Buying Hops from 2014 Harvest and How to Estimata Alpha Content

[Brewmegoodbeer]

Hello all,

I just bought 32 ounces of hops harvested in 2014 for 25 dollars from Yakima Valley Hops, a hop distribution center that sells online http://www.yakimavalleyhops.com/aboutus.asp. I emailed them in concern that the hops are old and may be pretty much expired and useless. The company replied that they have breweries that are buying their 2013 harvest hops and are using them without a problem. They state that they store their hops in mylar foil bags that have been purged with nitrogen and stored at 32 degrees, so the alpha content should be within 90 percent of the stated alpha content on the labeling of the hops. I find this hard to believe since they are about 3 years old. Has anyone purchased hops this old and had good results? How would I go about figuring out the alpha content that the hops currently have? Beersmith has a hop aging calculator, so I'm thinking this is the best way to go about the estimation. Thanks!

 

[rhys333]

Stored properly, they should be just fine. If they are for late addition instead of bittering, then any minute drop in aa won't make a difference anyway.

 

[ksut1547]

YVH are good peeps. Any ibu calculators have at least a few points of error to them. Just use them as normal.

 

[IslandLizard]

Don't worry, packaging and storage are the most important factors for their longevity. It's a reputable company, you can take their word.

I have hops from the 2012 harvest, always been stored between -4 and 0 °F. They are all fine. I had been using 10% extra for each year of age, to compensate, but that seemed a bit too much. Now I'm using 5% extra per year of age. That works better.

After weighing out your hops, while rolling the flap over and over, squeeze all the air out of the bag and tape it shut to the body of the bag. Always store in freezer.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

Don't worry, packaging and storage are the most important factors for their longevity. It's a reputable company, you can take their word.

I have hops from the 2012 harvest, always been stored between -4 and 0 °F. They are all fine. I had been using 10%, per year of age, extra to compensate but that seems to be a bit too much. Now I'm using 5% per year of age, extra.

After weighing out your hops, while rolling the flap over and over, squeeze all the air out of the bag and tape it shut to the body of the bag. Always store in freezer.

Thanks for the good info. When you say 5% do you mean 5% loss of total AA? Like 5 percent loss a year for 12% alpha would be 0.6% lost per year right?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the good info. When you say 5% do you mean 5% loss of total AA? Like 5 percent loss a year for 12% alpha would be 0.6% lost per year right?

I would assume very little loss, if properly stored.

I recently used some 2007 hops, stored properly in my freezer. They smelled great when I opened them after being sealed all that time, and didn't notice any decrease in bitterness in the final beer.

Oxygen and warm temperatures will degrade hops greatly, but storing them frozen in light-proof sealed bags should have minimal effect.

The 2014 hops were harvested in late 2014, so they are about 2.25-2.5 years old. Not super fresh, but not really aged since they were packaged and stored well.

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks for the good info. When you say 5% do you mean 5% loss of total AA? Like 5 percent loss a year for 12% alpha would be 0.6% lost per year right?

If my recipe calls for 28 grams (1 oz) of a hop and it's 4 years old (2012 harvest), I use 20% extra (4 years x 5%). So I use 28+6 = 34 grams. I do this for bittering, flavor, aroma and dry hops.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

If my recipe calls for 28 grams (1 oz) of a hop and it's 4 years old (2012 harvest), I use 20% extra (4 years x 5%). So I use 28+6 = 34 grams. I do this for bittering, flavor, aroma and dry hops.

I like your 5% rule. Do you use any software to develop your recipes (like BeerSmith)? If so, do you adjust the alpha content of the hop for current time? I suppose you could just match the alpha with whatever is on the pouch and then add 5% per year of whatever you are using off of the software to assume you are matching that IBU (which seems like your doing and would work). Thanks!

 

[IslandLizard]

I like your 5% rule. Do you use any software to develop your recipes (like BeerSmith)? If so, do you adjust the alpha content of the hop for current time? I suppose you could just match the alpha with whatever is on the pouch and then add 5% per year of whatever you are using off of the software to assume you are matching that IBU (which seems like your doing and would work). Thanks!

I do use BS, but not to calculate hop aging. It's a limited use stand-alone tool, doesn't integrate automatically, and only compensates for %AA, not %β, loss of flavor, aroma, etc.

I've added the source (HD = Hops Direct), harvest year, and form (P or L) in the hop name, like this: "Amarillo (HD 2013 P)" and entered the correct %AA and %β (if available) from the bag. I design the recipe as if the hops are fresh. I do not use the Hop Age Tool.

I add the extra grams due to aging when weighing them out, using the year of harvest as my guide. Close enough. If I feel I want an ounce more Amarillo in the whirlpool, because I feel like it, I'll add it ad hoc. And make a note of it on the brew sheet.

BTW in recipes I list hops in grams, not oz. Easier to calculate 5/10/20%.