Frozen whole simcoe hops

[klaperruque]

Hey all,

Just wondering if I need to defrost some whole hops I bought before I add them to my secondary. I have 1/2lb to add of simcoe.

Thanks for the help

Ken

 

[rodwha]

I doubt it, but it couldn't hurt.

 

[rodwha]

That's a lot of hops! What are you adding it to, and how big of a batch did you make?

 

[klaperruque]

It's 1/2 of whole hops adding it to 5 gal batch of ipa. My homebrew shop said it would be equal to 2oz of pellets. Is that wrong?

 

[rodwha]

I'm not familiar with whole hops, but I do know that pellets are more potent. I wouldn't think that potent though.

 

[rodwha]

Maybe it's much different dry hopping vs boiling with getting the aromas out with whole hops. Pellets being processed I'd think it'd be quite simple to release the hop oils.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Them telling you to use 8oz of Whole hops vs 2 oz of hop pellets leads me to believe your homebrew shop has no idea what they are talking about.

8oz of dry hops isnt CRAZY if your making a big IIPA or something. Its definately on the high end though.

I think whole hops vs pellet hops are like a few percent different in terms of efficiency...and i mean like 5% max maybe...not 400% like your LHBS is claiming...

If that was the case whole hops wouldnt exist and every hop producer would be stupid to not turn their cones into pellets if they got a 400% more potent product...

To OP's question no, just throw them in...hops are dehydrated and have almost no water in them so they dont really "freeze"...they will become the temperature of whatever you put them in within a matter of minutes.

 

[rodwha]

I didn't think that sounded right! Crazy! Just selling more hops maybe?

 

[ianw58]

+1 for FuzeeWuzee.

Right on all counts.

Use the whole hops at the same rate as pellets.

The good news is that now, you have 6 oz of hops you can use for other beers! And, of course, you won't be brewing a paint stripper ale.

 

[Yooper]

It's 1/2 of whole hops adding it to 5 gal batch of ipa. My homebrew shop said it would be equal to 2oz of pellets. Is that wrong?

Well, we've already answered this one- but it sure is wrong! The good news is that you have 6 ounces of simcoe to make something else with.

The leaf hops will come apart easily, even when frozen, so just take out what you need frozen, reseal the bag tightly, and then go ahead and use them frozen in the dryhop. I do that all the time- and they will thaw just fine in the beer.

 

[klaperruque]

Sounds great thanks for the help

 

[rodwha]

Do whole hops do better in the freezer over time after having been opened? It's what keeps me from buying the 1/2 lb bags of hops. Sure would be nice to be able to take advantage of bulk prices!

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Do whole hops do better in the freezer over time after having been opened? It's what keeps me from buying the 1/2 lb bags of hops. Sure would be nice to be able to take advantage of bulk prices!

I think the general consensus i heard from Jamil and some other pro's is that they do because pellets crush the lupulin glands and put more of those on the surface to stale....that said its not much difference....

If your going to consistently be buying large amounts of hops to use over the course of the year is to just get a vacuum sealer of some sort....the more air you can get out and the colder you store them the longer they last.

 

[rodwha]

We have one, and I considered trying to make the original packaging work. Not sure if it'd seal it though.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

We have one, and I considered trying to make the original packaging work. Not sure if it'd seal it though.

If you have a food saver that has the jar attachment you can buy the jar sealer for like 9 bucks on amazon, go buy a box of mason jars if you dont already have one and seal up that way....it works great in little pint mason jars i vacuum seal all of my excess hops in the jars from a brew day and just store them in the freezer door...they should last a year like that no problem.