Exploding hops?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
wetmk

wetmk

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Sep 11, 2012
Messages
486
Reaction score
2,076
Location
Farmingdale, NY
I have a pound of Cascade from Yakima Chief. It's been in the freezer unopened since I got it. It's also blown up like a fresh yeast smack pack. Anyone ever see something like this?
 

Attachments

  • 20240128_133205.jpg
    20240128_133205.jpg
    877 KB · Views: 0
  • 20240128_133114.jpg
    20240128_133114.jpg
    941.6 KB · Views: 0
Not here, and I go through a lot of pounds each year. Interesting. I wonder what's driving the inflation?

I have occasionally received metallized mylar bags that had lost their vacuum, either due to a strig poking out or mishandling, but those were "flaccid", not inflated. In fact today I received two pounds of 2022 EKG, one of the bags had an obvious pencil-diameter passage through the defective heat sealed edge (courtesy of Northwest Hop Farms :mad:) but again, not inflated, just limp.

Cheers!
 
If the "long version" is that there's some bug generating the gas, the boil would kill it off. I wouldn't use them for dry hopping.

I would think YC would want to check the lot # and see if something went wrong with it.
 
Something got in there and generated gas. If it was a strictly chemical process then I suppose it might not have damaged the hops all that much. If it was a biological process then who knows what kind of bug it was? And while boiling will kill the bug it might not inactivate everything that the bug produced. So unless the long version was very specific about why this is nothing to worry about, I'd be worrying about it. If this was a bag of peanuts or dried fruit, would you eat it?
 
mac_1103 said:
Something got in there and generated gas. If it was a strictly chemical process then I suppose it might not have damaged the hops all that much.
Click to expand...
Hopefully it is not a mouse that got packaged, that would probably affect the hop aroma...
 
@Op did the pouch swell after being put in the freezer or after you removed it?

I have received hop pouches that were not compact/vacuumed seal tight to the hops before but that was like that out of the mail and dont think they changed after being put in the fridge. Always thought it was a operator error.
 
ba-brewer said:
@Op did the pouch swell after being put in the freezer or after you removed it?

I have received hop pouches that were not compact/vacuumed seal tight to the hops before but that was like that out of the mail and dont think they changed after being put in the fridge. Always thought it was a operator error.
Click to expand...

The picture the OP provided shows a balloon.
Something seems to be generating gas in there.
 
wetmk said:
I have a pound of Cascade from Yakima Chief. It's been in the freezer unopened since I got it. It's also blown up like a fresh yeast smack pack. Anyone ever see something like this?
Click to expand...
Most likely packaged with a little trapped freezing nitrogen from the processing.
 
Nitrogen vaporises rapidly once above it's boiling point.
The package would have been fully inflated at the time it arrived not inflating in the freezer during storage.
 
DuncB said:
Nitrogen vaporises rapidly once above it's boiling point.
The package would have been fully inflated at the time it arrived not inflating in the freezer during storage.
Click to expand...
Unless it’s trapped and escapes later?
 
DuncB said:
Trapped in a pressurised cylinder of nitrogen that then develops a slow leak when exposed to freezer temperature.
Concealed in the packet of hops.
Seems likely!!
Click to expand...
More like pockets of liquid nitrogen trapped inside highly resinous hop pellets. Kind of like a ‘pressurised cylinder of nitrogen’, but more likely.
 
McMullan said:
More like pockets of liquid nitrogen trapped inside highly resinous hop pellets. Kind of like a ‘pressurised cylinder of nitrogen’, but more likely.
Click to expand...
Using liquid nitrogen every work day it boils off in seconds.
No way would a hop pellet insulate a drop of it. It's boiling off in the thermos flask when you peer in the top.
 
DuncB said:
Using liquid nitrogen every work day it boils off in seconds.
No way would a hop pellet insulate a drop of it. It's boiling off in the thermos flask when you peer in the top.
Click to expand...
I guess it depends on how liquid nitrogen gets used in the process. Whether there’s any present during pellet formation, for instance. Not necessarily comparable with your observations for your procedure. It doesn't all evaporate instantaneously, does it? It wouldn’t be of much use if it did. A small volume poured into a mortar, for example, takes a minute or so to evaporate completely. Is it that impossible to imagine highly resinous hop pellets might contain some entrapped nitrogen due to a glitch in processing? Regardless, I suspect entrapped nitrogen pockets under pressure are more likely than a little N2 cylinder inside the hop bag. I pretty certain of that.
 
tdf said:
What’s the long version? Did they have an explanation?
Click to expand...

Here's the long version. Also I sent them the lot # yesterday. Haven't heard anything yet.

Good afternoon Mark,
My name is Wade Brummett, Business Development Coordinator here at Yakima Chief Hops. Thank you very much for sending your inquiry across! We do see bag inflation at times due to transportion lanes and changes in elevation/pressure as well as temps. Do you happen to have the lot numbers available for the stock you have with impact? I can cross check that lot number against our quality records as well as our lot lookup tools. Attached is a bit of a Quality statement specifically aligned to bag inflation. In short, as long as hops have maintained cold temps and factory seals, it is likely the case that your hops will make a great beer without issue! Let me know what you see on your end and I will verify from our end. Thank you,Wade

The following is their official YCH bag inflation document:

Yakima Chief Hops is committed to producing the highest quality hop products in the industry.
With this commitment in mind we are working diligently to solve customers’ concerns when foil
inflation occurs. The residual head space of sealed foil bags, like the ones used for hops and hop
pellets, can inflate beyond the confines of box dimensions. This is commonly referred to as bag
inflation or ballooning. Bag inflation does not cause any product quality issues if the foil seal
remains intact. Bag inflation can become a safety issue if the box integrity has been
compromised, where boxes can’t be stacked on top of one another without falling.
The most common reasons for bag inflation and our improvements are outlined below:
• At time of packaging there is a lack of removal of the residual headspace.
o When the headspace is not removed at time of packaging, the bag volume can exceed
the box volume, causing the package to appear bloated.
At time of packaging, YCH is reducing bag volume and increasing box volume.
This does not prevent bag inflation but maintains packaging integrity.

• Storage temperature of product.
o Ideal gas laws (Charle’s Law) state that temperature is directly proportional to the
pressure of a gas. When temperature increases pressure increases. When the
storage temperature of the hop products exceeds 30-410F the gas volume inside the
bag increases, so the residual head space can expand beyond the dimensions of the
box.
YCH recommends that hops and hop pellets be stored and shipped at
temperatures of 30-410F. Storage/transport temperature does not only assist
with bag inflation, but also maintains product quality.

• Atmospheric pressure at storage facilities or transport
o Ideal gas laws (Boyle’s Law) state that pressure is inversely proportional to the volume
of a gas. When pressure decreases volume increases. YCH products are packaged
in Yakima WA, or Sunnyside WA the atmospheric pressure in these areas is about
~950-1030 mbar. In areas of high elevation, the average atmospheric pressure
decreases, so the gas volume inside the bag will increase.
The reduction in bag volume and increase of box volume at packaging will
improve package integrity, but bag inflation may still occur.

Yakima Chief Hops understands the concerns with bag inflation. Although bag inflation can cause
safety issues with storage from package integrity, the product quality still meets specifications.
Bag inflation is generally a sign of warm temperature handling or high elevation transport. Yakima
Chief Hops will continue to improve packaging techniques and packaging materials to contain the
bag inflation within the box dimensions.
November 21, 2019 – Produced by YCH Quality Team
 
wetmk said:
Here's the long version. Also I sent them the lot # yesterday. Haven't heard anything yet.


Bag inflation is generally a sign of warm temperature handling or high elevation transport. Yakima
Chief Hops will continue to improve packaging techniques and packaging materials to contain the
bag inflation within the box dimensions.
November 21, 2019 – Produced by YCH Quality Team
Click to expand...
I still wouldn't open them in the house, just in case a foul odor is emitted.:confused:
Otherwise I'd be inclined to inspect closely and repackage once satisfied there is nothing nasty in there.
 
"
When the
storage temperature of the hop products exceeds 30-410F the gas volume inside the
bag increases."

Seems unlikely that you would exceed 410F !!
 

Similar threads

Æ
Sold Free Hops
Replies
5
Views
626
t^3
T
shetc
Using older cryo hops
Replies
2
Views
574
shetc
shetc
refect
Too much cryo hops?
Replies
1
Views
609
RCope
RCope
HB_ATL73
Economical Brewing
2 3
Replies
96
Views
4K
Agent
Agent
L
Krausen left on top?
Replies
5
Views
414
Lawlesslevie
L
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top