My LHBS started to purchase 55 lb. DME containers and repackage it into zip lock bags.
I don’t like this as I don’t believe it to be as sanitary as the manufacturers processes.
It also exposes the DME to the environment (oxidation?).
Is there that much cost savings as opposed to just selling the manufacturers 1lb and 3lb bags?
That’s a common practice, especially with larger shops, although most heat seal the bags they package it in. The cost of buying in bulk is considerably lower. Whether some of the savings is reflected in your cost is another question. DME is very shelf stable, so if it wasn’t exposed to humid conditions or stored in an unsealed container, it should be fine.
Sanitation is not an issue. If they keep it dry it should be fine. As you mentioned in another thread it is hygroscopic so if it is being filled and a substatial amount of moisture is present then it may cause a problem. If not then it is probably pretty shelf stable.
It’s probably a huge cost savings for the LHBS. As would be repacking grain from 50 or 55 lb sacks.
Personally, if you are that concerned about it why not consider going All Grain? Way cheaper and much better control.
I do all grain and extract and partial mash, etc…
I just don’t trust it and won’t buy it from them again, something about them handling it doesn’t sit well with me. (As opposed to a sanitary machine packaged product.)
Do you buy all your grain by the full sack? How is repackaged DME different than repackaged grain?
Uncrushed grain isn’t a readily consumable food product.
There is no sanitation concern. I’ve been buying repackaged DME for over 20 years. DME has nothing that can be oxidized. Your concerns are not warranted.
I would adjust your statement to “Uncrushed grain is not a generally, desirable consumable food product”.
By that, I mean that you can readily eat malted, uncrushed grain and many people (including me) do in order to evaluate flavor profiles and such. The husk materials would deter most people from sitting down to a full bowl for breakfast though. Your digestive system can process it with no real issues, just like any other grain product.
I know it’s kinda of nit-picky and I don’t mean to start a fight, no offense is intended.
As for DME, I agree that as long as it is handled in a clean, sanitary environment and sealed from moisture uptake, it should be shelf stable for very long timeframes.
The biggest concern for me would be the accuracy of the packing measurements. I don’t mind getting 1.1lbs but might be a bit unhappy if I consistently received .9lbs when paying for 1lb.
Paul
I have concerns about weight measure also.
I guess the question is would you rather eat a bowl full of malted uncrushed barley that the guy at the LHBS sneezed and coughed into or a bowl of DME that the guy at the LHBS picked his nose into?
A DME packaging machine at a malt plant doesn’t do those things and the folks who work there must wear masks and suits etc… because it’s a food product.
Does your local LHBS guy wear a mask and wash their hands when he’s repackaging the DME? Or does he drop 5 lbs on the floor and push it back into his sandwich bag that then sits on his shelf for months?
AFAIK - LHBS aren’t license and controlled / inspected repackaging facilities.
Many, many products we use are repackaged from bulk. Grain, hops, minerals, additives, etc. I imagine DME is no exception.
It wouldn’t surprise me if one division of a mfr (Briess, Munton’s, etc) receives bulk packages of DME from another division in the company and repackages it. Many online vendors (More Beer, Northern Brewer, etc) do it. …the same way your LHBS does.
I would recommend they repackage under vacuum in airtight packaging to eliminate moisture so they don’t end up with solid DME bricks.
True, but there’s a difference between DME being re-packaged in a process controlled and inspected factility vs. some guy in the back room of an LHBS who is held to no standard but his own.
But you have no issues with them doing that to grains? Pretty much the same process.
Let’s keep in mind we are discussing a product that is generally going to be boiled for more than 10 minutes during it’s use.
I may be naïve but I don’t generally assume the proprietor of my LHBS is doing anything willful to hurt their customers. I assume they try to produce products that they would like to buy if the roles were reversed. Could some level of contamination be introduced? Sure. But being licensed and inspected doesn’t prevent that either. Don’t ever look into hotdog and sausage production or restaurants if you don’t want to see egregious violations of inspection rules.
Your uncrushed, malted, grain probably had numerous uninvited visitors, with 4 or 6 legs, on it prior to the manufacturer getting it in to a bag. I don’t mean to be gross or scare people but farms are dirty places. Factory equipment can get contaminated and workers can make mistakes or take shortcuts. It’s a question of how hard you want to think about it. While risks will always exist, they are generally minimal.
Unless you have had a bad experience with contaminated DME this seems like something that doesn’t pose much of a risk in my opinion.
YMMV
Paul
They sell me a sack of grain, which was filled by a machine at a malting plant. Again, uncrushed malted barley is not a readily consumable food product.
Are you brewing with DME or making maltec milkshakes? First example gets boiled, second does not.
Oh prior to the malting process grain is as dirty as it gets. Even after the malting process it’s still dirty.
It’s a matter of trust. I don’t trust them. Imagine ordering online and receiving a zip lock bag of DME. That’s scary.
Let me give you some of my DME, I’ll be sure to cough on it, spit in it, pick my nose it, sneeze on it, you can brew with that and then I’ll watch as you drink the beer. That’s cool if you’re ok with that.
So much here. My only concern would be the the moisture issue, which would be obvious. I just don’t see the problem comparted to other food packaging, in fact DME gets boiled so there is no problem.
Do you ever buy things from a grocery store deli? What about all the things in a store that they buy in bulk and sell as their store brand in plastic containers, many of them ready to eat salads and such. Have you ever eaten in a restaurant? Bought self serve bulk nuts, grains, flour etc. in a store? Do you eat vegetables?
Apart from the hundreds of examples of more problematic packaging than this I could go on with, I think you have misplaced confidence in the larger corporations. The U.S. has less and less food safety enforcement. I would have much more confidence that my LHBS would safely package DME than General Mills would scrupulously make sure there are less than X amount of mouse turds in your corn flakes.
I brew all grsinsnd know that there are many different microbes on the husks, boiling takes care that.
How many bug parts do you eat daily in processed food. FDA has has guidelines on how much. IIRC your jar of peanut butter can have 6 bug parts.
That’s correct, my previous post agrees, but I still don’t trust the zip lock bag of DME at the LHBS.