Wet hops storage?

I've heard a lot of discussion on wet hops recently. I'd like to try it but I only have a single second-year vine that is producing anything of note. My other 3 vines are all first year and got cooked with our excessively hot summer this year.

So I have been thinking about the possibility of vacuum packing and freezing/storing wet hops. Has anybody tried this? I'm thinking I can go straight from vine to vacuum packed storage bag and right into the freezer.

Would that give the benefit of wet hops without having to use them right away? Or am I likely to just wind up with a bunch of green mush when I try to thaw them for use later?

I wouldn't suggest this. It may work, but you'll still be losing the "fresh hop" flavor you get from wet hopping. I usually brew on the same day I harvest if I'm wanting to do a wet hop ale. You can also store them wet for up to 2 weeks and still make a decent beer.

Thanks. What's the ratio if you're using wet hops? I have heard about 5X the amount if you're using wet?

The expansion of water when it freezes has the tendency to break down biological compounds, rupture cells, etc. I am not familiar enough with the structure of the flavor causing compounds, but I would venture to guess it is similar in this case.

5x or 6x. 6x seems to be more accurately quoted but 5x is often used to simplify the math. In the end, you will be guessing either way since you don't know the AA% of your own hops anyway.

You can freeze wet hops. Yes, you will have frozen bags of green mush, but that won't change the aroma oils. 6x is the best number and don't forget to freeze them in usable quantities.

Bear in mind that hops are normally dried at 140F or so. Drying them at 80-90F will leave you with the lighter oils that make wet hop beers interesting.

the only good place for wet hops is in your wort

HoppyDaze said:

the only good place for wet hops is in your wort

Click to expand...

Part truth
You can vacuum freeze them as was mentioned. They are like a big brick once frozen but you can break off pieces for what you need.

i recently froze 6 oz of mine that were ready to be picked and used them 3 days later as a wet hop late addition. when i took them out of the freezer and thawed they had a grassy scent to them so i wouldn't recommend freezing. perhaps you can just leave them on the bine for a few extra days to preserve their freshness?

jessup said:

i recently froze 6 oz of mine that were ready to be picked and used them 3 days later as a wet hop late addition. when i took them out of the freezer and thawed they had a grassy scent to them so i wouldn't recommend freezing. perhaps you can just leave them on the bine for a few extra days to preserve their freshness?

Click to expand...

ding! ding! ding!

To HoppyDaze and anyone else,

It's clear that you believe freezing wet hops will produce negative effects, but can you explain why specifically?
I suspect that lupulin powder (and its flavor) are not created as a plant cell, but are less complex than that. Not sure but if I'm right, then how would the rupturing/freezing of hop cells be bad? -especially when you do all that rupturing/freezing is done in the almost-complete absence of oxygen?
Grassy smell or no, I've yet to see anyone's explanation of exactly what happens when you make beer this way.
Anyone?

*Note- I have never used my hops straight off of the bine. I have always dried them first, so take this with a grain of salt*

I think that the point the naysayers are trying to make is this: They're on the bine doing just fine. It's still pretty early for harvest in most parts of the country. Maybe not OK but it can't be that far-gone. Unless they're in danger of completely browning out what's the hurry? Gotta go out of town? Heat wave coming? Changing jobs tomorrow so no time to brew until you get your feet under you? I know we're far from commercial brewers but all of them that do harvest ales use them immediately. Will something be lost when your beautiful cones turn to mush in the freezer? Probably not but who wants to invite people over for brewday only to see THAT thrown into the boil? The point is, and always was, RDWHAHB. Your cones should be fine hanging up there for a while while you get your ingredients together, plan a brewday, and throw them straight off of the picking ladder into the boil (a dream of mine).

Don't get so wound up on the thought of a harvest ale that you lose the spirit of the beer: Straight from the bine into the boil. The great thing about growing hops is that you always have next year, and usually with a better harvest to work with.

But as others have said, it'll probably work.

Hello everybody!
I actually do not agree with the "6x is more correct than 5x". I have discussed the numbers in a hop growers forum and it turns out that 4.63 should be the most accurate number, so 5x would be better.

The math is:
1000gm as picked (80% Moisture)
0.2(1000) = 200gm is the weight of hops with all moisture removed. (20% is hops, 80% is moisture)
200 + 0.08(200) = 216 gm is the weight of hops with 8% moisture.
So 1000/216 = 4.63 is the ratio of as picked to dried by weight.

All the math above is based on the supposition that you are harvesting hops at the right timing, not soaked with rain etc.

If you have different numbers please let me know, I'm very curious
Cheers from Italy!
Piteko