Is my kit too old to use?

[Alan S.]

I have a kit that I purchased in February of 2015. It has been sitting in a closet in darkness and a temp of 65 to 72 degrees. It is their American Honey Pale Ale. All of the contents of the kit are vacuum sealed except the steeping grains. I would be getting fresh yeast. Is it still ok to brew?

 

[RPh_Guy]

It probably won't taste very good. I've brewed with old kits; the old ingredients definitely affect the flavor and not in a good way.

I would start with fresh ingredients.

 

[firerat]

I would at very least get fresh steeping grains.

 

[rburrelli]

I have a kit that I purchased in February of 2015. It has been sitting in a closet in darkness and a temp of 65 to 72 degrees. It is their American Honey Pale Ale. All of the contents of the kit are vacuum sealed except the steeping grains. I would be getting fresh yeast. Is it still ok to brew?

“Life is too short to drink bad beer.”

 

[Alex4mula]

Kits are cheap. Why waste time and effort in a beer with high chances of not being good?

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Welcome to the forum, Alan. If it was a year old I’d say go for it, is it dry extract or is it liquid? Open the grains see how the aroma is. If it is liquid I would get a new kit. If not you could brew it and have the experience. Some people make mistakes on the first one but it may still be drinkable. This old kit you might not make big mistakes and do the process correctly and you might not have an enjoyable beer. Either way you get another kit, to give brewing a fair shake.

Good fresh ingredients make good beer.

 

[Bubbles2]

I'd brew it. Just would not buy 9.00 yeast, I'd use a SAF 05 or 04 if you can keep it cool enough for ferment.

 

[IslandLizard]

Dry malt extract should be totally fine. Liquid malt extract, maybe, I'd taste it first. If it's become very dark, probably best to toss it.

I'd be more worried about the hops, their aging largely depending on how they're packaged and stored. Ideally they really should have been cold stored (freezer preferred). But vacuum packed or Nitrogen flushed they may be OK. If they smell cheesy (Parmesan, feet), do not use.

 

[Alan S.]

Thanks for your comments and advise. I think I will toss it in the trash.

 

[CJ-3]

I brewed an 8 year old extract batch to see what would happen. I did get fresh hops and fresh yeast. It came out much darker than expected due to the age of the LME but it was a surprisingly good beer.

 

[mongoose33]

I personally wouldn't brew it, though it could make an interesting experiment.

If it has dried malt extract (DME) that should be ok. I'd keep that, use it for making starters when the time comes.....

 

[smata67]

Check out the single hop experiment kit thread in Homebrewing Deals, complete kits are frequently available in the $16-$18 range.

 

[odie]

Brew it. Do it. It don't cost you a dime except a new pack of yeast.

 

[kh54s10]

Brew it. Do it. It don't cost you a dime except a new pack of yeast.

I would think the OP already made up his mind. I would brew it if I didn't put any more money into it, even yeast. For that I would pitch on harvested yeast. Out of pocket, only $$ = the original purchase and energy for the fermentation chamber.

 

[smata67]

Ultimately, only you can determine if your kit is too old to use. Although some people might want to consult with their physician for a second opinion. Hard to believe 14 posts and no smart aleck comments on this doozy.