Is it ok to use hops that have already gone brown

[bacchusmj]

I was in a few weddings this fall out of state and I have a 2 year old. Harvest occurred about 3-4 weeks later than I really wanted.

I grew Cascade and Centenial and I took all four down today. Towards the top of the plants there were a ton of really good looking hops that have gone brown and dried up at the tips of the cones. The cones are still full of lupulin.

Is it cool to brew with these hops? is the browning going to create issues or off-flavors? I know the brown hops arent as high a quality as the fresher ones, but I plan to compensate for that in my recipes. I usually just use the homegrown for late additions and dry-hops.

 

[ong]

It really depends how they smell when you rub them between your hands. Personally I start smelling more brown sugar/caramel notes when the hops are getting browner. If they don't smell like something you'd want to drink, I would just chuck them.

 

[bacchusmj]

It really depends how they smell when you rub them between your hands. Personally I start smelling more brown sugar/caramel notes when the hops are getting browner. If they don't smell like something you'd want to drink, I would just chuck them.

I mashed them up pretty good and they still smelled like orange zest. they have a date with a hop stand next week.

 

[mattmmille]

I had a friend that invited me to pick Cascade hops, but they were mostly brown. Many were falling apart in the bucket, but when you pulled one apart or rubbed it, the smell is definitely still there. I finished drying them (because they were a little damp from dew and some still had some green) in a box in my attic for several days. Today, I packed them into a couple of quart ziploc bags and pressed as much air out as possible. I just discovered that I'm out of vac bags for the sealer. Hopefully, I can use these within a month to make some version of a SMaSH, so I can see how they do. Maybe a basic pale ale. Or would a ESB be a good choice? I'm hoping they are worth the $ and effort to use.