Should I brew this ancient Coopers?

[mantaray]

A friend gave me a Coopers Real Ale can that he bought at an estate sale.
It has a "Best Before" date of "05/04/07". I'm tempted to just brew it. Maybe I will boil it just to be sure.
What do you all think? Too old?

Note: the bottom is slightly bowed but I figure if I open it and it stinks, I will pitch it.
If I boil it, should kill anything evil.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Dude, you have to brew this. Preferably with some stale hops.

Edit: I see now its hopped extract, brew on!

 

[jtratcliff]

Oh yeah, definitely gotta make this...

If only to teach you not to use:
1) pre-hopped LME
and
2) old LME

 

[Miraculix]

Oh yeah, definitely gotta make this...

If only to teach you not to use:
1) pre-hopped LME
and
2) old LME

#2

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

You could "take it the next level" and report back with photos like this (link).

Otherwise ...

 

[PT Ray]

I'm not one to shy away from old ingredients but this may be one I'd have to pass on. With the can bulged the way it is, that's all I need.

 

[davidabcd]

Toss.

 

[RufusBrewer]

Depends on how much you value your time. If you got the spare time to take risk of brewing a terrible beer, go for it.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I'm changing my vote to toss as well.

As you're not very experienced in the art I'll try to explain this in a way that anybody can understand.

Brewing a batch of beer is like planning a party. There will be much forethought and planning, time and energy, and of course investment of money for party materials.

In your case, you have been gifted a box of old party goods. Hurrah, that takes care of the money aspect. Now, you're about to invest the time and effort to make up the batch to ferment; this leaves only the last aspect, the planning. Who you invite will determine what kind of party it will be.
Alcohol, the 'strippers' in this scenario, will of course accept your invitation. They've already been paid.. Your old pals Hops and Fizzy have nothing else going on, you can count on them being there. The old ingredients you are using is like inviting your inlaws. Sure, you can feel free to enjoy the music and the strippers, but your wife's parents will be there too, good old musty and earthy, witnessing your follies. Try to have a good time.

 

[pdhirsch]

In general I am full willing to use expired ingredients, but the bulging can is a very bad sign. Whatever has been going on inside that can, it's not good for you. There are bacterial spores that can survive boiling. Pitch it.

 

[Pig Punisher]

I just brewed some old mr. beer cans. Not quite as old but expired 8 years ago. 1 can was APA the other was a Sam Adams clone. Added 3 Lbs DME and 3 oz cascade with a 60/20/0 schedule for a 6 gallon batch. Been in the fermenter 10 days now. Will bottle soon and let you know how it went. Fingers crossed

 

[Jayjay1976]

I just brewed some old mr. beer cans. Not quite as old but expired 8 years ago. 1 can was APA the other was a Sam Adams clone. Added 3 Lbs DME and 3 oz cascade with a 60/20/0 schedule for a 6 gallon batch. Been in the fermenter 10 days now. Will bottle soon and let you know how it went. Fingers crossed

It don't mean a thang if it ain't got that twang!

Too bad the hops weren't good & cheesy.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Botulism toxins are still toxic even after boiling. If you want to collect the can, open it and dump the contents since it’s bulging.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Damn it! Another zombie thread, but good news the OP posted a couple month ago, didn’t die from old expired LME from a bulging can.

 

[odie]

I say do it...if the OP stumbles back across this.....I gots ta know...how was it?

 

[Dr_Jeff]

It never would have made good beer, even if it was fresh.

It should have been shot with a large caliber weapon.
I wanted to see it explode.

 

[Pig Punisher]

It don't mean a thang if it ain't got that twang!

Too bad the hops weren't good & cheesy.

Didn’t have any old hops or DME. I had taken a long hiatus from brewing and woke up and said what the hell. It actually smells pretty good in the bucket.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Didn’t have any old hops or DME. I had taken a long hiatus from brewing and woke up and said what the hell. It actually smells pretty good in the bucket.

Welcome back my friend! BTW if you've never sniffed cheesy old hops like you'd only use for a lambic, they are frigging amazing. I huff them.

 

[bwible]

You could "take it the next level" and report back with photos like this (link).

Otherwise ...

View attachment 752366​

Beat me to it

 

[bwible]

I never would have made good beer, even if it was fresh.

It should have been shot with a large caliber weapon.
I wanted to see it explode.

Probably one of the better uses for it.

 

[Martys1]

A friend gave me a Coopers Real Ale can that he bought at an estate sale.
It has a "Best Before" date of "05/04/07". I'm tempted to just brew it. Maybe I will boil it just to be sure.
What do you all think? Too old?

Note: the bottom is slightly bowed but I figure if I open it and it stinks, I will pitch it.
If I boil it, should kill anything evil.

I have brewed 3 batches with leftover coopers and muntons,Half of it was from someone getting out. For the time and effort put in, the beer came out terrible tasting, metallic taste.I should have just made a wish and thrown the can over my shoulder….into the trash.

 

[bwible]

I said in other posts I have used expired extract that people gave me as gifts etc. Slightly expired, not years and years out of date. I always used them in something strong flavored like a stout or as extra gravity to bump a big beer like a RIS or a barleywine. Sometimes it would turn out “ok” but not anything that would win any competitions. At best you are trying to use it up, cover the flavor and hope its not too noticeable. If you’re going to spend the time and effort its best to use fresh ingredients.

 

[dtashmore547]

any form of concentrated sugar is deadly to life forms, I used a 15 year old + DME to make a very presentable porter during the Covid19 lock down in south Africa, it was only kept in a plastic bucket with a sprinkle of sulphate on top. I say no problem but the choice is yours.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

There are dry sugar vs syrup considerations. For example:

[...] If you purchase an LME and do not intend on using it right away, a safe option is to place it in your freezer. [...]

Refrigerating your malt, while it may seem like an ideal solution to keep it at a cool temperature, may lead to humidity exposure and condensation build up within the jar. This then becomes prime conditions for mold, as mold loves water and sugar.

link to full article: Secrets to Keeping your Liquid Extracts Fresh - Brewing With Briess

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

To be fair DME keeps a lot better than the liquid stuff...

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

To be fair DME keeps a lot better than the liquid stuff...

... and there have been recent (last couple of years) anecdotal reports (here at HomeBrewTalk) where brewers seem to have found have a consistent source of fresh LME.

Are there better days ahead for people who brew with LME (or style specific LME)?

Is there sufficient curiosity from the anecdotal stories to investigate this further? ? ?

 

[Pig Punisher]

I just brewed some old mr. beer cans. Not quite as old but expired 8 years ago. 1 can was APA the other was a Sam Adams clone. Added 3 Lbs DME and 3 oz cascade with a 60/20/0 schedule for a 6 gallon batch. Been in the fermenter 10 days now. Will bottle soon and let you know how it went. Fingers crossed

I bottled this today. Looked like black coffee with a strong malt smell and a bit of sweetness. Could not really taste the 3oz of cascade. I didn’t take pictures but I will when I pour one. Started at 1.060 and finished at 1.018. It doesn’t taste bad just quite malty. Will report back.

 

[Pig Punisher]

This actually turned out pretty tasty. Very malty almost Smokey. The 3 oz of cascade is just a background note. Most of the sweetness that was there when I bottled is gone after 2 weeks in the bottles. Another couple weeks and this may be really good. Not good enough to buy two more Mr. Beer cans and let them sit for 8 years but very drinkable. Cheers