Hops: How Old Is Too Old? 2 questions

[nolabrew85]

1. I have some cascade, Columbus, mosaic, and chinook in that have been in mason jars in my freezer since late 2014. Prior to March 2015, I was flushing them with CO2. But since my last brew day in March (I moved and have not been able to brew again until this weekend), they have been in the fridge but not flushed with CO2. Is it worth using these or should I toss them.

2. I also have some nitrogen flushed packs of hops that have never been opened and that have been in my freezer since early 2015. They have stayed there and have not been opened. Are these still good? I know the Alpha Acids have gone down and I can guess where they are with a formula, but I am wondering if it is worth using these in something like an IPA or anything for that matter. They are 1 lb bags so it hurts to toss them.

Thanks!!

 

[day_trippr]

While some strains store better than others, freezing really slows the degradation process. Perhaps surprisingly so.

I plugged in 180 days at 0°F into this calculator using Cascade at a starting AA of 6% and it only dropped to 5.6 for a sealed/flushed barrier bag, and 5.5 for a non-oxygen-free glass jar.

My own experience with my home grown hops is they remain remarkably potent if vac-bagged and kept in the deep freeze that I almost discount any AA loss over a year...

Cheers!

 

[MileHighBrewer]

Dude....relax. Pro brewers use hops that are SEVERAL years old all the time. Your hops are just fine, its not milk....they keep pretty well. If you are worried, use an extra 10-15% in the boil.

 

[lschiavo]

I have at least 5 pounds vac sealed in the deep freeze that I hope and expect will be just fine when I eventually get back to them.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I'd say late 30's. The bigger question is how young is too young. The obvious answer is 17....yeah....if you're talking legalities, but I'm talking senility. They make be fun to look at. Perky as the day is long, but try holding a half-way decent convo during the awkward walk to show them where you told the cab to pick them up. You actually hi-five yourself for resisting the urge to punch some smart into her stupid face. I hope you didn't give her you're real number. That moment of silky smooth skin that hasn't seen the threat of cellulite, gravity, or weird looking marks from too much sun comes with a price, my friend. Endless texts..."R U up?"..."Wut doing?"..."I miss U"...I digress....My point is around 31.....31 is the perfect age.

 

[lschiavo]

I'd say late 30's. The bigger question is how young is too young. The obvious answer is 17....yeah....if you're talking legalities, but I'm talking senility. They make be fun to look at. Perky as the day is long, but try holding a half-way decent convo during the awkward walk to show them where you told the cab to pick them up. You actually hi-five yourself for resisting the urge to punch some smart into her stupid face. I hope you didn't give her you're real number. That moment of silky smooth skin that hasn't seen the threat of cellulite, gravity, or weird looking marks from too much sun comes with a price, my friend. Endless texts..."R U up?"..."Wut doing?"..."I miss U"...I digress....My point is around 31.....31 is the perfect age.

You make a lot of good points. I hope you're drunk.

 

[Mer-man]

Jamil says (and I'm paraphrasing), "Bamforth . . . mumble . . . every ten degrees . . . yadda yadda . . . halve the decay."

As I understand it, first priority is temperature. Second priority is removal of oxygen.

 

[The_Glue]

I just dry-hopped a beer with Nelson harvested in 2013. Vacuum package. It smelled good.

 

[RM-MN]

Hops are only harvested once per year. If your hops were harvested in the fall of 2014, the only way you get fresher hops is to get them from somewhere that has the seasons reversed. For example, you could get New Zealand hops that were harvested in April of 2015 or US hops harvested in October of 2014. Properly stored in a cool to cold location you hops don't degrade very fast.

 

[moreb33rplz]

They're ruined. Send them here.

 

[nolabrew85]

The smelled just fine. I used them.

 

[TonyG]

I have hops from 2012, I think, that still seem good to me. I keep them vacuum sealed in my deep freezer and haven't noticed anything off about them, as they still smell good and seem to get the job done in beer.

 

[JKaranka]

Still going through some cheap 2012 hops here too (for bittering, though).

 

[Mer-man]

Jkaranka, if they're not stored cold then the alpha acids break down. Then, assuming they were vacuum sealed, they're only good for aroma. Failing that, you could make a lambic with them