brewing using old ingredients

[jm21]

So I got into brewing a bit and then kind of fizzled as better beers became available where I live (southern china). Have several co-workers who are interested in making beer now though and was thinking to host a brew day to share my very limited knowledge and try to make some beer.

Problem is everything I have is pretty old. Probably 1.5 years old. Yeast and hops have been refrigerated the whole time but my grains have not. Yeast I have is the safale s05. Everything is in unopened packages.

I would want to make an APA or IPA probably.

My original thinking is just to increase the amounts of yeast and hops a little bit but I don't really know anything about it, hence the post here.

 

[grampamark]

If your grains are whole, and have stayed dry and free of insects, they will be fine. The hops will probably have lost much of their flavor and aroma. Dry yeast, kept in the fridge, will probably be viable, but I’d suggest over pitching just to be on the safe side.

About a year ago I took stock of the miscellaneous leftover ingredients I had on hand and decided I could make a 2.5 gal batch of wheat ale. My grains had been crushed but were double wrapped and inside a plastic bag. There wasn't a lot of flavor to the grain but I thought it was worth a try.

I ended up making what could be described as the Busch Light of wheat ales. The Wyeast smack pack, 18 months past it's due date, never took off and I had to repitch, but the hops had just enough bittering left to offset the remaining sweetness in the grain. The beer was cold and fizzy but pretty flavorless.

I'm sure you will end up with beer. It probably won't be remarkably good but it will be beer.

 

[Sadu]

Have a taste of the grains. If they are soft and stale, that is not ideal. If they have a bit of crunch that is good.
I've done a few brews with stale ingredients lately. They come out OK, very drinkable but nothing exciting. Just don't pop with flavour the same way as fresh ingredients.

 

[eadavis80]

You have the ingredients so all you really have to lose is time if the beer sucks. Odds are, it will turn out to be at least decent. NB says crushed grains are good for 6 months as long as they're stored cool n' dry, so I'm not sure what 1.5 years would be like (especially if the grains are crushed), but, like I said, you'll probably have FUN on brew day and in the end - that's what matters. If the beers turns out to be bad, oh well. You still had a brew day and those are always fun.

 

[RM-MN]

Whole grains kept dry will be the same as when you bought them. Moisture is the enemy. Smell them first and if they smell good, taste them. Still good? Brew with them. I've brewed with base malt that was 2 years from when I bought it and some of the caramel or specialty grains were probably 3 to 5 years old.

 

[rodwha]

Hops should be stored in the freezer for long term keeping (I do regardless).

 

[jm21]

my freezer is extremely tiny...but I guess I should have made room.

The grains were whole and in unopened plastic packaging.

I will probably do as I have previously and use the no-chill method....I'm guessing the hops will be similar for bittering but when I dry hop I should increase the amount? Is it pretty easy to tell from the smell how much they've deteriorated? Or is it something our feeble human senses can't detect?

 

[ebbelwoi]

Do you have a bathtub? It works pretty well for chilling wort, if your kettle fits.

 

[jm21]

Went through all sorts of options before and the no-chill method is just so much easier given my location and apartment. No bathtub, hard to get ice or make it, ground water has a high temp. Getting it down past like 40c or so is really hard using traditional methods. A little bit easier now that it's winter but not that much. Almost December and still use the AC. Last batch I made especially had some really good results for an IPA. Not particularly bitter but with great floral/fruity/hoppy flavors, which is what I'm into right now. Might use more Chinook and less Citra for dry-hopping or something but I was pretty pleased with the last batch. Just went on vacation for 2 months and when I got back one of the local supermarkets started carrying American microbrews and I got lazy.