Bucket of LME last how long?

[Oscbert]

I bought a 6 gallon bucket of LME. Only used about half. How long will it typically last? How will I know when it goes bad?

Same question for DME.

Should I refrigerate them both?

Thanks

 

[pdbreen]

For LME, I believe the color will darken over time - not sure about flavor. Not sure about the fridge, but I'd keep it out of extreme temp changes/sunlight.

I recall that DME is more stable over longer periods (I keep a decent supply of light LME for starters on hand). Just make sure it stays dry! I keep opened bags in airlock container in a cool dry place. If you bought in bulk, maybe rebag in smaller portions and seal in ziplock/vacuum bags? I wouldn't put in the fridge - way too much moisture in there.

 

[hal2814]

Ages ago, I bought the bulk bucket of Muntons extra light from listermann to save on shipping. For about 8 months it was top notch. After 8, it started getting a little funny tasting. My method was to keep refrigerated until the night before and then leave it out to warm up enough to pour. I never had any sorts of mold issues up to a year in using that method but like I mentioned earlier, taste suffered after 8 months. I never noticed a darkening but I could've easily missed that sort of thing. I did once use a 4 year old can of extract and it was much darker than it should've been.