Can Hop Pellets be Frozen for Later Use?

[BuglessDuster]

I had the bright idea of dry hopping with 10 oz. of hops and the more I think about it, the more I think I may cut it back to 6 oz. I'm quite certain that my local home brew store won't take them back. Can I freeze 4 oz. to use later on a different batch? They're unopened in the original packaging.

 

[Nagorg]

Yes! I keep my hops in the freezer all the time. Freezing will slow down the degradation and extend their usefulness.

 

[BuglessDuster]

Yes! I keep my hops in the freezer all the time. Freezing will slow down the degradation and extend their usefulness.

Awesome, thanks! About how long will they last in the freezer? I guess it could vary depending on hop variety, but generally speaking how long? 6 months?

 

[Nagorg]

If they are unopened (not exposed to O2), you can easily store them for a year or more. They will age in the freezer but it takes a bit longer... But hopefully they wont be in the freezer that long!

 

[k1ngl1ves]

I have hops vacuum sealed in my freezer that are 2-3 years old. Still good, although I only use them for late additions and dry hopping after they're a year old or more. I try to use the freshest hops for bittering to keep things more accurate.

 

[Chrisl77]

Over a year. I by some hops by the pound and have successfully used them 2 years later without issue.

 

[BrunDog]

Once opened, you should either vacuum pack them or use them quickly. Freezing sealed will help but not perfect. It the ambient oxygen that quickly spoils them. I don't even open my hops until I am ready to put them into the vessel, but that's because I am stoopid anal!

 

[Qhrumphf]

Vacuum sealed or nitrogen flushed, and stored in the freezer pellets will keep for a very long time. Most hops you buy at your LHBS are often from the previous crop year anyway (and sometimes older than that). Generally the craft brewers get first cut to fulfill their hop contracts, and then homebrewers get the leftover scraps.

 

[Natdavis777]

I like to bulk purchase hops and vacuum seal them and store them in the freezer until I use them. These are usually hops that are for hop-forward beers (Just purchased 3# Citra, 3# Mosaic, 1# Eureka). This allows me to keep fresh (relative) hops on hand for a good amount of time.

 

[spdalton]

I've been taping up leftover packets (1oz, 2oz) and putting them in a ziplock bag with as much air squeezed out as possible, and freezing them. I tend to use them over the next month or so each time so I'm not maintaining a large stockpile of open hops. Haven't noticed any issues, they still seem fresh when used!

 

[Dixon9717]

All my hops wait patiently in the freezer until it's there turn