How long does malt extract keep?

[banger]

Greetings brewers, been off the grid for a couple of years whilst our new house is being built, but I'm going to get back into things this long weekend. Couple of questions, I've had some dried dark malt extract in airtight containers which have basically sat in my shed for nearly 2 years. Will this still be OK to brew with? i would have thought yes given that it will be boiled up, but keen to hear anyone else's views. Also, I've got some hops which have been kept frozen (and are still vacuum sealed) for the same length of time - are they still usable?

Cheers all..

[earle]

Welcome back banger.

From what I've read dried malt extract can be stored for longer than liquid extract. As it gets older the colour will darken and it may contribute more towards that elusive twang. As long as your shed doesn't get stinking hot in summer which would speed up these reactions I reckon it should be right to give a go. That's on the basis that it is still dry. If its somehow managed to absorb some moisture and turn into a malt rock as it likes to do then I would probably chuck it.

I store my hops in the freezer and have probably kept some for similarities before using. Fresh is best of course but I think they would still be useable.

I reckon the worst that can happen is that you'll make beer.

[Oliver]

+1 to most of that, including the welcome back.

I had heard that liquid malt darkens with age, but I am not sure that dried malt does. In any case, it's dark malt so it doesn't seem like it's going to be an issue either way!

I hadn't heard that old malt contributes to twang, which is not to say that it's not 100% true.

Cheers,

Oliver

[Planner]

Banger

Your situation sounds identical to mine, been away from homebrewing for a couple of years now and only just getting back into it.
I too had DME stored in the shed (mine was LDME) in airtight containers or original sealed bags, also had a collection of hops in the freezer as well.
I decided to just buy some fresh yeast and use up the old stock. As Earle said the worst that can happen is I make beer.
I also had some crushed grains packed in airtight boxes as well, which I decided to steep. Should know in the next couple of weeks whether it greatly effected the taste.

Planner