Question about 6 month old extract kit

[SDouglas82]

I had a friend give me a six month old extract kit.

It contains:
-6 lbs of wheat dried malt extract (DME)
-One bag of speciality malts: Crystal Malt - 10L, Am Munich Malt, and Am Red Wheat Malt
-Mt. Hood pellet hops

It was kept in a dark closet and never touched. I'm going to replace the hop pellets and was wondering if the other ingredients will be ok to brew with. Brewing on Friday. Thanks in advance for any advice/help.


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[Chadwick]

It should be good to go. You already said you are going to use fresh hops, the other ingredients should be fine. DME keeps really well as long as it doesn't get wet.

 

[rodwha]

Are crushed grains all that good 6 months later?

And yeast wasn't mentioned.

 

[unionrdr]

I've brewed two year old kits before. Had to make a small starter for the yeast to revive it. It came out a bit darker. It was a Cooper's OS lager. Came out more like Paulaner Doppelbock.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Honestly, you probably don't even need to replace the hop pellets. It's not too complex of a recipe, so you should maintain a balance without any concerns.

Yeast. Replace it. It could still be viable, but I wouldn't play around with it. A few bucks saved isn't worth the effort.

 

[SDouglas82]

I didn't mention the yeast because that was a given to replace. I was more worried about the crushed grains and figured DME had a great shelf life. Thanks again everyone.


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[rodwha]

If it's dry yeast it's likely good. It ought to have a date on it.

 

[Chadwick]

I suggest adding the old yeast to the boil. Added nutrients for the good yeast to use later.

 

[dsaavedra]

How did this 6 month old kit turn out? I have an extract kit that is probably about 6 months old with 9lbs of LME, a bunch of hops, and 4oz of Crystal 50/60. The LME, hops, and yeast have been kept in the fridge since I got the kit, but the specialty grains have just been kept in the ziplock bag they came in, at room temperature and dry. I am planning on brewing this tomorrow and I'm mainly just concerned about the grains. They don't smell quite like what other specialty grains have smelled like.

 

[unionrdr]

What would you say the grains smell like? Musty, stale, or??

 

[McGarnigle]

If the LME is in cans, then a kit that's been in your home for six months probably isn't any different from True Brew or Brewer's Best kit from your LHBS. I doubt stores are turning over their stock with great frequency.

Those might not be as good as from kits from AHS, NB, etc., but people have success with them.

 

[dnslater]

Is this a wheat beer? Wheats often don't even use specialty grains. Hops character also isn't really an issue.