How long do hops last in the fridge? Anyone make a kitchen sink IPA?

So like most homebrewers I guess I've got all kinds of leftover hops from recipies which don't call for whole-ounce quantities. Three quarters an ounce of this, half an ounce of that, one and a half ounces because I forgot I had some of the other. Mostly pellets, but some plugs and probably some whole hops too. How long will this stuff last in fridge? Is there an different "use-by" date for bittering use than for flavoring or aroma use?

And on a related note, has anyone made a kitchen-sink IPA? I'm thinking of making a high-malt recipe and just hopping the heck out of it with whatever is lying around. Noble, new-world, high-alpha, mild, citrus-y, whatever.

 

I'd use them fairly quickly. If they aren't sealed and in the freezer, they will lose their potency fast.

 

Agree. Use a FoodSaver (or similar brand) to vacuum pack them and freeze them. I've used hops from the freezer that have been in there 6 months or longer and still were fine. Not ideal mind you, but fine.

 

What about in a ziplock bag in the freezer? I can't afford a vacuum sealer thing.

 

Ray Daniels has a section in his book, Designing Great Beers, in which he gives the life span of common hops at diff temps. As previous posters mentioned, vacuuming is best, but keeping away from oxidation (even in Zip lock), frezzing, and keepiong in the dark are good habits.

 

I'll be damned, so he does. I had completely forgotten about it. Thanks!

So has anyone made a kitchen-sink beer with all their spent, semi-spent and, according to Daniels, "aged" hops? Or is that just a waste of several pounds of grain?

 

Just did a DIPA with some big hops i've had for a year.. decided it was time to clear em out

1.00 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 3.92 %
14.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 54.90 %
4.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 15.69 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 7.84 %
1.50 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 5.88 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.92 %
2.00 oz Centennial [7.70 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops -
1.25 oz Warrior [16.10 %] (60 min) Hops 44.2 IBU
0.75 oz Warrior [16.10 %] (60 min) (First Wort HoHops 29.1 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [11.10 %] (20 min) Hops 7.4 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [11.10 %] (15 min) Hops 6.0 IBU
0.50 oz Nugget [11.20 %] (11 min) Hops 4.8 IBU
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [12.20 %] (8 min) Hops 8.1 IBU
0.50 oz Nugget [11.20 %] (5 min) Hops 2.4 IBU
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [12.20 %] (2 min) Hops 2.3 IBU
0.50 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
2.00 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 7.84 %
3 Pkgs Safale US-05 (Fermentis #US-05) Yeast-Ale

Turned out awesome.

 

I've made a kitchen sink nut brown with all my leftover grains years ago. It turned out to be my best extract beer I'd ever made. Now I have a foodsaver, so I don't worry about using old inventory unless one of my recipes calls for it.

 

Well, cool. I'm gonna do that then this spring. All these spent hops have been ziplocked and/or Tupperwared and refrigerated so they should have at least some zip left. I'll just turn them loose in an ungodly amount of malt and see what comes out.

Thanks!

 

My personal record is seven hops in one batch of Bent Rod Rye. I mixed the aroma hops and split them 1/3 @ 15, 5 and dry hop. Spilt the bittering hops at 60 and 30.

Columbus, Chinook, Nugget
EKG, Willamette, Fuggle, Cascades

 

So I finally went for it and tested the result today. It wasn't that bad! It was like a dirty Stone Ruination. Unfortunately, there were filtration problems so we only got a gallon and three quarters. Turns out 13 ounces of hops is pretty bulky. :cross:

8.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain

0.33 oz Simcoe [12.40 %] (60 min)
0.93 oz Warrior [16.70 %] (60 min)
2.21 oz Pearle [8.30 %] (60 min)
0.74 oz Mt. Hood [5.20 %] (10 min)
0.71 oz Williamette [4.90 %] (10 min)
1.63 oz Cascade [6.80 %] (10 min)
0.55 oz Centennial [10.80 %] (10 min)
1.39 oz Saaz [3.30 %] (1 min)
0.76 oz Strisslespalt [1.90 %] (1 min)
0.48 oz Hallertauer [3.70 %] (1 min)
2.00 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [2.40 %] (1 min)
0.96 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 7 days)
0.67 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] (Dry Hop 7 days)