Hop storage?

[Trails_n_Ales]

I have several zip lock baggies of various hops that I had leftover from previous batches stored in my freezer. I wanted to dry hop a beer that I had in the secondary which I hadn't planned on. I grabbed about and ounce of amarillo and decided to use it. There was no aroma when i opened the zip lock back which i wasn't surprised, and my final beer didnt have much of an aroma either. My question is...Am I wasting time by saving the pellets? Am I losing all freshness and purpose for the hops by just freezing them in zip lock bags? Would using a vacuum sealer preserve most of the freshness?

 

[Queequeg]

I have used saved hops with success. I would invest in a vac sealer.

However there are probably other reasons your aroma was low. Hops tend to have their aroma muted whilst below freezing, because the aromatics are locked in.

 

[rhys333]

Purchasing hops in bulk and storing them can be hit and miss, especially if they've been removed from the protective Mylar packaging before they reach you. No way to really know if they've been exposed to hop killing heat, light, etc. I ordered a pound of cascade a while ago that had been transferred into a vac bag. No aroma left, other than a cheesy-stale smell. Hops direct from the supplier that have been stored properly fare much better on average.

 

[quijiba]

Purchasing hops in bulk and storing them can be hit and miss, especially if they've been removed from the protective Mylar packaging before they reach you. No way to really know if they've been exposed to hop killing heat, light, etc. I ordered a pound of cascade a while ago that had been transferred into a vac bag. No aroma left, other than a cheesy-stale smell. Hops direct from the supplier that have been stored properly fare much better on average.

That's one of my biggest pet peeves. Any time I see an in house sealed OZ of hops I get concerned about quality

 

[Temptd2]

We use a Foodsaver and vacuum-seal extra hops, then freeze. So far has worked very well.

 

[Trails_n_Ales]

Perfect. I do have a food saver vacuum sealer so I think I'll start going that route.