BeerBorg

I have taken a break from brewing for a couple of years and have a couple of Midwest brewing kits that I never used. I
Does anyone know how long the liquid malt extract lasts?

I am trying to get back into brewing and figured as long as it doesn't turn poisonous I will do one this weekend.

radonc73 wrote:I have taken a break from brewing for a couple of years and have a couple of Midwest brewing kits that I never used. I
Does anyone know how long the liquid malt extract lasts?

I am trying to get back into brewing and figured as long as it doesn't turn poisonous I will do one this weekend.

I think if it is still sealed and stored in a cool area, it will be good to use. It will most likely come out darker as that will happen with older LME but I wouldn't worry about it being poisonous. My wife bought me a 5 gal kit at a yard sale once and that was a coulple years old and it made beer, might not be the best but still came out good beer.

like my pappy used to say; the fresher the better.

i wouldn't use old LME no matter how it was stored unless i had a hankering for some extract twang ...

I had an answer stated, but reread your post and saw that it's a Midwest kit.

So I have some questions.

Before I ak my questions, I'll agree that it'll be darker than originally designed, and will have more of the extract twang. It will also likely not ferment as well.

You'll also need to use different yeast.

What kind of kit is it?

What kind of container is the extract in?

Is the extract prehopped? If not, you'll need to replace the hops.

How/where was it stored?

It's a Hanks Hefe kit. I stored it in my basement. Not much light down where it was. I think it was all vacuum sealed. I haven't even opened the box because I know if I had to toss it it would make me sad. My LHBS isn't in business anymore, but I can drive a little further to get new yeast and hops. U really loved the process so I am trying to get back into it and figured I would start at home since I have it on hand.

radonc73 wrote:It's a Hanks Hefe kit.

I have brewed that kit quite a few times in extract also, (I like wheat beers and Hefs) You could just throw it out and start with new or you could spend the time and labor and brew and bottle it and then if no good throw it out. I would go with the second choice. Hefs don't have much hop presence, but hops will lose some over time, the yeast and guessing it is a dry yeast will lose it to. I would try it and add another pack of fresher yeast.

berryman wrote:

radonc73 wrote:It's a Hanks Hefe kit.

I have brewed that kit quite a few times in extract also, (I like wheat beers and Hefs) You could just throw it out and start with new or you could spend the time and labor and brew and bottle it and then if no good throw it out. I would go with the second choice. Hefs don't have much hop presence, but hops will lose some over time, the yeast and guessing it is a dry yeast will lose it to. I would try it and add another pack of fresher yeast.

I agree.

Stored in the basement improves your odds of having it turn out ok.

Since the hops are in sealed bags, light wouldn't have been an issue.

I think the midwest kits use plastic jugs for the LME, so that's good.

If the basement is fairly cool, you may even get by using the yeast that came with the kit (if it's dry yeast; if it's liquid yeast, it's dead).

The hoops will have lost some, but not all of their flavor, bitterness, and aroma. But it's a hefeweizen, so that's not as big a deal as if it were an ipa.

I'd be inclined to try it as is. If there's no evidence of fermentation after a couple of days, get some new yeast.

As berryman said, if it's bad, you can dump it. Then just look at that as practice.

One thing I forget is whether the midwest kits include sanitizer. If not, you'l need to get done. At that point, you may as well get new yeast (and maybe new hops).

Recipe kits are cheap. If I was going to put in the effort to make up a batch, I use fresh ingredients. That stuff 2 years old, would fill the dumpster. Life's way too short to drink crappy beer.
IMHO