Grain issue

[abluto]

I opened a sack of Baird's Maris Otter today and at the top of the grain was a moist and moldy mass of grain that smelled sour. I scooped it out and threw it away, along with some of the grain surrounding it. At first I thought I could just use the rest of the sack because it smelled and looked fine, but now I am reconsidering. By the way, it was only about a 1/2 pound of the grain that was moldy.

What would you do?

[a10t2]

It's your supplier's problem. They should be crediting your account, or shipping you a replacement if you need it urgently. There's no reason at all for you to risk brewing with it.

[liammckenna]

It's your supplier's problem. They should be crediting your account, or shipping you a replacement if you need it urgently. There's no reason at all for you to risk brewing with it.

It's your problem too.

If you're lucky, you'll merely add a little natural lactic acid.

If you're not lucky, you'll add a mold taint flavour/aroma. Even worse, many species of molds are known to induce gushing in bottles (Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., etc.). Worse yet, these molds produce thermostabile mycotoxins which survive the brewing process. Some of these will affect yeast health, some of them (like aflatoxin) are very dangerous (cancer inducing in humans, more immediately deadly in animals). The EBC sets low ppb limits on aflatoxin in barley for this reason.

I certainly wouldn't brew with it. I would throw it out. I wouldn't feed it to animals.

Pax.

Liam

[troybinso]

I wouldn't use it. Put it out with the spent grains, the cows won't mind.

[Tash]

Wet bag?

Bairds is in a nylon woven bag with a platic liner. We know the bag is a long way from home...and if the malt was moist around the mold was it wet due to something being spilled on it. Or was there a wet clump in the bag when it was packaged and possibly pulling moisture from surrounding malt? Whenever there is something suspect in your malt take a picture of it and send it to your supplier...and voice your displeasure of seeing such things.

[liammckenna]

Bairds is in a nylon woven bag with a platic liner. We know the bag is a long way from home...and if the malt was moist around the mold was it wet due to something being spilled on it. Or was there a wet clump in the bag when it was packaged and possibly pulling moisture from surrounding malt? Whenever there is something suspect in your malt take a picture of it and send it to your supplier...and voice your displeasure of seeing such things.

My Baird's comes with no inner liner. When we have encountered this sort of thing, it usually relates to unloading a shipment of malt in the rain/wet/snow.

Don't use it. DOn't feed it to your farmers animals either. Either bury it, send it to the dump or give it to your farmer for his/her manure pile.

Pax.

Liam

[Shortbus901]

We had this exact thing in a bag of Crisp C60 recently. It went to the dumpster.

[nateo]

FYI, this would be an example of abnormal spoilage. You recognize it as an expense when it is discovered and the cost does not go into your COGS. It should show up as a separate line item period cost on your income statement, labeled 'Loss from Abnormal Spoilage' (or something similar).