How long does crushed malt stay fresh for?

[daf]

As anyone who grinds coffee beans knows, after a few days the ground coffee is not fresh. Is it the same for malted barley? If I bought 25kg of crushed malt would it be stale already?

 

[morethanworts]

General consensus on a similar thread recently seemed to be certainly up to 6 months. Maybe more.

 

[daf]

Really? That's surprisingly long. Would beer made from freshly crushed malt taste a whole lot better than some from a sack in a home brew shop?

At what age does the taste benefit of crushed grain equal that of canned malt extract/kits?

 

[jkp]

Surely it will depend a lot on the conditions it is kept under.

 

[daf]

Let's assume in an airtight bin or something...which doesn't give off plastic smells.

Surely freshly crushed grain makes better beer than grain crushed months ago?

 

[Runwell-Steve]

I buy all my grain crushed but it is crushed on the day I order it so I know exactly how old it is.

I usually get through the Pale Malt within 3 months, but some of the speciality grains I can have laying around for at least a year.

I really haven't noticed any difference between fresh crushed grains and grains that are a few months old.

It's not like coffee where once you grind it you release the oils and it dries out. And yes, I grind my own coffee a few seconds before making an Espresso with it. :) I like coffee.

 

[NickW]

I don't think its much of an issue. The grain is so dry there's no moisture in there. Coffee beans (as far as I know) still have a proportion of moisture in, so when ground will deplete a lot faster.

Just got through my 25kg of marris otter (crushed) and the last beer is just as crisp as the first, and I just leave it in the sack in the spare room.

 

[daf]

Ok, thanks for the info!