Old Brewers Best Kits

[tdawg082]

Hey all,

I wanted to ask what I should do with an old Brewers Best kit. I purchased it on Amazon and when I received the kit it didn't have a instruction sheet. So I emailed Brewers Best because I noticed the hops in the kit were different from the hops on the online pdf. Brewers Best told me that I should throw away the grain and hops from the kit and contact the seller.

I have no problem grabbing a new package of yeast, but if the kit is over a year old should I do the same thing with the grains/hops?

 

[kh54s10]

If the grains are packaged tightly and are not stale, (give them a taste) I would use them. You should be able to tell if they have gone south. The hops I would replace. The yeast should be OK if a dry yeast and have not been to extreme temperatures. Rehydrate the yeast and you should be able to tell if it is viable.

If the extract is liquid it may be suspect. If it is canned there may be an expiration date stamped on it. If you have to toss the extract and the grain, I would not waste my time and money with the rest.

I have seen kits change ingredients slightly from year to year, probably due to availability. So what is listed online may be outdated but the kit may be OK. For instance the recipe may start with one bittering hop but with a new harvest the AA level may change forcing a recipe change to keep bitterness the same.