Buy 2012 bulk hop pellets, or wait for 2013?

I just got into brewing and am looking to save some cost on the materials, so after picking some recipes I know what I need most of. I see a lot of the hops still available are from 2012..but I know 2013 hops are being harvested.

So should I buy a lb of each of the ones I want for 2012...or should I keep buying small and wait for 2013 to hit the books? Only concern is 2012 is already a year old, will they still be good in my freezer a few months from now?

Thanks.

Great question, I've been wondering this same thing. I'm thinking, even under optimum conditions, 2012 crop would never be as fresh as the 2013. I think I'm going to hold off myself, just to get the freshest possible. I usually buy quite a bit at a time, so I'm looking at some portion of them sitting another year, vacuum sealed in my freezer.

Considering most hops are stored in vacuum sealed bags, I don't mind buying the previous year's harvest at deep discounts. They should soon be offering great prices by the pound when the 2013 crop is in. Most varieties, anyway. Some are often sold out by now.

Homercidal said:

Considering most hops are stored in vacuum sealed bags, I don't mind buying the previous year's harvest at deep discounts. They should soon be offering great prices by the pound when the 2013 crop is in. Most varieties, anyway. Some are often sold out by now.

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I second that. I just ordered a pound of 2012 Summit whole leaf today for $14 shipped.

Homercidal said:

Considering most hops are stored in vacuum sealed bags, I don't mind buying the previous year's harvest at deep discounts. They should soon be offering great prices by the pound when the 2013 crop is in. Most varieties, anyway. Some are often sold out by now.

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Yep! I just bought a pound of columbus 2012 for $8!

It's a great time to buy hops on sale, if you have freezer space.

You only want to buy frozen and vacuum sealed hops, of course. But if they are frozen and vacuum sealed, they will be good for a long time with no loss of aroma or bittering ability.

Well, perhaps I've missed the obvious but how can you tell if the crop is from one year or another by the packing? I mean stuff from hopunion or other companies, not home brew store repacks.

ObsidianJester said:

Well, perhaps I've missed the obvious but how can you tell if the crop is from one year or another by the packing? I mean stuff from hopunion or other companies, not home brew store repacks.

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Mine have the date on them. If they don't, you'll have to ask your store.

I am using up simcoe 2011 right now, and amarillo 2012, just as an example.

Recently, I used some hops labelled 2007, but normally mine are much fresher!

"Buy frozen hops"? Do any hop suppliers actually freeze their product? I only buy hops in vac-sealed pounds from folks like Hop Union and other biggies, but of course by the time they arrive they're anything but frozen, so there's no way to know one way or the other...

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

"Buy frozen hops"? Do any hop suppliers actually freeze their product? I only buy hops in vac-sealed pounds from folks like Hop Union and other biggies, but of course by the time they arrive they're anything but frozen, so there's no way to know one way or the other...

Cheers!

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The suppliers don't- but the homebrew stores that have been holding onto them for the last year sure should! I wouldn't buy a pound of hops that had been sitting out for a year.

Most stores that sell hops by the pound do so in vacuum sealed packages in the freezer. They would be thawed when they arrived at your door if you mail ordered them.