Should I use out of date kit extract

[David Woods]

Hi All, with the help of some very kind members here I am about to start on my all grain journey with an all in one.

Thing is I find I have a couple of Munton's Pilsner kits which are a year over use by - 5/22. They have been kept in a cool dark place and being ever so slightly tight I wondered if it would be OK to use the up extract on a kit brew. I wouldn't use the yeast anyway and would buy fresh but just wondered if it's worth it and has anyone experience with using up old kit extract.

I plan to dry hop too and I have some out of date hops which have been in the freezer - chuck them or use them!.

Will be starting all grain soon. Any help would be great.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Rwilts]

Guess you will be fine, good idea to replace the yeast.
And given its a pislner any fading of the malt flavour will have minimal impact

 

[Pavros]

I would use them with a change of yeast. Just remember that the finished beer will look darker than expected as extract darkens with age. Taste won't be affected

 

[Cwrw666]

I was given an out of date Tiny Rebel Cwtch kit once but I made it up anyway . IT WAS FOUL

 

[Slid]

I was given an out of date Tiny Rebel Cwtch kit once but I made it up anyway . IT WAS FOUL

I guess the advice (to the OP) should thus be to make his kit with new yeast and chuck it away if it tastes bad!

 

[MashBag]

++ will be OK. Change the yeast.

 

[jeremy Hall]

I would use them with a change of yeast. Just remember that the finished beer will look darker than expected as extract darkens with age. Taste won't be affected

All my brews have been out of date this year, some by up to a year. They have all come out dark but have all been really good to drink. I'm doing my first in date brew for the year this week!

 

[crescent city Mike]

When you open the extract, look to see if it has darkened and smell it to find if it's soured. The smell test is probably the one to heed.

 

[jeremy Hall]

Plus I would be happier with an out of date can than an out of date plastic pouch.

 

[Python15]

I'm about to do exactly as Dave has done with a Youngs Harvest Bitter kit dated Jan '23. I'll use new yeast and let you know how I get on (if I survive)!

 

[MashBag]

You will be fine.

I have long suspected bbe dates have NOTHING to do with product freshness. It's either liability or a way to shift more stuff.

 

[Python15]

Well, it's started now. The contents smelled pretty normal and I used a new ale yeast.

 

[jeremy Hall]

I'm about to do exactly as Dave has done with a Youngs Harvest Bitter kit dated Jan '23. I'll use new yeast and let you know how I get on (if I survive)!

Will be interested to know what it tastes like as I'll probably be doing some of those next year.

 

[rybinss]

I found a 6 month OOD mangrove jacks American pale lurking in the cupboard I forgot about. Made up and used SO5. Wort was darker than I expected. ah well, American red it is then

 

[Kit-brewer]

Did a 2 year out of date Wilk chocomeister kit earlier this year. Totally fine.

 

[MashBag]

Will be interested to know what it tastes like as I'll probably be doing some of those next year.

 

[LeeH]

I was given an out of date Tiny Rebel Cwtch kit once but I made it up anyway . IT WAS FOUL

Was it a dead duck?

 

[peebee]

If it was deceased poultry, I presume the brewing kit it was made in was written off. If it tasted like deceased poultry I guess there's something wrong with @Cwrw666's sense of smell that let him get it in his mouth?

But are we talking about (one) out-of-date beer kit tasting fowl-like, or are we (two) referring to Tiny Rebel beer kits tasting like deceased fowl?

(What's "Cwtch"; Koot .. tik ..er? (Koot ... heker?) ... Cor! If that word's meant to be Welsh, I'm an Englishman. If they can't spell or like to fabricate words in alien languages, I'll plump for option "two"). (Err, I think you've just un-necessarily confused dozens of forumites).

 

[Python15]

I would hazard a guess at cootch maybe but it's not my style of gaelic.

Apologies, I have just noticed that you are indeed of that type of gaelic so you would know far better than I.

 

[peebee]

Celtic, not Gaelic. But you hi-lighted the problem ... a Celt cannot (has no need to) pronounce "tch". So, you can't say "tch", now try and say "Cwtch"!

I just get irritated seeing the word slapped on beer bottles. But it's not as irritating as not being able to speak the language anyway! Me Mum never taught me. So, I vent me frustration on picking fault with the likes of "cwtch".

In North Wales some of the conundrum is relieved by spelling it "cwtsh", but that ain't right really.