So I may have gotten ahead of myself with ordering kits. I had my next kit ordered and then NB did the IPA deal so I grabbed two more. I plan to brew one of the three kits this Sunday and could brew another as early as the following week. My concern is the specialty grains. I read mixed opinion on milled/crushed grains longevity. I’ve read as little as a few weeks to over a month. With both my fermenters tied up for 4+ weeks I’m worried about loss of potency or flavor. I did read you can refrigerate them to prolong their life. Anyone have any suggestions or experience? Also one kit accidentally came unmilled/uncrushed, but that’s the one I wanted to brew next, if grains do degrade should I hold off and brew it last?
If they are already crushed just keep them sealed in a cool dry place and they should be good for two months. Uncrushed grains will keep 4 to 6 months as long as they are kept in a cool dry place as well. It really depends on how stable the environment is where they are being stored. If they are well taken care of you shouldn’t have to worry if you plan on using them soon.
It all depends on exposure to humidity. If kept dry (temperature doesn’t matter for grains - which is different than for hops), uncrushed grain will keep indefinately. I don’t have personal experience with storing crushed grain, but I suspect it will be OK for a month.
Put the hops in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
Thanks for the info guys. Just got my Johnson Controls unit so I’ll toss them in the chest freezer I bought until I’m ready for them. I didn’t even thing about the Hops because they came in the air-tight bags they were packaged in from the vendor.
Hops will eventually go bad no matter what you do, but there are some things that will delay the inevitable. Vacuum sealed bags, keeping them as cold as possible, and being in pellet form instead of whole flowers will make them last longer. Where you are only going to keep them for a month or so before using them, it probably doesn’t matter, but it’s not a bad habit to get into in prep for when you start buying hops in bulk.
