30+ year old maple syrup

[MustardSeedMum]

Ok, so my sweet 80-year old neighbour gave us a couple of bottles of maple syrup from the time he and his brother (the original owners of our property)
ran a sugar bush operation. We're talking 30+ years ago. He swears that it's still good, and he actually still uses it for his own consumption.

We opened one of the bottles a few days ago and the thing smells scary. Kinda vinegar-y. I haven't plucked up the courage to taste it.

What do you folks think? Try it, boil it, or toss it?

[adk1]

If it hasent been frozen cant be good anymore especially in plastic.

[WESTMAPLES]

myself I would pour alittle out into a clear glass just to see what it looks like, and is it in glass or metal ?? I probly wouldn`t consume it, but it would be a great to point it out in the sugarhouse and tell the story to others of how old it is

[MustardSeedMum]

Here's a pic of the syrup and the plastic bottle it came in. Looks fine. Just doesn't smell like maple syrup.11352

[Run Forest Run!]

Does your neighbour like you? :confused: ;)

[MustardSeedMum]

Does your neighbour like you? :confused: ;)
I was pretty sure he did, until he gave us this. :lol:

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sounds like it may have turned to moonshine! I have some in a mason jar I made about 20 years ago and I am sure it is still probably fine.

[Ausable]

Me thinks You answered Your own question - It didn't pass the smell test. I would keep it for a conversation starter - But - being it was stored in plastic I wouldn't sample it. In a mason jar that was still sealed - I might be tempted........might......

[Ravenseye]

Yeah, I agree. The smell is an indicator but the fact that it was in plastic does it for me. I don't trust the stuff.

[maple flats]

If it was in glass and perfectly sealed it would be good (if it was good when packed). I would not trust 30+ yr. old in plastic.

[buck3m]

A buddy recently gave me a small plastic jug of maple syrup that was something like twenty years old. He found it in an old cabin of his he hadn't used since way back when. I wouldn't have known it wasn't last year's syrup if he hadn't told me. We have eaten twenty year old syrup in mason jars plenty of times, perfectly good.

If the syrup you were given smells bad, it probably is!

[Loch Muller]

Wow, and I thought the 7 year old syrup my wife and I just ate out of a mason jar was old! That stuff tasted just the same as it did when we put it in there, but I wouldn't have eaten it if it was in plastic or metal. Neat story though.

[MustardSeedMum]

Thanks for weighing in, everyone.

I just can't make myself taste it. It's smells worse than apple cider vinegar. I'll just keep it as a momento. Or maybe it'll be good to use as a cleaning agent on my steam pans at the end of the season. :D

[Atgreene]

I think we still have some we made in the early 70's. We're celebrating 50 years in the current sugar house, perhaps we should break it out.

[liljohn]

The new marks vintage maple syrup, hmmm. Now to start squirreling mine away, just need to make more as we use more than we have now.

[saphound]

Thanks for weighing in, everyone.

I just can't make myself taste it. It's smells worse than apple cider vinegar. I'll just keep it as a momento. Or maybe it'll be good to use as a cleaning agent on my steam pans at the end of the season. :D

Aw come on MSM, just dip your pinky in there and take a little taste, a little vinegar won't hurt ya..maybe it is like moonshine.. try it, lol.

[Jebediah]

In these instances of many-years-old syrup in glass jars being OK--was it stored at room temperature? Thank you!