Expirey date and recipe

[grasshopper1917]

Hey guys 2 quick questions I am going to make some stout and I purchased a kit whch expires in July - is the yeast going to be ok or should I purchase some new yeast?

Also I am making my own recipe how does this sound - 1 stout kit (brewmakers irish velvet 1.8 kg. + 1.3 kg or dark malt extract and 1 cup of brown sugar - is this a good idea??
thanks in advance

 

[atxstanley]

As far as te yeast is concered. If you refrigerated it after buying then you should be good til the expiration date. The kit I don't really know about so I can't speak from experience, but it sounds pretty good.

 

[DeathBrewer]

if it's dry yeast, i'd say get a new pack or buy some liquid yeast. the yeast itself should have an expiration on it, not just the kit. if it's liquid yeast, make a starter. as long as the starter gets going you're ok

 

[cheezydemon]

Great advice oh dark one, a starter is a must in my book and it will let you know if the yeast is good. Of course liquid yeast is also a must in my book because you can match the yeast to the style you are shooting for.

Also as a disciple of the STOUT, I prefer mine a bit stronger. There would be nothing wrong with adding some dark dme (unhopped) like maybe 3 lbs or so if it was me. Good Luck! And remember that this is not rocket science. You will most likely come out with a beer that is better than anything you can buy at the grocery store!

(the best yeast I have found is White labs Irish Ale yeast)

 

[the_bird]

For less than two bucks, I would ALWAYS invest in a fresh packet of yeast for any kit. S-04 would work well for that brew.

 

[gnets99]

If you're worried about it, a few bucks for new yeast is definitely worth the piece of mind. Better than spending a month or more while it ferments worrying about having to drink bad beer!!
As far as the adjuncts, are you adding the brown sugar to the wort or using it for priming? The last stout I brewed, I used dark brown sugar instead of corn sugar for priming and the flavor difference in the finished beer was amazing. I forget the exact amount I used, I remember it was less than the normal corn sugar amount for a stout, I suppose I could look it up in my records if you're curious.