had a drink or a beer before you were 21.

Plus don't some lambics call for stale grain and hops? You could be on a goldmine there BB!

Ok, so screw it. I'm gonna make some porter. I'll taste the grain and if it doesn't taste like shit I'll use it. I'm gonna stop by the brew store and get some more grain and I'll add that in as well and either make an overly strong beer or well hell I don't really know. I screw things up so often when I'm making beer taht it's hard to keep track. so anyway. at least I have my keggle to use so I'll brew something. HAvn't done anything since before Thanksgiving because I've been so busy doing nothing......and hunting of course......and Cuttin wood.

Remember that grain purchased in August is a year old. A couple of months won't hurt anything.

WoodChuckDad,

Can you give more info on the grain being "old." Grain won't stale for a long time if it's uncrushed and stored in a cool, dark place. If it is crushed then it's still worth using. I have used 3-month-old crushed grain and made great beers out of it. It's not ideal. I think it matters most with session beers that need every little bit of aroma out of the grain. I made a quad with mine and it smelled great. But you're talking to a guy who roasts coffee every three days, so I'm a little particular about things.

As for the storage method you used: a fridge is only one of the two things you need being COLD and DRY. It's much better to store them in a rodent resistant trash can in the basement. You can keep them airtight in bags but I still would avoid the fridge/freezer.

Am watching this thread with interest as want to know how long grain can be kept without noticeable character change. I intend to buy in 100# quanitites, transfer into 3-5 pound pails, lower oxygen level by using co2 and bagging (in pails.) This is for several purposes, 1 for cost reduction, 2, for brewing, and 3, just in case, or maybe when, the shit hits the fan.

I'm fairly certain that it's oxygen that stales the grain.
Not sure how long it takes CO2 to break down.
Personally, I never worry about it.
It goes too quick around here.

The grain was crushed when I purchased it around Thanksgiving. I just walked out into the garage and gave it a smell thru the paper bag it is in. Smells fine, just not as aromatic as it did.

as mentioned, don't worry about it. But in the future the paper bag is not ideal. You need a moisture barrier. Grain is just a cereal and moisture can stale them very fast, crushed or not. BUT it's probably best to leave this one in the fridge. Combination of increased moisture content and increased temperature could cause mold.

It's a small issue but moisture also makes measuring by weight less accurate. More moisture means the grain will weigh heavier than it should.

Well it's in the boil pot right now. I did a 2 stage mash. 30 min at 130 degrees and 60 min at 150. I ended up with 7 gallons of wort that had a gravity of 1.027. That seemed a little low but no matter because, Since some had mentioned that I might not get the efficiency needed to do my planned porter, I aded 7.5 lb of light amber malt extract to it. The wort certainly didn't taste bad so I think it will be ok. In the end I believe I will have beer and that is what matters.

Oh, and I was wrong. I only had grainbill for a 5 gallon batch not a 10...

Damn I got loaded....

I'm sorry Aidan were buds...LOL

What's up with that?
Don't you know that "buds" means something different in a beer forum?
Now, tell him that you're Trappists....

Right on.....


Really though....
Red was right on the money and I am sorry...

I got out of line and am admitting it....

Shawn be careful, friends are friends, Trappists are Trappists and buddies sleep together...

No John....

Post me some more of those California Burgers

Very educational thread-will have to really pay tension' what I put down here as not to confer wrong impression.
Tom

Updating for others who do a search on old grain.
3 weeks after brew. Was going to move it to secondary at 2 weeks but got busy last weekend. So I tested it today. Original 1.094. today it is 1.021 . I am very pleased. Thanks to all who gave advice on this.