Cans Expired In 2005?

[manticle]

I thought this forum was to promote making decent beers? Throw the shit out and get the freshest kit you can find. Everyone knows that a kit even half way through it's use by period is going to produce a poorer beer than a fresh one.

QldKev

It's also about learning what makes good beer and why. People often ask this question so if there's no health risk then why not find out? If the beer is woeful then the idea of buying fresh ingredients will be at the forefront of their minds from then on.

If people continually tell you that stale extract tastes a particular way then why not find out - a little bit like deliberately exposing yourself to off flavours and infections can help gain an understanding of beer faults.


Obviously if there's a helath risk then the above is entirely irrelevant.

 

[Peteoz77]

Oh Yeah.. DEFINITELY use a fresh yeast!

 

[manticle]

Just received a response from the Coopers brewery so to put to rest fears of stomach clutching diarrhea inducing botulinic ebola terror:

From: andrew ***** [mailto:manticle@***.com]
Sent: Sunday, 3 January 2010 12:19 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Homies: Micro-organisms in expired tins and food safety



Hi,

I frequent a homebrew forum and the question often comes up about using expired tins.

While I'm well aware that expired tins will likely produce a very inferior darker 'twangy' kit beer and wouldn't use or recommend using them on this basis, I'm unaware of which (if any) disease causing micro-organisms can be associated with out of date beer kits.

Are you able to provide me with any information on this?

Thankyou very much

Andrew


RE: Homies: Micro-organisms in expired tins and food safety‏
From: Frank Akers ([email protected])
Sent: Monday, 4 January 2010 2:54:34 AM
To: andrew **** (manticle@****.com)

Hello Andrew,



The contents of the can should still be safe to use for years after the Best Before has expired. But as you say, it will produce a very inferior beer so why bother?



Cheers,



Frank Akers

Home Brew Advisor

Coopers Brewery

Adelaide, SA



Toll free 1300 654 455







http://www.coopers.com.au

 

[bum]

Nice work, Manticle.

 

[Kai]

OK, So here's the GO. Canned kits are marked for sale within 2 YEARS.

I'm no microbiologist, but I reckon if there were no bugs in the can for 2 years.. there can't be in there after 4 years or even 14 years for that matter.

As glaab says, 10 year old peaches are fantastic, why not wort? I work in a home brew shop, and we discount kits that are expired, and they ALWAYS sell quickly.. with never a complaint.

I say 100% BREW IT! I think it will most likely make decent beer, and it won't hurt you in any way.

Let us know how it turns out.

Actualy, but a new kit exactly the same and brew it at the same time. Then taste test them side by side....

Or Not....

Three thoughts:

1. I've seen swollen cans of extract before which implies microbial growth but you're right that micro stability is not really a big reason to avoid old cans.
2. Discounted kits sell quickly with no complaint because there is still a proportion of homebrewers out there who brew to save a buck
3. Peaches ain't wort.

 

[rendo]

AlexA,

I initially thought NO WAY, but after reading all the posts from the guys....YOU GOTTA DO IT!!!

Get some fresh yeast and bung it on. I would have never have tried a toucan or several other things (eg brewing in winter, which makes the BEST lagers) if it wasnt for AHB.....so just DO IT

Then let us know how shyte it is...or NOT...

(still, spraying like a pelican had me in a hysterics....still laughing about it)

 

[riverside]

I thought this forum was to promote making decent beers? Throw the shit out and get the freshest kit you can find. Everyone knows that a kit even half way through it's use by period is going to produce a poorer beer than a fresh one.

QldKev

+1

 

[glaab]

there's some on here that think if it's their opinion then it is a fact. Darren said yesterday that anyone who uses US05 is lazy and has no perception of taste. That might be his opinion but it's hardly a fact. This forum is to promote making decent beers? hopefully that's a fact. You can't make decent beer from a can expired by 4yrs might, possibly, be a fact but "Peaches aint wort" is hardly proof. I've used a can of Coopers Traditional Bitter that was expired by a few months and it was fine. They were selling them at BigW
for $5 each because it is a deleted line now, I bought 4 and gave 2 away. The only comments that came back were that it was darker and more bitter than the usual cans of goo they bought[Coopers Lager]. A fresh can of that stuff was dark and bitter anyway. Now all go and throw out your S05 <_<

 

[ozshots]

Jeez guys,

curiosity killed the cat... I hope this won't happens to me

I think I will give it a try one day, just to see what happens...

Since food poisoning is unlikely, I should be able to tell you the story

 

[manticle]

See above email from Coopers mate.

Unlikely you'll make superb beer but you won't die.

 

[Kai]

there's some on here that think if it's their opinion then it is a fact. Darren said yesterday that anyone who uses US05 is lazy and has no perception of taste. That might be his opinion but it's hardly a fact. This forum is to promote making decent beers? hopefully that's a fact. You can't make decent beer from a can expired by 4yrs might, possibly, be a fact but "Peaches aint wort" is hardly proof. I've used a can of Coopers Traditional Bitter that was expired by a few months and it was fine. They were selling them at BigW
for $5 each because it is a deleted line now, I bought 4 and gave 2 away. The only comments that came back were that it was darker and more bitter than the usual cans of goo they bought[Coopers Lager]. A fresh can of that stuff was dark and bitter anyway. Now all go and throw out your S05 <_<

I'm sorry, it's my opinion that you're unlikely to make a good beer from a really old can of extract.

It's a fact that peaches ain't wort though. They age in fundamentally different ways because they are fundamentally different (canned) things.

It was a silly comparison in the first place (in my opinion).

 

[LLoyd]

I'm sorry, it's my opinion that you're unlikely to make a good beer from a really old can of extract.

It's a fact that peaches ain't wort though. They age in fundamentally different ways because they are fundamentally different (canned) things.

It was a silly comparison in the first place (in my opinion).

Yeah just cos there's no (or little) microbiological risk does not make it a good beer...
Here's my "Yeah but" though ...
One/ I love a real experiment that has a real risk of not matching my hypothosis
Two/ I'm that broke at the moment that not only am I planning a non-AG brew this weekend I would happily accept a freebie tin of five year old kit goo.....

 

[ozshots]

Nearly a year later I'd remebered to post the results of experiment with the old beer kits...

The beer turned out to be much darker comared to original. Apart from the unexpected color, it was nice!
Not outstanding, but perfectly drinkable.

 

[Nevalicious]

Nearly a year later I'd remebered to post the results of experiment with the old beer kits...

The beer turned out to be much darker comared to original. Apart from the unexpected color, it was nice!
Not outstanding, but perfectly drinkable.

So Alex, I missed this thread at the start of the year, but reading through it got me curious...

So, it turned out nice huh??

What'd you end up doing with the tins...?? Straight up cheapo toucan or addtional hops/LDM etc... Obviously fresh yeast yeah.

Cheers

 

[Boondy]

My two bobs worth: I recently got back in to brewing after year or two off. I have quite a few old kits, and started out using them up first. I tried to freshen them up with some grain (mainly crystal) and fresh hops. Bottom line is that since I stopped using the old kits and got back into extract brewing with fresh ingredients, my beers have been a heap better. The old kits produced reasonable beer with the 'freshen up', and I didn't get crook or anything like that, but it was still not a patch on fresh extract brewing. So in the end I still have some out of date kits that just keep on getting older. Might brew them up for a party or something!

 

[Nevalicious]

My two bobs worth: I recently got back in to brewing after year or two off. I have quite a few old kits, and started out using them up first. I tried to freshen them up with some grain (mainly crystal) and fresh hops. Bottom line is that since I stopped using the old kits and got back into extract brewing with fresh ingredients, my beers have been a heap better. The old kits produced reasonable beer with the 'freshen up', and I didn't get crook or anything like that, but it was still not a patch on fresh extract brewing. So in the end I still have some out of date kits that just keep on getting older. Might brew them up for a party or something!

Wait a few more years then make them up :lol:

 

[Boondy]

Good thinking, Nev....and maybe invite the outlaws around to do the job on them....

 

[Nevalicious]

Good thinking, Nev....and maybe invite the outlaws around to do the job on them....

Yeah, and my Brother in law. He will drink just about anything!!

 

[Boondy]

maybe your need is greater than mine....
I reckon I might have one that expired in 2002 that I might be able to send you........ for a modest fee :icon_chickcheers:
Oh, do you reckon we're getting a little off topic :icon_offtopic: