Hopped Lme Kits

I was given a hopped lme porter kit for free. I noticed that the kit says use before october 2009, and that the lid is bulging.

With that said should i even bother with this kit, or should i just toss it?

I recently just stepped up to partial mashes and have been having better results than extract kits, but i figured a free kit is a free kit.

I know the bulging is a sign that the kit has gone bad, but does that mean it might just have off flavors, or is it going to get someone sick like a bulging can at a grocery store?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I'm no expert, but bulging scares me. Could be as simple as the can froze and the expansion of the water in the syrup as it crystallized popped the top out a bit, or could be scary weirdness living in there. It is a food product, after all, so even though you're boiling it, if it is infected with something it may have produced toxins that could still cause sickness. Just a gut feel, but I'd toss it.

If the lid is bulging, I'd toss it. It could get you sick (botulism), but even if it doesn't, do you really want to invest a bunch of time in making a batch of beer that probably is going to taste funky?

+1 on botulism.

Toss it. Free botulism is not worth the money you paid for it.