Dry hopping with "old" hops?

[TxNative]

I did my first BIAB batch yesterday, and I had seen this issue coming but wasn't sure how to solve it. I scaled down a 5 gallon recipe to 3 gallons but I have left over hop pellets. I put then in a zip lock and got as much air out as possible then threw them in the freezer. Will they be ok to dry hop with after 3 or so weeks?

I know they will definitely loose a lot of their potency, Im not worried about that, I just want to know if they will produce any off flavors. I would guess that they wouldn't, but I figured I would ask around first before making that assumption.

Best Regards,
Chris

 

[EuBrew]

They'll be fine, won't loose much potentancy in that short of time, especially in the freezer. I just dry hopped with 4 year old hops (long story) from the freezer and they smell great.

 

[lucuella]

Smell the hops. If they smell fresh use them, if they smell like a sauna bath or like onion, cheese, or garlic don't use them unless you are going to brew a beer with brettanomyces.

Just keep in mind that hops are going to be impacted by time, storage conditions, and even packaging conditions. Buying hops right from the supplier, and keeping them at cool temperatures before you use them will be the best case scenario, but sometimes when we buy from homebrew supplies, if they don't storage those hops well, or if they even re-package the hops or open the bags to sell them in small quantities, those hops will suffer and lose aroma and flavors - those are extreme cases, though.

 

[kevin58]

I use hops that are years old with no ill effect. They range from unopened hops to leftovers that I have vacuum sealed. All are stored in the freezer. For the older ones I might add an extra 10% - 20% depending on their age and whether they are sealed in the original package or ones that I vacuum sealed. 3 weeks is nothing.

 

[smata67]

This is a 6 year old thread, not sure anyone noticed. I will add that if you don't vacuum pack your hops, they can turn brownish rather quickly in the freezer. They are probably fine and usable even if a few months, but they can suffer cosmetic damage.

 

[mashpaddled]

I bet those hops are still ok to use six years later.