This is why you drain the gas when you winterize your equipment.
Drop the bowl on the Carb, you should be able to tell if the gas has lacquered the inside of the carb. I would recommend draining and replacing the gas that is in there now as it has likely turned. If you have the mechanical ability, pull the carb off and soak it in some Sea Foam or some other petroleum distillate engine cleaner. You will probably want to replace the gaskets as well for the carb when you reassemble it.
Sta-Bil works, if you put it in there BEFORE you let the gas sit for 6 months. db99, if I were you I would pour the gas in your tank into the car and then fill your can with fresh gas and some Sta-Bil. Diluting the old gas into a car's tank of gas will allow you to use it fine, but I wouldn't feed it to a small engine at this point.
Unleaded gas that you get at the pump nowadays isn't stabilized and can turn bad in as little as 30-45 days. Fuel stabilizer with save you mucho dinero in repairs to your small engines.