Out Of Date Cans?

[domfergo]

Gday all

a local shop is currently flogging off old(05 dates) cans for 5 bucks.

the obvious is that these are no good but still wondering if anyone knew if they would be ok to use???

cheers

 

[BoilerBoy]

Probably not worth the risk for brewing,
but I have used them for yeast starters before without issue, so long as you discard most of the cf the spent contents prior to pitching.

Cheers
BB

 

[phonos]

I've used old cans in the past and generally haven't been happy with them. I did a coopers mexican cervesa that was past it's date and it ended up with a very high FG, was very dark and didn't taste right. I still drank it (and my brother in law seemed to like it) but In future I'd prefer to just pay the extra couple of dollars for a can which has plenty of time left.

 

[petesbrew]

When you consider an in-date farmland lager is only $2 more, I think it's a rort.

 

[Klemmstein]

I did some 3 year out of date Coopers once. Had an outer (6 cans in a carton). Simply forgot that I had them. :blink:
Brewed the lot before doing the taste test.....
Tasted like burnt vegemite, still, didn't throw 'em out, took a long time to drink tho. :lol:
Best pay the little bit extra and get 'in-date' ones.

Cheers

Sculler

 

[brettprevans]

if they were premuim cans then i'd say buy a couple and do some toucans. darker style would be more forgiving, I would think

 

[Hutch]

I reckon even cans close to their use-by date are still not that great. Time seems to significantly affect the content of cans (don't know the technical reason - oxidation? staling reactions? I dunno). It seems to increase the "sickly sweet" cloying effect, and really does not suit twocan brews all that well.
I did a coles farmland 2can several months ago, using a good ale yeast slurry and good temperature control, as a simple way to learn whether 2can brews were a viable "keg-filler" option. Both were just within useby, and the end result did not leave me with a great opinion of 2can brews.

To me this suggests that it is definitely worth spending the extra few $$ for a can as close to manufacture date as possible, and also stear clear of the supermarket-labelled brands if you can.

 

[andrewg]

I reckon even cans close to their use-by date are still not that great. Time seems to significantly affect the content of cans (don't know the technical reason - oxidation? staling reactions? I dunno). It seems to increase the "sickly sweet" cloying effect.

FWIW CraftBrewer Radio has an interesting discussion on this topic (extract twang & staling reactions) with John Palmer in their September#2,2006 program
The take home message is fresh is best with malt extract.
cheers
HStB

 

[monkeybusiness]

There are a number of old topics on this with people toying with the idea of buying out of date cans and the general consensus seems to be that it's not worth the time you are going to put into the brew.

I on the other hand made the mistake of buying a can that I didn't realise was out of date at a closing down sale (dated 2005! derr :blink: ) So Now I am stuck with it and don't want to just throw it out.

I like Boilerboy's suggestion of using it in a starter, but I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with steeeping some grain or even using an out of date can in a partial? Or is this just a waste of time too?

monkeybusiness

 

[Cracka]

I had a couple of cans that were given to me about 4 years ago :huh:

Australia bitter I think. I through it in the fermenter a few weeks ago & now its getting cold conditioned.

I say to you all HTFU, I'll take one for the team

Probably have a go at it over the weekend :icon_vomit: so will let you know next week how it went. If I'm still alive

 

[Kai]

Gday all

a local shop is currently flogging off old(05 dates) cans for 5 bucks.

the obvious is that these are no good but still wondering if anyone knew if they would be ok to use???

cheers

Sure, as a doorstop maybe.

Liquid malt extract ages poorly, fresh is most definitely best. I would also be concerned about the quality standards of any home brew shop that would willingly sell out-of-date cans.

 

[newguy]

I on the other hand made the mistake of buying a can that I didn't realise was out of date at a closing down sale (dated 2005! derr :blink: ) So Now I am stuck with it and don't want to just throw it out.

I like Boilerboy's suggestion of using it in a starter, but I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with steeeping some grain or even using an out of date can in a partial? Or is this just a waste of time too?

I'm an all grain brewer, but when I brew barleywines I always top up the kettle with a couple of tins of extract to get my OG that much higher. I've done this twice now and both times ended up with a really great barleywine. I can't say for certain how old the tins were, but I seem to remember that this last time they weren't fresh. If you use the cans as a source of secondary fermentables - simply to top up a batch - then any stale or off flavours would tend to be hidden.

Just my $.02.

 

[Cracka]

I had a couple of cans that were given to me about 4 years ago :huh:

Australia bitter I think. I through it in the fermenter a few weeks ago & now its getting cold conditioned.

I say to you all HTFU, I'll take one for the team

Probably have a go at it over the weekend :icon_vomit: so will let you know next week how it went. If I'm still alive

Had a go at this last night. Yer were right, fresh is best. I made myself drink 1 full glass before tipping 50L on the lawn, ( Neighbors of course in case it kills it ).

 

[petesbrew]

Had a go at this last night. Yer were right, fresh is best. I made myself drink 1 full glass before tipping 50L on the lawn, ( Neighbors of course in case it kills it ).

Is the neighbours lawn looking brown yet?

 

[Cracka]

Is the neighbours lawn looking brown yet?

Looks & smells like a heap of molasses was tiped out :lol: