UPS delivered my Pale Ale extract kit from Northern Brewer on Thursday, got home and forgot to freeze the hops (3 oz Cascade pellets), I just threw them into the freezer. What are the chances those hops are shot? I had 3 oz Cascade already in the freezer which I planned on using, this way I rotate them.
Forgot to freeze the hops
- Thread starter johnmcc
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superjunior
Well-Known Member
those hop pellets come vac sealed and don't need freezing. throw them in the fridge and your fine
BlackDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
I have never frozen hops from NB, just put them in the fridge. Since they are vacuum-packed, I wouldn't worry, just relax RDWHAHB.
Until recently I have never even put hops in the fridge. Probably not the best way to keep them but I can't imagine much harm being done to them unless it is really hot and you leave them out for a few weeks.
SeaBass512
Well-Known Member
How about hops in a zip-lock bag? I used 0.5 oz. of a pack and have the other half leftover. Should those go in the freezer, or is the fridge ok for a short time (few weeks maybe) ?
Now I am thinking I am an idiot. My dfh 90 min has been in the primary for 14 days and my hops that I was going to dryhop with have been sitting in my fridge for 15 days. These hops are in small ziplock bags but are not air tight by any means. It looks like I should have frozen them? I was going to transfer this week and dryhop one week later so I can have beer in the secondary for 2 weeks. Should I dump these hops and get new ones or will they be fine to use?
Some shops don't even store their hops in fridges, but just on racks in the store. We choose to store them frozen so the last a long time, but they are not like, eggs, or meat, or dairy- anything perishable....
superjunior
Well-Known Member
if they're hop pellets your fine. Like Revy said they're not really perishable. think about all the kits where hop pellets are sitting in boxes on store shelves for who knows how long. now FRESH hops is a different story
The best way to keep hops is vacuum packed in the freezer. In the fridge is pretty good, but not as good.
They are organic and do degrade over time.
But ...... I wouldn't really worry about it unless you are buying hops in bulk that will probably be used over a period of a year or more.
Not sure what the effectiveness of hops stored in the kits on the shelves would be. Remember the Belgians deliberately leave hops out for about 3 years to age to reduce their bittering qualities for their Lambics, and just use them for their preservative properties.
They are organic and do degrade over time.
But ...... I wouldn't really worry about it unless you are buying hops in bulk that will probably be used over a period of a year or more.
Not sure what the effectiveness of hops stored in the kits on the shelves would be. Remember the Belgians deliberately leave hops out for about 3 years to age to reduce their bittering qualities for their Lambics, and just use them for their preservative properties.
