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I ended up with about a pound of CBW Sparkling Amber DME leftover. I figured it might be worth keeping around so I put it in a plastic bag and tried to get as much air out as a could. Since then I've left it in a box in at roughly room temperature (probably a little lower).

I'm considering adding some or all of it to an upcoming batch but hesitated when I saw that the Briess product information sheet mentioned that "Storing opened bags is not recommended." I'm hoping this may not apply to transferring it to a sealable bag since it seems that moisture and oxidation are the biggest factors for DME going bad, but for all I know I've potentially already over-exposed it.

It will have been stored about a month and would contribute about 5-10% of the sugars depending on the amount I use. Would this re-packaged DME be worth using in a separate batch? I'm thinking worst case scenario I could save it to use for a starter or something in the future.

Also, if it is not worth using, is there some other way I could have stored it to help it keep or is saving leftover malt basically just a lost cause?

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I bulk prime with DME, so it takes me 3 to 6 months to use a 1kg bag. I reseal the bag quickly, and place it in an airtight plastic container after pouring out the amount I require. No observable deterioration takes place.

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    I will say that after several months I've had DME turn into malt extract bricks due to humidity.
    – daniella
    Dec 23, 2015 at 22:53
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If stored properly (no humidity and at room temperature or lower) the DME should preserve itself at least for a year. It has been discussed before: How long will an extract kit stay good?

In your case, if the seal was good, after a month it should still be fresh and you can use it without concerns...

Manufacturers will mention that "Storing opened bags is not recommended" but it is a way to protect themselves against complaints from people who do not use a good resealable bag.

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DME loves to suck up humidity and turn to a brick of sugar if it can.

What I do is cut the corner off the DME bag. Using a large mouth plastic bottle (gatorade) cut the top off 1 inch from the cap. Remove the lid and stuff the cut corner of the DME bag up through and fold back. Replace the cap for a nice airtight seal.

Then I store the DME with my specialty grains in an air tight drum. enter image description here

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  • Nice trick, but will the cap eventually cut the plastic?
    – Philippe
    Jan 12, 2016 at 14:26
  • Not that I've experienced, the bags are really thick.
    – Evil Zymurgist
    Jan 12, 2016 at 14:37

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