Should I brew this very old LME?

[FSBrewer]

I found this can of LME in my father's things after he passed away last year.

I'm pretty sure he hadn't brewed for around 30 years so this is probably pretty old.

Should I try brewing it? Anyone recognize it?

 

[david_42]

If the can says Erie, PA anywhere on it, then it is at most 29 years old. Even so, I wouldn't brew it. That can belongs on a shelf behind the bar, it's a classic.

 

[FSBrewer]

Actually it is from the UK. I'm too lazy to get up and look at the exact location at the moment.

 

[Mirage]

I wouldn't... You know how you shouldn't buy NEW dented cans from the grocery store? This thing is really old and is quite dented, you don't know what is growing in there. +1 on shelving it behind your bar!

 

[Slappy White]

I say use it...see how it turns out. In your fathers honor I'm sure it won't be awful.

 

[FSBrewer]

I say use it...see how it turns out. In your fathers honor I'm sure it won't be awful.

That was kind of what I was thinking, as long as it won't be harmful or anything. It's only around 4 lbs. of LME so I was thinking of making a 2.5 gallon batch of some sort.

 

[eddie]

I'd pass on using it in a brew. Keep it as a conversation piece in you bar or brew house or whatever but I don't reccommend using it.

 

[eschatz]

Yeah, i think the beer at best will be a dishonor to anyone drinking it. Put that beast on display and let well enough alone!

 

[EvilTOJ]

My stepdad made a porter with some 9 year old extra light LME once. It was so dark he didn't even need any dark grains. It was OK, but very caramelly. I would save the can and not use the malt because it will probably taste like Bender's ass after a Corona drinking session.

 

[Slappy White]

I still say go for it....

 

[TheJadedDog]

I'd stay away from it personally. It's not going to taste very good and that can is in pretty bad shape so it may not be the best thing to consume products contained in it.

 

[trainfever]

If it were just plain lme, I doubt it would go bad. LME is a sugar and sugar does not go bad, just as honey and maple syrup, neither will go bad. They may crystalize but if heated, they will turn to liquid again. The problem with your lme is that it has hopps in it. After all his time, the hops have definitely gone bad. I would keep it on a shelf.

 

[planenut]

I say do both...

Go ahead and brew it in your Dad's honor.
Then display the can behind your bar!

Either really works!

 

[mlanoue]

The can says it has yeast in it. Can that be right?
I think it would be cool to keep around, but you'll never want to drink the beer it makes.

 

[GearBeer]

I'd agree on not brewing with it. Although you could make a batch, just to see.

I would also suggest that you pop the bottom with one of those "old timey" can opener punch things and drain the contents.

 

[FSBrewer]

Well, there seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this matter. The can may be a nice bar piece but in my line of work I have to ship all my belongings around the world and need to lighten my load, so it sounds like the compromise solution mentioned above may be the best: brew it and maybe still save the can.

Oh, by the way, on the yeast issue I assume it originally had a little packet of dried yeast attached, but it's long gone.

 

[FSBrewer]

If the can says Erie, PA anywhere on it, then it is at most 29 years old. Even so, I wouldn't brew it. That can belongs on a shelf behind the bar, it's a classic.

Yes! I looked more carefully today (when I brewed it) and it does in fact say Erie, PA on it. When I opened the can it smelled and tasted just like a new can so I don't know what the difference is. I'll let you all know how it tastes in a few weeks when I open the first bottle.

 

[mlanoue]

So, does anybody want to try this one?

SALE ! 1920's ANTIQUE BLUE RIBBON MALT EXTRACT CAN - eBay (item 380062135720 end time Oct-07-08 07:23:15 PDT)

 

[DutchK9]

Out of curiosity did any of it crystalize? Or was it all liquid syrup?

 

[FSBrewer]

Can't say for sure as I soaked it in a sink full of scalding water for quite a while before opening it. By then it was all liquid.

 

[Slappy White]

So...does that mean you are brewing it today?

 

[FSBrewer]

So...does that mean you are brewing it today?

To resurrect this thread, actually I brewed it on 9-06-2008. Family life has kept me too busy to bottle it yet but I plan to do so this weekend. I think that's a decent amount of time to stay in primary.

It smelled perfectly normal when it was actively fermenting.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Darn!! I was too late to give my opinion...Which was to drink it in your Dad's honour....even if it turned out nasty

 

[Jim Karr]

I brewed a batch of Geordie's LME that had to be 20 years old. It was the worst, worst,worst,worst,worst tasting stuff I've ever had!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, I couldn't let it go to waste. I drank the last bottle not too long ago.

 

[FSBrewer]

It's hard to believe it could be that bad. Hopefully I'll know in a couple of weeks!

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

It's hard to believe it could be that bad. Hopefully I'll know in a couple of weeks!

pllllleeease keep us posted.

I just brewed up a mini batch from a can that's about 15 years old, it'd be nice to compare. So far my looks pretty normal, although it had a pretty pathetic krausen.

 

[FSBrewer]

OK, I just bottled this one. Of course I sampled it as I was transferring to my bottling bucket (before it got mixed with the priming DME mixture). It tasted perfectly clean and normal! Quite nice, actually, and I can't wait to try a properly carbonated bottle! A little dry and a little watery, but I attribute that to two things: one, it was in primary at relatively warm temperatures for about 5 weeks, so it must be pretty much all fermented out. Second, it was only a 4.4 lb. can of LME and in fact the ingredients on the can listed corn syrup, which would mean even less total LME content in the can.

I expect it to be a quenching, satisfying brew, but I'll let the beer speak for itself when it's ready.

 

[GearBeer]

Well so much for the tin can=>extract twang theory...

 

[FSBrewer]

This has been in the bottle for 2 weeks now and I've had a couple already. This is actually one of my best brews so far. It is very clean and smooth tasting. I wish I had more of these old cans of LME!

 

[Slappy White]

Nice. Makes you rethink the idea that old ingredients make bad beer.

 

[cheeseshark]

That's really cool. Congrats on being brave enough to give it a try!

 

[dibby33]

Nice. Sometimes you have to take the risk, makes for a better outcome. Lurve yer work. Toast to your father!

 

[FSBrewer]

Always take the road less traveled.

 

[craigd]

I must confess I recently did a mini-mash with both grains and LME that were at least a couple years old. I didn't even bother mentioning it on here because of the grief I knew I'd hear Doesn't compare to your 30 YO LME but still older than most here would do I think - especially steeping grains...

It's an RIS and I tasted my hydrometer sample in the secondary a little while ago with no noticeable twang. Coming out of the primary it was insanely bitter and I thought I had screwed it up but in the end it settled down nicely. It's probably not award winning material but it'll be decent I think.

 

[Pogo]

Posted by mlanoue...

So, does anybody want to try this one?

SALE ! 1920's ANTIQUE BLUE RIBBON MALT EXTRACT CAN - eBay (item 380062135720 end time Oct-07-08 07:23:15 PDT)

Blue Ribbon Malt Extract is still available today under the label of Premier Malt Extract.

In the SE they are available in the syrup section at most Piggly Wiggly and Warehouse Grocery's supermarkets.

$5.19 plus tax, for a 2.2 lb./1 Kilo can. Makes 5 gallons of beer.

A packet of yeast is included with the directions, under the plastic lid. Just add sugar and water.

Pogo

 

[madewithchicken]

I know that some people have said this, but go for it. Unless it is worth money the beer you make will be a better conversation peice than some old can. Hell save the empty can too.

My only worry is the dents. But I think that boiling will kill botulism.

I would want my kids (i have no kids) to brew the beer and remember me that way.