Out Of Date Cans

[cal4589]

Gday.

Another amateur question!

Got given a heap of old cans, sugar, and a couple brewing tubs from a mate. Including:

1 can original series coopers lager - best before date 30/3/2008
1 can thomas coopers premium selection sparkling ale - best before date 10/3/2008
1 can thomas coopers premium selection irish stout - best before date 9/1/2008
(The cans all have the yeast under the lids)

1 can thomas coopers premium light malt extract - no best before date but bought in 2008

500g coopers light dry malt bought in 2008
carbonation drops bought in 2008
1kg coopers dextrose bought in 2008
1kg coopers brewing sugar bought in 2008

I have no idea how any of this stuff was stored over the last 2 years, i doubt my mate does either. I have the extra brewing tubs and a few days off. Is it worth chuckin a couple of brews together and seeing how they go? If so, will the yeast be alright? Let me know if I would be wasting my time.

Cheers

Cal.

 

[petesbrew]

I'd say do this:

Give the couple brewing tubs a good cleanout & sterilise before using.

Toucan stout
1 can thomas coopers premium selection irish stout - best before date 9/1/2008
1 can original series coopers lager - best before date 30/3/2008
500g coopers light dry malt bought in 2008

Sparkling Ale
1 can thomas coopers premium selection sparkling ale - best before date 10/3/2008
1 can thomas coopers premium light malt extract - no best before date but bought in 2008

Use these for priming bottles:
carbonation drops bought in 2008
1kg coopers dextrose bought in 2008
1kg coopers brewing sugar bought in 2008

Always worth a shot.

 

[Peteoz77]

The yeasts may be out of date, so I would get a couple of cheap extra yeasts. Otherwise make them up!

 

[the_yobbo]

I was under the impression (not sure why) that the use by dates on the cans are more indicative of the yeast's expiry rather than the canned concentrate itself. Get some fresh/er yeast and brew away would be my recommendation.

Edit: Ninja'd by Pete

 

[cal4589]

Would it matter what yeast I got? I've always used whatever was on the can.

I don't have a brewing fridge and my brews stay between 18 and 24 degrees.

 

[petesbrew]

Would it matter what yeast I got? I've always used whatever was on the can.

I don't have a brewing fridge and my brews stay between 18 and 24 degrees.

Perfect temps for those beers.

Honestly, you could go to the Homebrew shop and grab some better safale yeast (S-04 in the stout, and US-05 in the sparkling ale), and it'd probably help.
But then again, the kits are out of date anyway so why bother, and I reckon the yeast supplied will still go okay.
Use 2 yeasts for the stout, but be prepared for a lot of mess out of the airlock - don't brew over carpet.

 

[chris.taylor.98]

I have tried brewing with out of date cans that someone gave to me ( probably > 4 years old ) and it came out horribly oxidized and tasting metallic.

Personally if you are going to go to the trouble to spend your time and effort on this activity, then think it is worth your while getting better quality ingredients.

 

[NDH]

A mate of mine has just put a 1999 Tooheys can on a US-05 yeast cake and it started bubbling within an hour. As for flavour it doesn't taste great out of the fermenter, similar metallic sort of taste. Considering it was all free though its probably worth it just to see what happens, I'd suggest grabbing a US-05 and giving it a go.

Make sure you give those fermenters a good soak in some kind of cleaning solution. Especially the tap threads, I got a fermenter off a mate and he'd never cleaned the thread, when I eventually broke the seal it was green on both the tap thread and the thread on the fermenter. I don't know how he didn't get huge infections.

Happy brewing,

NDH

 

[petesbrew]

A mate of mine has just put a 1999 Tooheys can on a US-05 yeast cake and it started bubbling within an hour. As for flavour it doesn't taste great out of the fermenter, similar metallic sort of taste. Considering it was all free though its probably worth it just to see what happens, I'd suggest grabbing a US-05 and giving it a go.

Make sure you give those fermenters a good soak in some kind of cleaning solution. Especially the tap threads, I got a fermenter off a mate and he'd never cleaned the thread, when I eventually broke the seal it was green on both the tap thread and the thread on the fermenter. I don't know how he didn't get huge infections.

Happy brewing,

NDH

1999, Wow. That's just plain awesome.

 

[NDH]

I'll hold judgement till its finished. Might be something to keg and have a few mates round to get rid of.

 

[zoidbergmerc]

I got a couple of aussie Pale cans free the other day because they were out of date (expired 2004)

I brewed that up with some left over Dex I had ~300g along with 5g Nelson Hops dry hopped in there. It turned out fine.