Hops potency loss over time?

[faithie999]

I have a NB beer kit from last fall that I failed to remove the hops from and freeze them.

the hops are used at flameout and dry hop.

what alpha acid loss should I estimate for about 6 months storage at 60F? and will it matter both for the flameout hops and dry hops, or only for the flameout? the hops packets say they are nitrogen-flushed, not that that makes a significant difference at this point.


Hop stand (20 minutes):
1 oz azacca
1 oz citra
1 oz mosaic
1 oz Eukanot

Dry Hop:
1 oz Eukanot and 1 oz Mosaic, 3 days into fermentation
1 oz Eukanot and 1 oz Citra, after fermentation is complete

thanks!

 

[lumpher]

Here's a short article that explains it better than I can:

https://beerandgardeningjournal.com/hop-loss-2/#:~:text=They list the alpha acid,of change remained the same).

 

[day_trippr]

3 of those hops have decent HSI indices of around 25%. Ekuanot is higher at around 34%.
But kept in a freezer as noted those numbers can be quartered - which is a good thing as some of my less-often-used hops are up to 3 years old now but still quite usable...

Cheers!

 

[faithie999]

thanks. I didn't realize there was a hop age calculator in Beersmith. I calculated the degradation of the whirlpool hops and I'll add an extra 1.5 oz of Citra that I have had in the freezer since new, and call it good. I will prob add some extra Citra at dry hopping time, as well.

 

[IslandLizard]

Mind, the HSI index calculators only estimate alpha acid degradation in regard to their bittering potential.

There's no indication how storage and age affect flavor and aroma, which may degrade at a different rate.

Here's a another HSI calculator (showing the various modeling parameters):
https://calculator.academy/hop-storage-index-calculator/

 

[rallenhall]

The biggest problem I see in purchasing hops is that you typically don't know the year of harvest or how they were handled after. Makes estimation a real crap shoot.

 

[mac_1103]

The biggest problem I see in purchasing hops is that you typically don't know the year of harvest or how they were handled after.

Yakima Valley vacuum packs the hops and puts the harvest year on the label.

 

[day_trippr]

I've never bought hops that weren't advertised as being from a specific year's harvest...

Cheers!

 

[rallenhall]

Yakima Valley vacuum packs the hops and puts the harvest year on the label.

True, and I get that information and packaging from Hops Direct as well. Most of my homebrewing friends (and me to some degree) work in small volumes and rely on the LHBS or the online HB retailers for a few ounces at a time. Packaging may be OK, exact acid content may or may not be listed online (MoreBeer lists in ranges), but age??? Though not directly related, this discussion reminds me of a former area LBHS (now defunct) that displayed their hop packs on pegboard hooks at room temps. Some of those hops had hung there for years .

 

[mac_1103]

Most of my homebrewing friends (and me to some degree) work in small volumes and rely on the LHBS or the online HB retailers for a few ounces at a time.

I rarely use more than 3 ounces of hops in a batch, but I've started buying them by the pound. Vacuum seal the leftovers and store them in the freezer. Saves money and preserves freshness.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I’ve used 5 year old hops in a Helles once. Tossed in a pound at 60 and couldn’t tell any difference. Would I use them in a dryhop, probably not. Hops are in the freezer as soon as they arrive. I have way too many hops right now. Kind of like don’t go to the grocery when you’re hungry. Stay away from this forum when craving an ipa. Start hearing of combos, sounds good, I’ll buy those too.