old ingredients

I have two ingredient kits that I have had for almost a year. The yeast packets (wyeast 3711, 2 ea) have been in my refrigerator since I bought them. The extract, steeping grains, and hops have been in my garage.

Will the beer turn out crappy? I know that I am probably going to need to do a starter for the yeast, but Im worried about the other ingredients that have been sitting in my garage for several months.

Should I just brew it and see what happens, or just bite the bullet and buy fresh ingredients?

Thanks

Hops will probably have lost a lot over the past year (temperature ranges they've been exposed to? Never mind, in TX, at least 95% chance the hops are toast)... If the grains were crushed, and just left in a ziplock bag, they're probably stale. Check them to see. For the extract, if LME, look for a use by date. If DME, it should be ok, as long as the bags are still sealed.

Personally, I wouldn't count on the hops being good. But, I wouldn't toss them out without checking. You could get more to have on hand come brew day. I would put them in the freezer if you're not going to use them within a few days of bringing them home. Put them in the fridge until you go to use them (for the short term)...

The yeast could take some time before it wakes up. Smack the packs and leave them on the counter until they swell up nice. Then pitch them into a starter. If they don't swell (more than a tiny amount) then I'd just toss them out and get fresh yeast. You could try using it still, but you'll want to make a bigger starter, so that you know you have a decent amount of live cells to work with.

Thanks... sounds a little discouraging. I might just buy another kit and just learn from this. After I originally bought the ingredients, I had some health issues that made me steer clear from homebrew for a while. Oh well...

152Sumo said:

I have two ingredient kits that I have had for almost a year. The yeast packets (wyeast 3711, 2 ea) have been in my refrigerator since I bought them. The extract, steeping grains, and hops have been in my garage.

Will the beer turn out crappy? I know that I am probably going to need to do a starter for the yeast, but Im worried about the other ingredients that have been sitting in my garage for several months.

Should I just brew it and see what happens, or just bite the bullet and buy fresh ingredients?

Thanks

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If the hops weren't in the freezer, I'd replace them. If the grains were crushed, I'd replace those as well. I'd make a stepped-up yeast starter. Or just screw it - you have the ingredients; might as well brew with them and hope for the best.

ArcaneXor said:

If the hops weren't in the freezer, I'd replace them. If the grains were crushed, I'd replace those as well. I'd make a stepped-up yeast starter. Or just screw it - you have the ingredients; might as well brew with them and hope for the best.

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I am stuck on the fence with this. I thought the same thing: what do I have to lose. Brew it and see what happens. But........ Big disappointment, when I can spend 30 bucks and buy fresh ingredients.

Brew-it, and see what happens. If grains were dry, they are probably OK; think of flour, you don't worry about how long it was since it was ground up.

DME - OK if dry and sealed.

LME - OK if kept sealed. Might be darker (does that with age), but should still be OK.

Hops - They will deteriorate. Depends on the hops. Different hops have different deterioration rates. An average hop might lose 25% of it's oils in 6 months at 70 F, if left in the open. Cooler temperatures, sealed, vacuum packed, all help improve this number. Just use them. Saisons get most of their character from the yeast anyway.

Yeast - Smack the packs, and make starters (you will have lost a lot of yeast and will need a starter). If the yeast is viable; go for it!.

152Sumo said:

I am stuck on the fence with this. I thought the same thing: what do I have to lose. Brew it and see what happens. But........ Big disappointment, when I can spend 30 bucks and buy fresh ingredients.

Click to expand...

I would get extra hops just to CYA... When you open the old hops, smell them... If they don't smell like they would have when fresh, either don't use them, or use the new hops as you were going to use the now old hops. I would rather have fresh hops for bittering (so that you hit your target range there) and flavor.

Post up the recipe's you have, so we can make some better suggestions. It will make a difference. Like an IPA, with room in the style for more IBU's, is different than a stout that you want to not have a lot of IBU's in... Or a cream ale, where you want more malt character...

BTW, since the amount of time the hops were ONLY at/below 70F in a garage, in Houston, TX, is a short number of months, you probably lost a lot more of the hops over the past year. All those days of over 90F temperatures probably did a number on them...

I would rather be prepared for not being able to use at least the hops (if you can get the yeast to take off well, and use a starter to augment what's left) than make a brew that's not really what it could have been by simply getting a couple of items...

Just my $0.10...

You're just going to let those ingredients go to waste if you toss them. If you have free time then by all means BREW.

I think I will give it a shot. Maybe I will replace the hops as it isn't that expensive. By the way, I have two kits that have been sitting all this time:

1. bavarian weizen: 1/2 lb cara pils malt, 1/2 lb german pilsen malt, 1/2 lb red wheat, 7 lb wheat extract (lme), 3/4 oz saaz(60 min) 1/4 oz saaz (15 min), wyeast 3711.

2. belgian half wit: 12 oz flaked wheat, 4 lb wheat lme, 2 lb corn syrup, 1/2 oz cascade (30 min), 1/8 oz cracked coriander (15 min), 1/8 oz bitter orange peel (15 min), 1/2 oz cascade (5 min), wyeast 3711.

Both kits are from Austin Homebrew Supply. I have to go to the local homebrew shop before I brew anyway. I guess I will just replace the hops if they have them, and see how everything goes.

Thanks a lot everyone for your input!! I really appreciate the help.

152Sumo said:

Both kits are from Austin Homebrew Supply.

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In that case, I would consider replacing the LME, too. Since Austin Homebrew repackages bulk extract into non-sterile containers, you can run into problems with microbial and fungal infection, especially if the LME wasn't stored cold. I don't know if any of those organisms are pathogenic or produce toxins that would survive the boil. Are the LME containers bulging at all?
Without wanting to put words into his mouth, I believe that Forrest recommends using his LME within a month or so of purchase.

I bought some brewing equipment off a fellow that had quit brewing, and he had a lot of ingredients that were old he said I could have if I wanted them. I have used some of them, I just look it over, smell, it and taste, it if it passes I use it. These were all grains both crushed and uncrushed, but I would do LME the same way. I hate to throw anything away.

I had the same sort of situation you did for my first batch, and I bought new hops and grains to brew with. The beer still didn't come out great, but it was beer, and I drank it all. I used it as a "practice" brew (second ever, after a 3 year break from the first) and figured I wouldn't give a crap if I ruined it with a n00b mistake.

So I say you should just brew with what you have.

If you're going to the HBS to buy good, fresh ingredients; just use them to make another good beer. Don't put them in with other ingredients that are questionable. That's just throwing good money into a "bad" beer.

That being said, I would feel bad if you were just starting out with home brewing and you got turned off from it because your first attempts resulted in mediocre beer.