Out of date grain and hops

[Kris Brew]

Morning all, so I took a huge step back from brewing due to life and all that, I didn't sell my kit as I know this is an everlasting love!

My question is, I have maris otter stored in a white 30l tub which looks and smells good but is over 12 months out of date now, do you think it's even worth trying to brew with this?

All my pellet hops have been stored vac packed and in the freezer so I'm pretty sure they should be okay but again it's roughly the same situation as the grain regarding dates...

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jambop]

Use them they should still be good ... but in reality what have you got to lose? I would go for it!

 

[Arimanari]

The brewery where I get all of my base malts have told me that if it's whole grain, it's is good for about 12-16 months after production, if stored well. If it smells and tastes good during mashing and it's sticky - you are good to go.

 

[z-bob]

I'm on the last of some grain that's about 3 or 4 years old, stored in a plastic bucket in the basement. I brewed a beer that was 50% adjuncts with it 3 months ago (it was an experiment with using wheat flour) and it converted quickly and completely, and the beer was good.

If your hops were stored in the freezer and they still smell okay (don't smell cheesy or like "freezer") they are still good. Might have lost some bitterness, or maybe not.

 

[Miraculix]

I'm on the last of some grain that's about 3 or 4 years old, stored in a plastic bucket in the basement. I brewed a beer that was 50% adjuncts with it 3 months ago (it was an experiment with using wheat flour) and it converted quickly and completely, and the beer was good.

If your hops were stored in the freezer and they still smell okay (don't smell cheesy or like "freezer") they are still good. Might have lost some bitterness, or maybe not.

Let me guess, the wheat flour beer came out surprisingly nice?

I did the same once and was wondering afters if I should brew by default with 50% flour. It was really good.

 

[z-bob]

Let me guess, the wheat flour beer came out surprisingly nice?

I did the same once and was wondering afters if I should brew by default with 50% flour. It was really good.

Yes. I took 2 quarts to the local homebrew club last week and everybody loved it, even at the beginning of the meeting when they still have high standards. There were just a few of us there this month, and when the meeting was about over the host asked if he could open the 2nd bottle. "Of course", and we quickly killed it. The beer was actually a few weeks past its prime and was a little overcarbonated from the diastaticus yeast. But they liked that.

I used OYL-033 "Jovaru" yeast and Hallertau Tradition hops, and only did a 5 minute boil with hop tea added when I was ready to chill it.

 

[hotbeer]

If they smell good and have no sign of mold or mildew then that'd be good enough for me to use the malts. Your hops in the freezer and still vacuum sealed, well I've seen posts from others claiming good results after many years.

Though if there are ice crystals on the hops after opened then I'd be a little leery of whether I'd get the tastes and aromas I'd want. Or even if their color has degraded from what I remember them being.

 

[Miraculix]

Yes. I took 2 quarts to the local homebrew club last week and everybody loved it, even at the beginning of the meeting when they still have high standards. There were just a few of us there this month, and when the meeting was about over the host asked if he could open the 2nd bottle. "Of course", and we quickly killed it. The beer was actually a few weeks past its prime and was a little overcarbonated from the diastaticus yeast. But they liked that.

I used OYL-033 "Jovaru" yeast and Hallertau Tradition hops, and only did a 5 minute boil with hop tea added when I was ready to chill it.

Ah ok, a Saison-ish yeast (Jovaru is special...). Go try the same grain bill with a standard APA hopping schedule. You will LOVE it. 50/50 Pale and wheat or speltflour. It is so good... sometimes it does not clear, but apart from that, amazing.

 

[Beerstein]

Also defrost a few hop pelettes and check for the "cheese smell."

 

[Bramling Cross]

I've had life get in the way many times during my brewing...whatever it is. Year old malt is nothing to worry about. When you buy it, it's often a year or more old anyway. Another year isn't going to kill it. Provided you store it dry and you keep the bugs out of it, you're good. Your frozen vac-packed hops will be excellent.

I keep domestic 2-row, Otter, and German Pils in my base malt bins and typically motor through my 55lb sacks in less than a year, but I've used 18-month old malt several times. Can't say I've noticed a difference. Nor, did it yield less efficiency.

My character malts typically sit around for at least a year, often two, sometimes three. Same deal, they make great beer.

My next ale will use base malt that is two months old, brown malt that is two years old, and Carastan that is nearly four years old, EKGs that are two years old, and Fuggles that are nearly five years old.

I'm quite confident that this motley crew of ingredients will make a brew that I will confidently impress others with.

 

[bobeer]

I do the taste test to tell. Pop a piece in your mouth and see if it's sweet when you chew it up. If it has any kind of flavor or sweetness then you should be good to go with it. I've had grain that gave me nothing with this taste test and that stuff I toss out because I assume if it wont mash well in my mouth it wont mash in the tun either.

 

[z-bob]

Jovaru is special...

I don't want to go too far off topic, but "saison" is what I was going for, even tho' I don't really know what that means. Whoever it was that told me to try 40% pale malt and 60% flour said to use an expressive yeast (and that Belle Saison would adequate but be kinda "meh" for that) and I'd been intrigued by what Lars has written about Lithuanian farmhouse ales, so I went that way. Now I have 4 jars of Jovaru slurry in my fridge and wondering how best to use them. I think my next brew will be a true no-boil instead of a quick-boil, with 90% pils and 10% dark Munich, and noble hops again (but I don't have any Saaz.) Beyond that I'm not sure what to do with it. Maybe use it in cider?

 

[Miraculix]

I don't want to go too far off topic, but "saison" is what I was going for, even tho' I don't really know what that means. Whoever it was that told me to try 40% pale malt and 60% flour said to use an expressive yeast (and that Belle Saison would adequate but be kinda "meh" for that) and I'd been intrigued by what Lars has written about Lithuanian farmhouse ales, so I went that way. Now I have 4 jars of Jovaru slurry in my fridge and wondering how best to use them. I think my next brew will be a true no-boil instead of a quick-boil, with 90% pils and 10% dark Munich, and noble hops again (but I don't have any Saaz.) Beyond that I'm not sure what to do with it. Maybe use it in cider?

It is not a typical saison yeast, it tastes completely different to me. But cider might be a really good idea, also mead. This yeast is a glycerine extremist, it produces so much of it that even 1.002 fg beers taste sweet. That could be really useful when making cider or mead.

 

[Wolfbrau]

Well-cared for barley malt should last a couple years (uncrushed) without noticeable changes, in my experience. Hop aroma tends to stick around well, too, so long as it's kept cold, sealed, and away from light. Alpha acids drop something like 10% per year, but I wouldn't rely on them for hitting a particular IBU level anyway - I stick to fresher hops for bittering. Dry yeast can last a very long time, too.

 

[Mattpaneth]

Morning all, so I took a huge step back from brewing due to life and all that, I didn't sell my kit as I know this is an everlasting love!

My question is, I have maris otter stored in a white 30l tub which looks and smells good but is over 12 months out of date now, do you think it's even worth trying to brew with this?

All my pellet hops have been stored vac packed and in the freezer so I'm pretty sure they should be okay but again it's roughly the same situation as the grain regarding dates...

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!

I'm still brewing with Yakima hops from 2019/2020 and they have been better than any 2021 and 2022 hops I buy at the store. Take care of them and they will last

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I'm still brewing with Yakima hops from 2019/2020 and they have been better than any 2021 and 2022 hops I buy at the store. Take care of them and they will last

Did you store them in original packaging? (I'm assuming they are in the freezer).

 

[Mattpaneth]

Did you store them in original packaging? (I'm assuming they are in the freezer).

once I opened the package I vacuum sealed them. Prior to that they were in original package