a 6 month old pumpkin ale extract kit

That sounds like it's for a pretty small batch. I say go for it. It sounds like it's been stored in a pretty friendly environment. Definitely replace the hops and yeast.

 

I'd probably be more concerned about the LME. It stales pretty quickly.

 

I personally would not be concerned about the crushed grain.

I really do not know what is the "best by" timeframe for LME stored at room temperature. FWIW, I had one homebrew supplier tell me that LME is 'good' for 1 year if stored in the refrigerator.

Cheers!

 

should be fine but of course you can't know for sure until you brew it and find out.
if you want recommendations, sure. that's what we do here after all. but I am opinionated so take this for what its worth only.

toss the 1056. use a package of US-05 instead. the same can be said of most all homebrews that come with 1056.

replace the 3.3# of LME with 3 pounds of light or amber DME. the DME may possibly be stale and that will definitely come through in the beer.

Cluster has no place in any brewery. take it out back and bury it in the yard. then don't ever mention it again. replace with something neutral but good. 2 ounces of German Tettnang would get you about the same IBUs. your pumpkin recipe probably calls for one addition at 60 minutes, you just want some bitterness to tame the malt but no hop aroma or flavor to interrupt the pumpkin spice. or just use Cluster if you don't care.

Cheers.

 

He means because it is a liquid yeast that has been sitting for a long time, unrefrigerated.

I wouldn't be concerned that they are Cluster. I'd be concerned that they've been sitting unfrozen for 6 months. At best, they will have lost a lot of flavor/aroma/bittering power. At worst, they will taste awful.

 

Cluster hops 'work' just fine as a bittering hop. For some reason some homebrewers have a prejudice against this hop; I don't understand why.

You shouldn't use this particular bag of hops since it was not stored properly but feel free to use Cluster hops in the future if you are so inclined.

Cheers@

 

For your consideration, below is what John Palmer states about LME and freshness:

“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.”

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter3-2.html

My read of the above paragraph is that the flavor descriptors are for the resulting homebrewed beer, not the LME.

Cheers!

 

Some more reading:

“Liquid malt syrup is easy to store as long as it is in the original can. This is an ideal container that keeps the syrup safe from light and oxygen, and the malt is good for about two years before it starts to degrade. The manufacturer has normally also heated the syrup to pasteurize it before shipping, so it is void of bacteria, molds and yeast. Most cans have an expiration date that helps you know when it is getting old. The same temperature range (50° to 70° F) applies.

Liquid malt syrup that has been opened, or is sold in bulk plastic containers, has a much shorter shelf life. While buying malt syrup in this form is normally less expensive, it must be used in less than 3 months, or the syrup will degrade or even grow mold. If you have malt syrup in this form, the best way to store it is in the fridge. Pick the smallest possible container to eliminate airspace and avoid oxidation. While the extremely high sugar content inhibits yeast activity and molding, over a three- to four-month time period the syrup will lose its freshness.

I sell bulk malt syrup in my store, where we pour the syrup from the drum into plastic buckets. We use nitrogen to push the syrup out of the drum to prevent oxidation of the malt inside the drum, but once the syrup is in the plastic bucket it has about a three-month shelf life before it needs to be used. If you buy bulk syrup, store it in a cool location, and use in less that six weeks. If you brew on an irregular basis, I would definitely suggest buying malt syrup in the cans packed and sealed by the manufacturer.”

http://byo.com/stories/item/1362-shelf-life-storing-your-ingredients

Cheers!

 

yes. LME. sorry.

not really. LME will darken a bit. it's probably fine but stale LME makes a pretty terrible brew.

Vike has it.
as for not using 1056 at all, a lot of us really like US-05 and while it is not identical it is basically the same. there is little reason to deal with the liquid version of this yeast when the dry is cheaper, keeps longer, has a much higher cell count when hydrated. US 05 is a very good yeast to use when you need to get the job done. 1056 (and WLP 001) are fine to use, it's not that they are disliked yeast strains. quite the opposite.

Cluster was used for many years by AB for Bud and other macro beers. the hate is mostly because it doesn't represent a particularly challenging or interesting hop. there is very little reason to use Cluster except that it is available and not expensive. it is also dual use though many people believe it fails at both and so is really "no use". European brewers love to hate on Cluster for its Catty characteristic. But many Euro brewers also dislike Cascade and every other American variety. once the dominant American hop it is steadily losing acreage and probably won't be around forever.

Cheers.

 

And I suspect that this is the principle reason why homebrewers have a prejudice against this hop.

I have homebrewed a lot with Cluster. Mostly using it for bittering but on more than one instance for later additions. I have never, ever got any "Catty" flavors from Cluster hops.

In the late 1800's and beyond, Cluster hops were heavily utilized by British brewers (for bittering).

Yup, there is indeed lots of prejudice against this hop. In comparison with more modern day hops like Cascasde, Centennial, Citra, etc. it can be considered a 'boring' hop but Cluster hops has a place in brewing (homebrewing).

Cheers!

 

For those folks who are willing to learn more about what Cluster hops can 'bring to the party' I would recommend drinking some Anchor California Lager beer. That beer is brewed solely using Cluster hops.

For the interested student:http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...ger-–-a-tasty-historic-american-lager.102801/

Cheers!

 

Can I ask what your opinion is that the Cluster hops bring in a single hop brew? I have a plan percolating in the back of my head, and for some reason want to try that as a single hop with a 'Brett' Trois yeast strain.

 

I have never brewed a beer solely hopped with Cluster hops but I do enjoy drinking Anchor California Lager which is solely hopped with Cluster hops.

Maybe Jeff (@hopfenunmaltz) can provide better input here? I noticed in another thread discussing using just a single hop for brewing beer he listed Cluster hops as being a good choice.

Cheers!

Edit: this is what Jeff posted in that other thread: "Cluster (if you can get it fresh)".

 

It is not bad fresh, can get harsh if old. It is one of those hops that make you say, "hoppy", in an old school way. It can have some black current to it.

 

Jeff,

Have you homebrewed a beer solely using Cluster hops? If so, what style of beer? What was your hopping schedule?

I have seen it written that it can have a flavor of black current but I have never perceived that aspect in any of my homebrewed beers or Anchor California Lager.

Cheers!