4 month old smack pack

[JediMeister]

So I'm using a kit from Northern Brewer I got for Christmas. I've been pretty busy and haven't had time to brew. The kit is Caribou Slobber with 1332 Northwest Ale from Wyeast. I smacked the pack about 3 hours ago and I have about an hour left of brewing. The pack didn't inflate very much, but I did notice a small difference. I know I should have made a starter to see if the yeast is viable, but the pack said good for 6 months so I went for it.

My main question is does the older yeast that did not inflate fully cause a lag time between pitching and fermentation? Is there any other things I should be looking out for on an old kit?

I kept the smack pack in my fridge until I used it.

There were also grains in a ziplock type bag. They were crushed in December. Will that change the flavor of my brew?

 

[davis119]

U should be fine. If it swelled a bit u should be good use some yeast nutirant if. U have it. And I just used year old crushed grain and my brew turned out well.
It nay change flavor a bit but who cares if its good

 

[jvp1]

I have crushed grains from a week ago and I'm getting antsy about the timeline... good to know that even from December or a year they'd still be fine