Storing Leaf Hops

[Clint Yeastwood]

The only drawback with my HBS is the hop selection. I can't get Nugget hops there.

Found a guy on Ebay selling leaf Nugget hops for $10 per pound. That's like a millionth of what other online sellers charge. I could get a pound and be set for a year.

I see tons of different and changing information about storing hops. I was thinking I would break a pound up and refrigerate it in small portions with oxygen absorbers. Should I be able to keep the hops a year or more this way?

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Well, I'm wrong. He put up a picture of leaf hops, but he's selling vacuum-packed pellets. I would still have to break the bag up.

 

[day_trippr]

Best to keep hops in the freezer. If you have a vacuum bagger make oversized bags so you can reseal them as needed. Some folks use the bagger with a jar attachment and keep their hops in Mason jars. Otherwise keep them in their mylar bags and suck as much air out before zipping them closed. But definitely in the freezer...

Cheers!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I was going to break each pound down into brew-sized batches and vacuum-bag them with O2 absorbers. This was my guess.

I just discovered Yakima Valley. Looks really good. They have 4 hops I expect to use a lot. Looks like I can be down around $1.25 per ounce including the bags and O2 absorbers.

 

[Dgallo]

I was going to break each pound down into brew-sized batches and vacuum-bag them with O2 absorbers. This was my guess.

I just discovered Yakima Valley. Looks really good. They have 4 hops I expect to use a lot. Looks like I can be down around $1.25 per ounce including the bags and O2 absorbers.

Don’t worry about o2 absorbers. Just vacuum seal them. You can certainly seal them in individual bags if you like but the o2 absorbers would overkill for no reason. And so you know, I am one of those absolute LODO freaks post pitch

This is my hop freezer

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I see we are equally fancy.

 

[T Murph]

I dry fresh hops over a fan then vacuum seal and toss them into the freezer. Don't really know if they last a year cause I use them up or give them away. But I always keep all hops in the freezer including store bought varieties.

 

[jtgoral]

I vacuum pack my dried backyard hops and keep them in the freezer.

 

[day_trippr]

When I was still growing hops...

Cheers!

 

[Brewskey]

When I was still growing hops...

Why'd you stop? Wish I could grow some here in South AL. Don't think I'd have much luck though...

 

[jtgoral]

Why'd you stop? Wish I could grow some here in South AL. Don't think I'd have much luck though...

They grow hops in hot Australia. Why don't you try?

 

[Dgallo]

They grow hops in hot Australia. Why don't you try?

Humidity… many hop varieties are susceptible to mildews and humid weather causes it

 

[day_trippr]

Why'd you stop? Wish I could grow some here in South AL. Don't think I'd have much luck though...

I was a victim of my own success. I grew Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Fuggles. By the third year I was vac bagging 12 pounds of dried cones for the freezer, and it kept going up. By the seventh year I was giving that much away and had come to the realization the effort was outstripping the value: "C hops" are incredibly cheap and buying them by the pound is much easier on the fingers and knees

Plus I had discovered I really liked hops like Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, etc - proprietary, of course - and had greatly reduced my use of the classic American strains. It was time to move on and leave the lupulin stains behind...

Cheers!

 

[Brewskey]

I was a victim of my own success. I grew Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Fuggles. By the third year I was vac bagging 12 pounds of dried cones for the freezer, and it kept going up. By the seventh year I was giving that much away and had come to the realization the effort was outstripping the value: "C hops" are incredibly cheap and buying them by the pound is much easier on the fingers and knees

Plus I had discovered I really liked hops like Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, etc - proprietary, of course - and had greatly reduced my use of the classic American strains. It was time to move on and leave the lupulin stains behind...

Wow. Pretty impressive for a backyard operation.

 

[jtgoral]

Humidity… many hop varieties are susceptible to mildews and humid weather causes it

https://ocm.auburn.edu/newsroom/new...aft-breweries-seeking-alabama-grown-grain.php

 

[Dgallo]

https://ocm.auburn.edu/newsroom/new...aft-breweries-seeking-alabama-grown-grain.php

Not really sure what this article is supposed to prove. according to the article Al ranked 25Th in the nation for growing hops and notes only 5 varieties grow well that all have moderate to high downy and powdery mildew tolerance. Which is exactly why I said few hops varieties grow well because of high humidity

 

[Brewskey]

https://ocm.auburn.edu/newsroom/new...aft-breweries-seeking-alabama-grown-grain.php

Would be neat to plant one just to see what it does. Maybe I'll get a Cascade and a Centennial and try it out.

Not really sure what this article is supposed to prove. according to the article Al ranked 25Th in the nation for growing hops and notes only 5 varieties grow well that all have moderate to high downy and powdery mildew tolerance. Which is exactly why I said few hops varieties grow well because of high humidity

I'm surprised AL ranked that high really...

 

[jtgoral]

Not really sure what this article is supposed to prove. according to the article Al ranked 25Th in the nation for growing hops and notes only 5 varieties grow well that all have moderate to high downy and powdery mildew tolerance. Which is exactly why I said few hops varieties grow well because of high humidity

It should show that a backyard hops grower in Alabama could spend $10 for hop rhizomes just to try and then maybe save year after year.

 

[Dgallo]

It should show that a backyard hops grower in Alabama could spend $10 for hop rhizomes just to try and then maybe save year after year.

If you don’t count your time as a factor in cost for pruning, watering, pest control, spraying copper, or the nutrients, then yes you’ll save money. As a home grower that’s been doing it 3 years, I have certainly not saved any money. that said, the novelty to tell people I grew the hops and last year when I took bronze in the pale ale category in a comp out in Oregon with my wet hop Columbus pale ale made it all worth it to me

 

[jtgoral]

If you don’t count your time as a factor in cost for pruning, watering, pest control, spraying copper, or the nutrients, then yes you’ll save money. As a home grower that’s been doing it 3 years, I have certainly not saved any money. that said, the novelty to tell people I grew the hops and last year when I took bronze in the pale ale category in a comp out in Oregon with my wet hop Columbus pale ale made it all worth it to me

I do nothing you mentioned to care for my hops. I planted Cascade, Centennial, Perle, Nugget and Willlamette hops in my backyard near Chicago 12 years ago. I collect hops every year. BTW, it can be very hot and humid in Chicago during summer.

My hops spread like weeds every spring and the other problem is that I did not take notes which hops are were in the backyard.