Buying old hops

[sorefingers23]

I was shopping online for some hops today and found some cascade, centenial hops from 2016 for a very low price, does anyone think there would be a problem with these.
I have hops stored in vacuum bags for years now and have 0 problems, so I think it would be ok as long as they were stored well.

 

[Dgallo]

I was shopping online for some hops today and found some cascade, centenial hops from 2016 for a very low price, does anyone think there would be a problem with these.
I have hops stored in vacuum bags for years now and have 0 problems, so I think it would be ok as long as they were stored well.

Probably fine for high alpha varieties as bittering hops but I would never use big flavor and aroma hops that are that old because the delicate oils and terpenes will not survive the time. At this point I’d only use 2019 for this purpose.

 

[bracconiere]

just my two cents....

 

[day_trippr]

I was shopping online for some hops today and found some cascade, centenial hops from 2016 for a very low price, does anyone think there would be a problem with these.
I have hops stored in vacuum bags for years now and have 0 problems, so I think it would be ok as long as they were stored well.

I would hope you store your hops in the freezer, as the Hop Storage Index is not a myth.
As to buying three year old hops...iirc the HSI for Cascade is 50%.
To be frank I'd pass even if they were free, I value my beers more than that...

Cheers!

 

[sorefingers23]

Yes, my hops are stored in a vacuum seal bag in the freezer. I have never had any problems brewing with any of them

 

[day_trippr]

Excellent. Now, these old Cascades for sale - how have they been stored for the last three years?

Cheers!

 

[sorefingers23]

Yah that's what I'm wondering too

 

[Dgallo]

Yes, my hops are stored in a vacuum seal bag in the freezer. I have never had any problems brewing with any of them

How often do you actually use fresh hops in your beers? Or do you typically use hops from bags that have already been open and then stored (vacuumed sealed and frozen)

 

[IslandLizard]

Excellent. Now, these old Cascades for sale - how have they been stored for the last three years?

That's the essential question.

If you're buying 2-3 year old hops from hop vendors such as YVH or HopsDirect (there are others) they're usually vacuum packed or N2 flushed in mylar barrier bags, and stored cold. Not sure at what temps though, below freezing (<32F) I hope.

I've bought some from HopsDirect and 47Hops that were 2-3 years old and were A-OK, even the IPA high flavor/aroma varieties.

From private sellers, well... 50/50, as in they're good or they're not. Even from an LHBS I would be cautious unless I knew how they treat their hops (and customers).

 

[tellyho]

I've discovered, the hard way, that these discount old hops are not good for much other than bittering. If you double the amounts, you can get acceptable aroma out of them, but at the cost of wort volume. For dry hopping, a waste.

These were from Hops Direct, Fwiw.

 

[Robert65]

I know of a place in this area which does a big national mail order business, because they are known for unbelievably good prices and free shipping. I've never been there in person (they don't try to do much storefront business,) but several people I know have been, and have reported that they have no refrigeration and most of the product, including yeast and hops, just sits on the loading dock and in the warehouse with no air conditioning. I don't know whether their practices have changed in the year or so since I last heard a report, so I'd rather not name them. But, as the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true....

 

[sorefingers23]

How often do you actually use fresh hops in your beers? Or do you typically use hops from bags that have already been open and then stored (vacuumed sealed and frozen)

Typically use what I have. I buy fresh hops if I make a recipe that calls for something I don't have on hand

 

[Dgallo]

Typically use what I have. I buy fresh hops if I make a recipe that calls for something I don't have on hand

I know you said earlier that you haven’t seen any issues with using old hops but if you’re typically using older hops that could be a reason why. If I’m you I would make your most hop forward recipe you brew and buy all 2019 hops for it and see if you notice a diffence in the brightness of the hop character. I personally think there will be night and day difference.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Only one way to find out right? I think it greatly depends on the source. Somewhere like YVH where you're getting it from the source in a nitrogen sealed pack might hold up. Some vendors buy big lots and then repackage it into different sizes and may not use best packaging practices. I like Adventures in Homebrewing but after I realized they were buying big lots of hops and repackaging I stopped getting my hops there. Although they don't even list the year which is another issue.

I think a bigger sin than buying previous years of crops is when homebrewers open a large bag of hops and then a long time working through it. Even if you're vacuum sealing every time that constant exposure to O2 will degrade the hops.