Shelf Life

[Griffo]

I have a question about the shelf life of beer kits, yeast and grain. I have some lying around that I bought to make an Australian Pale Ale, that is at least 12 months old. Can I use it or should I toss it?

Griffio

 

[bradmcm]

Describe what you have in a bit more detail. "Beer kit" covers a lot. Do you mean a can of hopped liquid malt? Has the grain been crushed? Has the yeast been stored in the fridge?

 

[An Ankoù]

It depends how the grain has been stored. If it's been kept dry and not too hot, it should be ok. If it's dry yeast in unopened packets then that should be ok, too. Hops might be ok if they haven't been opened, but are more vulnerable to deterioration. If they've been frozen or kept in the fridge, you could well be in with a chance.
Chew a bit of your grain. If it tastes good, it probably is good. If not then it won't improve by mashing it.
The recommended shelf life of a sack of properly stored grain is around 2 years, and you can still use it after that time.
So all being well, give it a go, but be prepared to change the hops. If they don't smell like fresh hops then ditch them and use some fresh ones.

 

[livo]

If it's a can, it will have a use by date. Old cans don't work well in my experience. Yeast should have a packed date, and it will depend upon storage temperature. Grain might be good to make moonshine.

 

[Griffo]

It depends how the grain has been stored. If it's been kept dry and not too hot, it should be ok. If it's dry yeast in unopened packets then that should be ok, too. Hops might be ok if they haven't been opened, but are more vulnerable to deterioration. If they've been frozen or kept in the fridge, you could well be in with a chance.
Chew a bit of your grain. If it tastes good, it probably is good. If not then it won't improve by mashing it.
The recommended shelf life of a sack of properly stored grain is around 2 years, and you can still use it after that time.
So all being well, give it a go, but be prepared to change the hops. If they don't smell like fresh hops then ditch them and use some fresh ones.

Thanks. It's all unopened and been kept in a dry place, back of the garage. So might give it a go!

 

[Hangover68]

I had a cascade kit can that was about 10 years old, yeast wasn't usable but the extract was fine.