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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Brewing Discussion --> Tips and Tricks for Storing GRAIN?

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vinpaysdoc
Charter Member
High Point, NC
321 Posts


For those of you that keep grains on hand at home, what tips do you have for storing them? Any idiosyncrasies shaped by problems you've encountered?

Me? I buy 50 lb sacks of MO, 2-Row, and most recently, Munich II. I keep those in 25 lb food grade buckets with gamma seals on them at room temperature. Specialty grains are kept in the plastic bags they come in and are stored in Home Depot Homer Buckets with gamma seal lids on.

I should probably have the specialty grains better organized, but, time.....

Storing my specialty grains took a little turn when I opened one of my buckets to find WEEVILS a few months back. All those grains got tossed AND, after a little research, the other specialty grains all went in the freezer for a week of quarantine. I have had no problems since and make it a practice to place any grains that come in plastic bags with zip ties on them directly into the freezer for several days before they get put in the buckets.




Posted 34 days ago.

Stauff
El Paso, TX
13 Posts


Your method sounds pretty good, and similar to what I do. I've luckily never had weevils. I will say it goes against my logic to freeze grains, but if it works for you... Go for it. Sometimes I buy enough grain for an entire year or more, and I take half of each sack and vac seal it in 5lb packs. Works very well, and the flat packs are easily stored in any closet, pantry, etc.. Probably overkill, but I love playing with that darn food saver.



Posted 34 days ago.

vinpaysdoc
Charter Member
High Point, NC
321 Posts


Read where sticking it in the freezer kills the eggs. Only leave it there for a few days.



Posted 34 days ago.

mchrispen
Bastrop, TX
485 Posts


I have done the same... if fact when buying a bag and I have a free freezer it goes in for 3 days and around 0F. I worry that it will pick up some humidity when it thaws, but haven't seen any problems with it yet.

+1 breaking down specialty malts into vacuum packs.




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by mchrispen

KidMoxie
Charter Member
San Elijo Hills, CA
405 Posts


I'm a Vittles Vault man 100%: they're food-grade, airtight, and (supposedly) bug-proof. I've got too much invested in bulk grains at the moment to lose it to cheap storage.

I use this little guy for storing my specialty grains:

I use the medium-sized ones for storing my "blend" base grains like Munich and White Wheat malts:

I use these big guys to store my base grains:
Vittles Vault 40-Pound Stackable (I actually use the 60-lb, but I can't seem to link it for some reason)




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


I store my grain in the food grade 5 gallon buckets from Lowes.

I have one 40# vittles vault and I don't like it. It's not particularly stable on the carpet where I store my grains, and it's an awkward shape so setting stuff on top of it doesn't really work. My biggest complaint with it though is that you have to unstack it and flip it on it's side to open it. The stackable aspect is basically worthless on the 40# model. I can't speak to the 60# model.

The buckets hold a hair over 25# each, so it's really easy to tell how much grain you have left of a particular type. It's also more space efficient to store a partial bag in a bucket than a vittles vault. A bucket with a lid is like $5-6 at Lowes, so two of them at $12 is way cheaper than a vittles vault.

This brings me to the biggest complaint anyone has about buckets. The lids. They are hard to open and can make you feel like you are ripping your fingers off. A lot of people opt for the gamma lids that basically add screw top functionality to normal buckets, but the gamma lids themselves are $8, so that puts two buckets with lids into vittles vault price territory.

So here's the secret. Use the normal pry off lids, and get one of these:

www.amazon.com/Bucket-Lid-Wrench-Plas...

That little tool totally changes the bucket game. Opening a bucket becomes basically as easy as opening a vittles vault, and you can stack buckets to the ceiling.

For me, buckets are cheaper, easier, and more practical than vittles vaults, so I doubt I'll change any time soon.




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by testingapril

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