EWildcat7 Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 I decided to sort through all of the ingredients that I have randomly bought when I saw things on sale and came up with the following questions that I am hoping this forum can help me with: Expiration Light Dry Malt - I can't find an expiration date on the box, but I found the following codes printed on the top: 2751180116-4 and 2898180423-5. Can anybody decipher these to tell me if they might be expiration or packaged dates? If these codes don't mean anything, can anybody tell me where to find the packaged or expiration date on the box? Carbonation Drops - I have some that say they were packed in Aug 2017 and some that were packed in Jul 2018. Since these are packed dates and not expiration dates, how long do these last? yeast from Coopers extract cans - I see the following codes on the various yeast packets that I took out of the cans: 10117 S, 16618 and 10217 P. I am assuming these are packaged dates, but how do I turn these into expiration dates? Dark Malt Extract can - Code on the bottom of the can says: 046/18 07:14. same question as above malt grains - I have 2 bags that say they were packed on 28 Mar 2018 - how long will they last? Styrian Goldings hops - no writing on the package Storage yeast - I have taken the yeast out of all of the cans and put them in the refrigerator - is this the proper way to store yeast? I have one packet of Lallemand Nottingham Ale yeast that feels hard and compact, although the expiration is not until April 2019. Is this from refrigeration? Should I just let it return to room temperature when I am ready to use it? malt grains - storing in the refrigerator - is this correct? hops - storing in the freezer - is this correct? Thank you in advance to all and have a very Merry Christmas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Couldn't tell you about the dry malt codes, but it shouldn't go off quickly. I keep it for months and it is fine. Carbonation drops will keep just about forever. The 5 digit codes on the yeast are the day of the year and the year, so 10117 is the 101st day of 2017. BB date is two years after the manufacture/packaging date. Yeast storage is correct. The Lallemand packs are vacuum sealed, that's why they feel hard. Dry yeast should be allowed to warm to room temperature before pitching or rehydrating. Grains don't need to be in the fridge. Hops are best stored in the freezer from my reading. Vacuum sealed is best for these too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Merry Christmas Ewildcat Just on storage of grains: If they are cracked they should be vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer. Opinions here vary on whether it is acceptable practice to store cracked grains for too long. I bought 1kg of cracked Light Crystal Malt grains in August, vac sealed them in 100g lots. Used the last one two weeks ago. I could not notice a difference from the first to the last. I generally did a 30 minute hot steep. I do not have any real way of knowing if the first 100g had a greater effect than the last 100g, other than the aroma of the steep tea seemed to stay pretty consistent. I am not so sure about say 5kg sacks of cracked grain. You would need a large freezer. Cheers Shamus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWildcat7 Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Shamus O'Sean said: Just on storage of grains: If they are cracked they should be vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer. Opinions here vary on whether it is acceptable practice to store cracked grains for too long. thanks, but these grains are not yet cracked - they are in small bags and not taking up too much space in the fridge, so I am inclined to leave them in there for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Cracked grains should be vacuum sealed but I question the need to freeze them. Uncracked grains can be stored in bags or buckets, no need for vacuum sealing or putting them in the fridge. Mine are all in buckets on the back patio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Uncracked grains should be fine. I have read on the forum about freezing cracked grains. It sounds like a good practice, necessary or not. Support me on this OVB or I might lose more freezer space to SWMBO. Hang on, I don't think she follows this forum. Fire away with your own opinion OVB, it is probably right anyway. Cheers Shamus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 It's been a while since I stored already cracked grain but when I did I just left it vacuum sealed the kitchen bench. Didn't have any problems. You should just buy a bunch of hops to store in that space and keep it anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 8 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: It's been a while since I stored already cracked grain but when I did I just left it vacuum sealed the kitchen bench. Didn't have any problems. You should just buy a bunch of hops to store in that space and keep it anyway Being able to keep cracked grains just in a vacuum sealed bag and not in the freezer could save my bacon (or hops). When SWMBO saw the grain bags in the freezer, she cracked it more than the grains were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Maybe it depends how quickly they're used. I used to buy them in 1kg amounts so they didn't last a hell of a long time. Probably a few months on average, and didn't go stale because of being vacuum sealed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Although they were frozen I did use them within about three months. I was adding 100g-200g steeped in 1 litre per 100g water at 70° for 30 minutes. It was Joe White Malt - Light Crystal. I read it improves head retention. What other options could I use for better head retention? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Some guys use wheat malt, or you could use carapils. Another thing I've found aids head retention is a crapload of late and dry hops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 4 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Some guys use wheat malt, or you could use carapils. Another thing I've found aids head retention is a crapload of late and dry hops Hi OVB Thanks for the options. I have some spare Dry Wheat Malt (came in a recipe pack but should have been Light Dry Malt). Will the Dry Wheat Malt have the same effect as Wheat Malt grains? What would be their comparative usage ratio? How much Dry Wheat Malt to get the same effect as 100g of Wheat Malt Grains? Cheers Shamus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 5 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said: What other options could I use for better head retention? wheat, rey and hops all work well, as do those cara grains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 4 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: crapload of late and dry hops That’s a precise measurement right there, also equal to massive and oodols. And if your still a little silly and use Imperial measurements the term is gobs. 🤪 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWildcat7 Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 I just got a call from Coopers in response to my original questions. They provided some of the missing information: - The boxes of Light Dry Malt don't expire. They might get hard from moisture, but they are always usable. - As Otto said above, the code on the yeast packet is the packaged date and is likely going to be a different date than the packaged date for the can that it came with. The HME in the cans is designed to last for 2 years. The yeast, however, doesn't have a specific expiration date as long as it is stored properly. He told me that the yeast will last for years if I put it in the freezer. - The can of Dark Malt Extract will not expire. His other answers (hop storage, carb drop expiration, etc.) matched everything that was said above. So, now we know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 4 hours ago, EWildcat7 said: - The can of Dark Malt Extract will not expire. i find that hard to accept, when the hopped cans will darken and become unusable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWildcat7 Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Ben 10 said: i find that hard to accept, when the hopped cans will darken and become unusable. That is what the guy told me. he did say that the other types of extract cans (not the HME cans) will darken, but since my specific question was about the Dark Malt Extract, he said it wouldn't matter. Either way, I am hoping I am fine if I use it within a year as the HME cans have a 2-year shelf life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted December 28, 2018 Share Posted December 28, 2018 On 12/24/2018 at 12:39 PM, EWildcat7 said: Dark Malt Extract can - Code on the bottom of the can says: 046/18 07:14. same question as above Packaged on the 46th day of 2018 - it has plenty left in it, years... Darker Malt Extracts (including hopped malt extracts) tend to last longer than lighter coloured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.