Mold on LME? Help!

[timeforchili]

I havent brewed in 6 months and i opened my 50lb jug of lme to see what looks like fine brown powder all over the surface and on the sides. it looks like cocoa powder. I used half of it last september so it has been opened but i thought i sealed it properly. can it still be used since i'm boiling it? can anyone confirm that this is in fact mold and is it safe?

edit: now that i ponder it some more, could it be that it sat so long that some liquid evaporated and its a layer of dme covering the lme? Whatever, im using it anyway and if i get sick i'll let you know, i've already inhaled the dust when i opened the jug.

 

[NWernBrewer]

LME will mold with a white mycellium - if it is brown powder you probably have dried LME on the surface. I had a can mold - just slightly - and I boiled the sh!t out of it and there were no off flavors in the beer. LME will stale however and should be used fairly quickly in my understanding.