Best before date on wherry kit

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adamzworld
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Best before date on wherry kit

Post by adamzworld » Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:35 pm

I've been away for brewing for a little while and to my surprise discovered that the two kits of wherry I have in my shed both have best before dates of 2015 (they must have been on offer at the time!).

I know that this may have been covered before, but what's the general consensus with a kit that's gone two years past its best before date? I do also have some dried EKG hops which have been in a sealed bag in the bottom of one of my chest of drawers, but they have also probably been in there for a couple of years, so shall I risk dry hopping with these or will they be well past their best?

I've looked at the cans and there doesn't appear to be any rust and they aren't bulging or anything so shall I just throw in some new yeast and see how it goes?

The only reason I'm asking really is after a bit of a hiatus from home brewing, I'd be gutted if I brewed it and waited all that time only to be left with something that tastes like vinegar!

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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keith1664
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Re: Best before date on wherry kit

Post by keith1664 » Fri Oct 06, 2017 8:02 pm

Bin the hops and brew with a new packet of yeast.
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adamzworld
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Re: Best before date on wherry kit

Post by adamzworld » Fri Oct 06, 2017 9:14 pm

Cheers for the reply. That's a shame I can't use the hops as I've got two sealed packets, but if it ends up screwing the brew up then I guess it isn't worth the risk.

Will teach me to take so long in between brews!

WalesAles
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Re: Best before date on wherry kit

Post by WalesAles » Fri Oct 06, 2017 9:34 pm

adamz,
The out of date cans will be OK, Buy new Yeast.
You might find this interesting..........................
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=66952&hilit=elc+wherry
3rd place in Morley Homebrew Comp. I totally forgot till re-reading this thread. #-o
If you don`t read it right through, don`t forget the 1kg Med Spraymalt. And 2 packs of Yeast.
Batch prime your preference.
Nice to see MonkeyBrews` review of the finished article! :D

WA

Happy Brewing! =D>

adamzworld
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Re: Best before date on wherry kit

Post by adamzworld » Fri Oct 06, 2017 9:48 pm

Thanks WA, I see someone else on the thread did a two year old kit and presumably he lived to tell the tale!

I could add the spray malt but when I've brewed it in the past, I've always found it pretty malty in its standard form. I will still go for the extra yeast though just to give it a kickstart.

Maybe I'll try rehydrating the original yeast as well as adding some Garvin's stuff just for the hell of it.

Shame I can't use the hops in the brew but I guess I'll just have to put them under my pillow to help me sleep!

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charliemartin
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Re: Best before date on wherry kit

Post by charliemartin » Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:21 pm

I would do the smell test on the hops. If they smell cheesy, bin them. If they smell like hops, use them. If they have been sealed and not exposed to light or oxygen they could be okay. Not so sure about the tins of malt though. I once brewed a Sundew kit which was a few months out of date and it had a real twang to it.

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adamzworld
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Re: Best before date on wherry kit

Post by adamzworld » Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:20 pm

Thanks for the feedback. I guess it's easier to tell with the hops as I'll know pretty much straight away whether they're any good when I open up the pack. With the tins of malt, I suppose there's no real way of telling unless there's obvious damage to the tins, or rust etc.

Anyway I can't stand throwing anything away and I've got two Wherry kits with 2015 best before dates on so I reckon I'll just get them going and see how they turn out.

I will post the results and also let everyone know whether the hops have survived without going cheesy!

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