Fresh hops or dead hops?

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Should I brew with these hops?

  • Heck yes. They'll taste fine!

  • You got screwed. Those hops look dead!

  • Take your chances! May taste ok.


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Gonzo

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Not sure what to do. Ordered a pound of fresh Citra hops, theoretically picked on Wednesday. I knew it would be risky brewing them after three days. But the hops just look dead. They are brown, curled and some are dry. Sure they smell like hops, but they arrived in a paper bag, unsealed. These came from Rebel Brewer in TN. Should I use these or ship them back?

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To me fresh wet hops means you pick them and use them fast. Shipped from the field to the LHBS who then ships it to you means you have hops that are part of the way to dried hops but not properly done. Had they been in a plastic sealed bag they would have more than likely been worse off. If they will give you the money back I'd take it or chalk it up to a lesson learned.
 
Lesson learned. I made a tea, per Mongrel's suggestion, and all seems ok. I am not sure how the flavor might have changed, but I don't taste anything terribly off. At the end of the day, I'm going to avoid anything over one day from pick. I'm still surprised that Rebel Brewer decided to put this product out there. I'm frankly incredibly disappointed, but I guess I share some of the blame for being so naive.
 
I'm amazed they're selling them too. I'd email them a picture of how they arrived and at least voice your displeasure. I'd suggest growing your own, or making friends with someone with a few bines if you'd like to do a fresh hop brew.
 
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