Will extract get old?

[feffer]

Got an IPA kit from my local brew shop and plan to serve it at a big Thanksgiving gathering. Now, I'm reading that an IPA can lose it's hoppy nose/taste over time and that it might be better to make it just a few weeks in advance. That's fine with me, but will the LME get stale in 3 months? I've read that it's best to only use fresh.

My lhbs sells it in 9 lb. foil packages that seem to have no air inside. Should I take it back and get a new one in October? Or is it OK to just put this one in the fridge? Yes, it's a newbie question, but that's what I am.

 

[Cyclman]

Fresh is better, it may darken some in that time period. Brew something else in the meanwhile

 

[AnOldUR]

Should I take it back and get a new one in October?

Brew it now and get a new one in October.

 

[drainbamage]

Fresher is better with LME. DME is a little more stable for long-term storage.

 

[feffer]

OK, you've forced me out...I'm really a wine-maker who does a beer occasionally. So do one now and another later is sensible to you (regular beer-makers), but isn't in the cards for me now. My real choices are either store it in the fridge until October or return and rebuy.

 

[WildTim]

If you've never mad the kit before, and want to serve it to people you like, I would seriously make it now and then re-make it later if you like it. All the more so if this is an occasional thing and you aren't 100% sure it will turn out as you expect.

 

[unionrdr]

I usually figure on taking two months brew kettle to glass. More for holiday bigger beers that need more conditioning time. So late September-early October would be better. I've kept LME in the back of the fridge for 4-6 weeks tops before use. DME does keep better, so I use it in PM recipes.

 

[CrookedTail]

The general rule of thumb is to use LME as fast as you can, but really it all depends on how you store it.

If you refrigerate it, waiting 3 months to use it is fine. At cold temps, LME can last.

If it is sitting in a room at 80+ degrees, use it as soon as possible.

 

[SmokingGunn]

I just brewed a batch that had been sitting in my she'd for over a year. I'll let you know how it comes out. I did read somewhere that LME was pretty shelf stable (ie, 1-2 years). I don't remember where I read that... possibly the NB website.

 

[stratslinger]

Probably the more important thing is to make sure the hops that came with the kit are in your freezer. The Alpha Acids in those will tend to degrade, given time, but cold temperatures slow down this degradation. So, hops in the freezer, LME and yeast in the fridge. Worst case, you may wind up with slightly darker than desired beer. Read up on this site about late addition of LME for ways to counter this to some degree (10 second version - only add a fraction of your extract at the beginning of the boil, and add the rest at or near the end of the boil, and your wort will tend to darken less from Maillard reactions).

 

[JoeRedman]

I brewed an Irish Red a month or so back, and the whole kit was 4 years old! I got new yeast and hops of course, but it came out so dark, you couldn't see light through the glass. Good, but---chewy. Won't do that again. Just my .02

 

[MaddBaggins]

I keep a bag of DME in the fridge for bottling and starters. It starts out as a 3# bag and usually takes quite a few months to use it all. There have been times when I didn't brew for a stretch and that DME got old. I still used it and everything still worked.
I have no experience with LME. I've only used it once. Keep it in the fridge with the yeast and put the hops in the freezer.
Did it come with specialty grains? Put those in the freezer also.

Or brew it now!!

 

[Demus]

If it's convenient and they'll take it back, return it. Give yourself more than 3 weeks when you re-but it though. Figure about double that, and an extra week if you bottle. Fresh IPAs are indeed better, right out of the fermentor though, not so much...


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[podz]

Fresh is better, it may darken some in that time period.

How do you propose it's going to darken when it's vacuum packed in a foil (opaque) package?

OP: the package should have a best before date on it. I would be very surprised if it didn't.

 

[Cyclman]

How do you propose it's going to darken when it's vacuum packed in a foil (opaque) package?



OP: the package should have a best before date on it. I would be very surprised if it didn't.

Coopers is canned, they say their LME will darken, I would think this would be similar.


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[unionrdr]

I can tell you from personal experience that sealed LME will darken with time. but those weren't refrigerated till I got them. Refrigerating them slows that process down.

 

[mrorange38]

Coopers is canned, they say their LME will darken, I would think this would be similar.


Give a man a beer, waste an hour. Teach a man to brew, and waste a lifetime! Bill Owen quote

Join the Beacon Point (Aurora, CO) Brewclub on Facebook- casual, fun brewing, drinking, socializing, visiting the great breweries / brewpubs in CO!

Interesting topic. I got two cooper's extracts from a new local supply shop. They are "expired" according to the date stamped on the can ... this month. One of them is the one I'm brewing now. The shop happens to have a bunch of these with the same expiration on clearance now. Something like $12/kit. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to buy those and brew in the next few months and/or if the ones I'm brewing now will still turn out OK? I'm pretty sure these have never been refrigerated, but have probably been stored at room temp. I had mine near a partial sun window for about a month. oops

 

[podz]

Interesting topic. I got two cooper's extracts from a new local supply shop. They are "expired" according to the date stamped on the can ... this month. One of them is the one I'm brewing now. The shop happens to have a bunch of these with the same expiration on clearance now. Something like $12/kit. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to buy those and brew in the next few months and/or if the ones I'm brewing now will still turn out OK? I'm pretty sure these have never been refrigerated, but have probably been stored at room temp. I had mine near a partial sun window for about a month. oops

I've been brewing expired, heavily discounted Cooper's kits for some time. Just because they are cheap and they perform just as well as the non-expired, full priced Cooper's kits.

If you don't notice rust or swelling on your can of liquid malt extract, then there is no problem; just use it.

 

[unionrdr]

Cooper's cans have that white lining in them to seal them against the metal in the can. They may be a bit darker color & flavor wise, but still can make interesting beers.

 

[DocDriza]

I'm sure that you may have already made your decision, but why not make it and let it age? Depending on the IPA its very possible that it could get better with age.

 

[VApatriot]

I had 3 NB extract kits from 2010 that I forgot about. They were stored in a plastic tote in my basement which stays between 65-68 degrees. Brewed them all and they came out just fine. Maybe not award winning but very drinkable just the same. I made an Alt, an English pale ale, a Lefse Blonde (which looks more red than blonde but I don't mind), and a Belgian dubbel which is in the secondary right now. I'm sure the others are correct that you may want to use the LME sooner than later to avoid off flavors, I guess my (and SWMBO's) tastebuds weren't able to detect any issues so I guess I got lucky.

 

[unionrdr]

Generally, if they stay sealed (LME) & refrigerated, they may be darker in color & the flavor change a bit, but they can still come out good.