5 year old brew kits

[Gagunga]

I purchased some brew making equipment and it came with 3 unopened beer kits that are approx. 5 yrs old. Should I discard them all or are some ingredients salvagable? Each has lme/dme's, priming sugar, yeast, hopps, grains. All three kits are in pristine shape. No container bloating etc... thanks for your help

 

[cubalz]

Yes, you can still use them. The only real ill affect to the LME and DME is darkening from age which will make your finished product a little darker but still taste ok. The specialty grains should fine but may be stale depending on how they were packed in the kit. You need to throw out the hops and yeast and buy fresh.

 

[madscientist451]

Go ahead and try one with some new hops/yeast and see if you like it. I'd be tempted to experiment with the old yeast, and make a starter just to see how long dried yeasts will last, but a new pack of yeast is pretty cheap. You could always just use the extract to make starters.

 

[cobrem]

Short answer - yes, discard. I can't imagine that you would be happy with the end result. The grains, especially if crushed, will probably be rancid. The lme probably wouldn't fare much better. I recommend starting with fresh ingredients.

 

[kh54s10]

Personally I would throw most of it away. The only thing I would keep would be the priming sugar. If you want to experiment with the malt extracts you could, but the cost of hops, specialty grains and yeast would keep me from doing it for what is going to be a questionable result. And, IMO, the likelihood of getting something good is slim.

 

[AJinJacksonville]

IMHO, I would toss it and start fresh. If your brew days are anything like mine (time-wise), I would hate to waste the time, water, wort chiller water, etc. on ingredients that have aged as long as they have. I agree with keeping the priming sugar though...possibly the only thing that would have kept its shelf life intact.

 

[BugEyedValiant]

I brewed a Brewer's Best kit that was a few years old. Brewed it as per directions and it's not good. It is an ESB, yeast didn't work, has a black licorice flavor, and hop aroma isn't there. I refuse to throw the beer away so I have been slowly drinking it. LME cans were dated 2015 and I think the yeast was older than that. I'm not sure if the old hops or LME caused the issue, but it ended up being a big waste of my time.

 

[bilder]

If the LME is pre-hopped, I would be worried. I have brewed with old kits before and the unhopped LME made a decent beer, but the hopped LME was horrible.

I would toss the grains and hops. The LME and DME may be useful, although they will darken with age. The yeast may or may not be good. You can choose to toss or attempt to rehydrate it and see if it wakes up.

Worst thing that could happen is that you waste some time making funky beer. I would make something with good ingredients and drink that while experimenting with the old stuff.

 

[Calder]

Extract is probably OK. Grains may be OK; depends how they are packaged.

Toss the hops.

Yeast may be OK, dry yeast lasts a long time, but not worth the risk. Use it as nutrient for yeast and toss a packet in the boil of your next 3 batches.

What are the kits? What extract is there?

I think I would use it, but would not put too much time or money into it. Make a Stout or Porter with some fresh grains, and minimal hops, use part of the cake from another batch for yeast.

 

[Bilsch]

I'd use the extract for making starters and pitch the rest.

 

[Jim311]

I don't see what you have to lose by just brewing the kits. So what if they suck, just trash the beer if they do. I'd probably get some fresh yeast tho.

 

[steveoatley]

Brew it !!!

I had a similar "test" batch I brewed.
Friend of my wife, bought a new house... Found some brewing 'stuff '
in the attached garage. ( 4 years old when given to me )
1 - wine kit
1- beer kit
1- 6.5 gal carboy...etc. some caps/corks a capper....

I cleaned the Carboy - and
I immediately poured the wine kit into it, sprinkled in the yeast... and away we go. ( I told No one, I was going to make the wine.... )

Flash forward about 8 months - fermented & bottled up
I crack that wine open for same group of friends.... They loved it

"Hey thanks for the Glass carboy, they can be expensive !
Have some wine i made !"
"Oh, my this isn't the wine kit we gave you?! That would have to be bad !!"
"Of course it's not, I dumped that down the drain....
This is just a batch I had ready to drink, enjoy ! "

No one died from my wine...... Safe Food Packaging processes let that Bag Of Juice
sit in an attached garage ( think Michigan winters & Michigan Summers ) for
4 years......and it still turned out Pretty Dang Good !!

I'll tell you how i took the Cans of Malt Extract and won an award for an Irish Red - outta the beer kit that sat in that same Garage for 4 yrs...

But that's a story for another time

my 2 cents
Steve
Post Script - I always test my Beers & Wine on MYself first
before I infect the general public - if it had turned out bad.... i would have poured it out ! Promise

 

[Gagunga]

Thanks for all your helpful replies! Man, such varied advice! I think I'm going to ditch the hops and brew anyways with fresh hops. I guess I have nothing to lose, except time and my dignity. Both have been lost before! When I get around to making the brews, I'll keep this thread updated with the results, with pictures. Crossing my fingers..