Expired Brewers Best Cider Kits

Other Fermentables
1

I was going through some old containers and noticed I have two Brewers Best Cider kits that expired in 2017 and 2018.

They don’t show signs of swelling like a Mangroves Jack I threw away recently.

At what point have expired cider kits gone past the point where they really should be thrown out?

2

With the caveat I am not a micro-biologist or any sort of expert in the fields of things that can make you sick, I have a couple of thoughts.

  • if the container is misshapen, swollen etc then don’t risk it!
  • if you open it up and it smells “off” or “funny” then I would dump it
  • Does it say anywhere on the container that it was “pasteurized”? That would extend the shelf life
  • If you open it and it passes the sniff test you could do some research on if you could pasteurize it yourself (aka bring the apple juice up to a specific temperature long enough so it kills off any harmful bacteria)

Good luck!

3

I had exactly that kit that I “won” at a homebrew competition I judged in 2010 or so, and I lost track of it in my “beverage management area” until about 5 or 6 years had passed. It was fine and made a decent if unremarkable batch.