i was planning on brewing but was not able to . How long will crushed grains keep? I have them in a bucket with an air tight lid.
Don't worry about it. Some will say that crushed grains are good for a year or more. Which is true enough...you can still make beer with them. Though I wouldn't. But a week or two shouldn't be a big problem.
I've had crushed grains for as much as four months and did not notice any detectable differences with the finished product ("life" happened, it's not a regular procedure of mine to keep them that long). If you keep them sealed, dry, and at a reasonable temperature, they will be fine. I don't think I'd push it a full year, if for no other reason than that would simply be silly.
Why OUT of the fridge? I have a bag of crushed grains in the fridge right now because I couldn't brew it when I wanted.
I kept them for 6 months, in plastic bags, in a cool dry spot. In my current home, which is cool and damp, I would be reluctant.
I told my friend, don't buy and crush grain til your ready to brew. How long can you store crushed grains? probably forever but will your efficiency be sacrificed? Why bother trying to test that. When you wanna brew. buy your grains,yeast,hops etc, in a timely manner for when your going to brew. I have a lot of hops. they are in the freezer. I have grains, they are uncrushed in sealed containers. I have yeasts. In the fridge. They will be viable at brewday. Hands down. Really. don't test it, just get the stuff when your ready to brew.
Kids are the main culprit. Just happened to me this weekend. Got the grains and yeast on friday. Yesterday all hell broke lose....another weekend I guess.