Ingredient Shelf Life

[stormbringer]

Have the ingredients to make a batch of beer hidingin my storeroom for a while. Also, I stored the yeast packet in the freezer. (I know better but the stuff got lost/hidden during a move).


My thoughts are it's probably best to discard the old ingredients before I waste time and effort on a brew that is not going to work.


Question: How long is the shelf life of a can of malted barley and how long will the yeaststored in the freezer lastbeforethey areuseless?

 

[masta]

I am not sure on the shelf life for canned malt but I am sure it would be good for at least a year since it is sealed and not exposed to the elements. Putting dry yeast in the freezer is not the best and I would opt to replace it since dry yeast is very inexpensive.


A quick search and I found this info:


The freshness of the extract is important, particularly for the syrup. Beer brewed with extract syrup more than a year old will often have a blunt, stale, even soapy flavor to it. This is caused by the oxidation of the fatty acid compounds in the malt. Dry malt extract has a better shelf life than the liquid because the extra de-hydration slows the pertinent chemical reactions.


This one is from Muntons Website:



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<TD vAlign=top width=*>Ask Andy Request

I am considering buying 33 lbs of your unhopped light malt syrup. I was wondering what the shelf life would be on something like this. Should I refridgerate it to ensure freshness? Thanks. </TD></TR></T></T></TABLE>

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<TD vAlign=top width=*>RE: Ask Andy Request

The extract is fine for upto 3 years but may increase in colour with time. I would keep the extract in a cool place out of direct sunlight as this with speed the detoriation of the product up.

Hope this is some help.

James Smith </TD></TR></T></TABLE>