I have just started with my first homebrew kit,in the kit was a malt extract mix ,but I know the mix is approx 7 years old,I have just opened it and it seems fine.Is it a bad idea to try and brew this(ie expired shelf life), or do I just try&see?
by 
Frosty
ANSWERS: 3
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The only way I have learned to tell if a malt extract is bad is by smelling it. If it smells like straight molasess than I would throw it away, smells kind of bittery and sweet go ahead and use it.
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Ehhh... I say try it out. Just don't be too discouraged if you don't get the best results. Worst case scenario, you get a bad batch of beer because of bad ingredients that you were going to throw away anyhow. At least this will give you real life and real time experience of homebrewing. You're first homebrew is always a little foreign anyways, the best you can ask for is a better second batch and then a better third batch, and then a better fourth batch. Give it a shot and you may even get lucky and have an awesome batch on your hands.
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Throw it out. Malt extract won't last that long. The longest shelf life I have heard about where a brewer was able to use the malt was one year. No way 7 years.
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