How long will hops last?

[SweetBaby_Lou]

Last season was my 2nd year with my hop bines and I managed to harvest a lot. I dried them out and packed them into ziplocks and pressed all the air out and stored them in the freezer. They have been in there around 4 months i believe. Willamette, Nugget, Cascade, and Fuggle variety if that matters at all.

Are these going to be worth using still? They look fine. No freezer burn.
I was hoping to just brew an IPA today and just hop the hell out of it. Am I making a mistake?

 

[OneImpBrewery]

I would base it on smell. If you open the bags and get a burst of hops smell you will be fine. If you open then and get a freezer smell I would be leery. I vacuum seal mine and they last for a year with a good seal sometimes longer. The ones I put in just freezer bags made it almost 6 months for the ones that I got all of the air out of.

Good Luck

Imp

tldr: Open the bag and smell them.

 

[nagmay]

"Are these going to be worth using still? They look fine. "

Short answer: yes

Long answer:

Each variety has it's own HSI (Hop Storage Index) number. This lets you know how well they hold up over time. However, this number is calculated at room temps. Properly dried and stored in a freezer, they will last quite a bit longer.

If you have the option, vac seal the bags and then throw them in the freezer. These hops will stay fresh for several years.

But always, as the Imp says, trust your nose.

 

[day_trippr]

Give them time some time to warm up - frozen hops don't have a hella lot of smell to them - then crunch up a cone and give it a sniff.

Cheesy aroma = Toss
Pretty much everything else = Good To Go

Drying to under 20% of wet weight, vac-bagging and freezing is the way to prolong any hop.
I'm still using hops I harvested in 2013 and they still kick @ss in the character department...

Cheers!