I was reminded of just how important it is to properly store grain malts as I did a bit of spring cleaning this past weekend. A section of my detached garage’s upper trim had separated from the roof to reveal a squirrel-sized gap, supplying the ideal opportunity for a small family of Sciurus niger to make a rather comfortable home for themselves in the rafters.
I store grain in the same garage, and there’s enough of it on hand to supply the nutritional needs of several growing squirrels until at least the next World Cup. Fortunately, the rodents hadn’t invaded my stash because I keep my malts in large, metal, Oscar-the-Grouch-style garbage cans with lids.
The enemies of grain malts are many:
- Light
- Heat
- Moisture
- Insects
- Small mammals
- Your brewing buddy who forgot to go to the homebrew store