Do we really need to dry to ~10% moisture

[Calder]

I air dry my hops on a screen. I'm wondering if I need to dry them completely, and maybe they will be better if I don't fully dry them out.

My rationale:
- Wet hops are good
- Drying drives off some aromatics
- The 10% moisture level is really to prevent mold growing on the hops.

My plan is to air dry on a screen for a couple of days, this will get my weight down to about a third of the original weight, or about 20% moisture level. Then vacuum package and store in freezer.

I figure it leaves less time for deterioration in the air, may retain more aromatics.

Looking for comments; am I going to have an issue with this (apart from having to adjust the weight of hops I use)? Am I OK, or should I leave the hops for a couple more days to completely dry out?

 

[madscientist451]

The 8-10% moisture amount is supposed to prevent spoilage. I don't know the history behind this practice, but I would assume there was some research involved. You may want to consider drying some of your hops to 8-10% and also drying some at a higher moisture content and see what the results are. You may or may not notice an aroma and flavor difference and you may or may not have a spoilage problem. If you can keep you hops in the freezer, I think you could not dry them at all. I freeze fresh fruit all the time and I don't have a spoilage problem, so why not hops? I haven't tried this yet, but it seems interesting.

 

[thaymond]

I air dry my hops on a screen. I'm wondering if I need to dry them completely, and maybe they will be better if I don't fully dry them out.

My rationale:
- Wet hops are good
- Drying drives off some aromatics
- The 10% moisture level is really to prevent mold growing on the hops.

My plan is to air dry on a screen for a couple of days, this will get my weight down to about a third of the original weight, or about 20% moisture level. Then vacuum package and store in freezer.

I figure it leaves less time for deterioration in the air, may retain more aromatics.

Looking for comments; am I going to have an issue with this (apart from having to adjust the weight of hops I use)? Am I OK, or should I leave the hops for a couple more days to completely dry out?

I shoot for 20 to 25% of the wet weight in mine. Really, any less than 20% seems to make them very brittle, and the bags usually have more hop residue in them than the cones do. I do no heat drying in my garage on a rotation in my oast. Each tray gets about 8 hours of direct fan on low, while all other trays are stacked on top. In 36 to 48 hours, the typical 8-9 lbs of picked hops is down to about 2 lbs dry. Then it's time to put the 2nd harvest in. Both years I have about 4 lbs dry off my plants, which translates to 16 to 18 lbs wet. That puts me between 20 and 25% of the original weight. I have had no spoilage problems, and I just used up the last bit of the 2014 hops. I have about 2 lbs of hops to use before I can use this year's harvest. Homebrewer problems...

As long as you are able to vacuum seal and freeze right away, you should be fine regardless of wet or dry. I might vac seal 12-16 oz of fresh hops to use in a "wet hop" ale for spring.

I think the only adjustments you'd need to make are in the weights that you're using in your kettle and dry hop additions. Good luck!

 

[KennyRedman]

8-10% is really for pelletizing and bulk storage. Any higher, then the pelletizer will get gummed up and any lower, they'll just disintegrate.

 

[B-Hoppy]

There are other reasons for drying down to a target moisture percentage like this unfortunate situation that helped fuel the 2007 "shortage": http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/yakima-warehouse-fire-destroys-4-of-nations-yield-of-hops/

 

[indiangoat]

I put mine in the refrigerator before they felt dry and they spoiled in two weeks. Smelled like ammonia. My fridge had some water pooled up under crisper drawer.
Best to use them soon after they are picked and are crunchy inside when squeezed.

 

[dmtaylor]

With my homegrown hops fully dried and properly stored, I can use them for many years (like 3 or 4) with no perceptions of staleness or cheesiness in the final beer, and with the alpha acid apparently where it was in the beginning as well. FWIW, my homegrown Hallertau hops seem to average approximately 4.8% alpha every year, and my Cascades are closer to 6-6.2%. This I learn through trial & error, using them for bittering on purpose. I just used 100% homegrown Hallertau from 2015 crop for two batches of Marzen assuming the 4.8% and both turned out perfect.

But...... If I only did a half-ass job drying them, somehow I doubt they'd turn out as good. Maybe, but it's not worth the risk IMHO.

 

[GVH_Dan]

8-10% is the magic range where the hops can hold themselves (mostly) together until the hit the hammer mill but they aren't so sticky that they gum the whole works up. Even at just 12%, my pellet mill slows to almost 1/2 speed.

What's the magic moisture content where there is no worry of rot? 0%, of course. I don't know what the true boundary is but I've seen FROZEN hops at about 20% that preserved well except a fair amount of freezer burn (ice crystals) on the inside of the package.

One of the reasons (as mentioned by the OP) to get to the 8-10% range is so you don't screw up your recipes. That extra water weight means you can't accurately weigh out your hops to get proper amounts. Often homegrower/brewers complain their hops aren't as potent. What really is at play is the hops may have 2 to 3 x's the weight in water so they are only adding 1/2 to 1/3 the amount of hops.

If you go from wet hops straight to the freezer, break them into usable sizes. When they thaw, they are a lump of green go. Its better to throw that frozen lump into the wort.