grains milled in advance - does it make a difference?

One day is nothing!

You can purchase crushed grain and use it months later. Below is what Briess states on their website:

“STORAGE AND SHELF LIFE
Store in a temperate, low humidity, pest free environment at temperatures of <90 ºF. Improperly stored malts are prone to loss of freshness and flavor. Whole kernel diastatic and preground malts are best when used within 6 months from date of manufacture. Whole kernel roasted malts may begin experiencing a slight flavor loss after 18 months.”

Cheers!

 

@JackHorzempa 's post contains the relevant information, but I always get my grain milled on Friday night before I brew on Saturday morning/aftenoon and have never noticed any problem with freshness. So go for it!

 

I mill on brew day. I don't know if milling the day before would create a noticeable difference in freshness...I kind of doubt it. But I do know that milling right before the mash eliminates that possibility. I guess the only way to really find out would be to do an A/B comparison. I sure as hell wouldn't used grains that were milled 6 months ago, regardless of what Briess says on their web site.

 

online retailers crush grain to order, and it arrives fresh a few days later. a few days, perhaps even a few weeks, is not going to matter. you'll be fine. keep the crushed grain away from strong odors; don't store it in the garage or near the cheese.

other than that you'll be fine. honest.
Cheers.

 

Some small breweries buy milled grain by the sack, order a bunch, brew several batches over a week or two, then start again.

 

Up until recently, I ordered grain pre-milled because I did not have a mill. I would typically order for 2-3 recipes at a time to save on postage, and I would plan to brew the beers over 4-6 weeks. At the extreme, I brewed with 6 month old malt, not by design, but due to multiple unforeseen delays. There were no obvious flaws.

 

Peter, thank you for that input. It is consistent with what Briess states on their website.

Cheers!

 

Glad you made this thread I was wondering about this very same thing recently. Good to know the recommended shelf life of post crushed grains. I was worried I might potentially lose quality by waiting a week between crushing and brewing. Good to see I have nothing to worry about in that regard.

It seemed to me that the main problem with holding them in storage after crushing is that they might absorb moisture from the atmosphere and lose efficiency or something.

 

If you get a consistent crush from your local store, it's not a problem to buy a week or two in advance. However, I found that milling my own grain had more of a noticeable effect on my results because I could set and verify the gap on the mill once I got my own. Pre-crushed grain had variable extraction/efficiency for me, and I don't believe it was because of freshness or lack thereof.

 

You are right. They will absorb more moisture, because there is more surface area. That can affect efficiency (slack malt), but would also affect flavor. For Briess to say 6 months after milling is fine is pretty crazy IMO.

@pweis909 didn't notice any obvious flaws with 6 month old malt. That's not the same as saying the malt or the beer was just as fresh. Most of us (including @pweis909 I'm pretty sure) are striving for something more than just no obvious flaws. But some of us are happy to parrot anything sad by a salesman in a lab coat.

 

I thought @pweis909 was a quetzal in a lab coat.

 

LOL. I had to google quetzal. To be clear, I was not accusing @pweis909 of either being a salesman in a labcoat or of automatically believing them.

 

The comment "no obvious flaws" really was meant to imply that there was nothing that made me think it was stale. Perhaps fresher malts would have made the beer seem brighter, but I have no context for comparison. I don't think anyone should be kicking themselves and dumping their grain if it was milled and sat around for a while. It is probably not the best practice, it might prevent you from making great beer, but it won't prevent you from making good beer.

 

I do not wear my lab coat much anymore. I have minions who do that sort of work for me.

 

As you can see, I don't look anything like a quetzal.

 

I would focus on the crush not freshness when talking hours or days.