Hop Pellets longevity

[Razorback_Jack]

How long should hop pellets last? I’m stocking up on a pound of everything from Magnum to Fuggle to Summit to Eroica. Some are 2017 harvest, some 2018. All are being shipped. If I get them, break them into smaller 1oz vacuum sealed bags, and freeze them, I will expose them to oxygen right away in the division process. Any idea how long after that they should last?

jackson

 

[day_trippr]

Some hops store really well, others not so much, but if kept frozen in sealed packages/containers one can get at least a solid couple of years out of pellets (that weren't abused prior to purchase, at least), with time vs AA% variability found in the respective strains' HSI (Hop Storage Index).

Magnum is one of the better "keepers" with an HSI of only 15% loss per annum under much less conducive conditions (ie: stored at 68°F/20°C) than what we can manage with a vacuum sealer and freezer compartment.

For example, I'm still using 2016 Magnum vac'd and frozen, relying on the BeerSmith3 "Hop Aging" tool which under those conditions today indicates those hops have lost less than 10% of their AA% over that time...

Cheers!

 

[Yesfan]

Some hops store really well, others not so much.........

Cheers!

Any idea (you or anyone) on which hops "age" the best? I have some Simcoe from 2017 (which I finally exhausted today) and others (Summit?) from 2015 that's not even been open yet. Both came from Yakima Valley if that helps.

 

[day_trippr]

Beersmith3 has a listing of hop strain HSI that I can't seem to find anywhere else.
There's likely a better way to extract/present that BS3 data but here's the best I could come up with.
They're in alphabetical order, at least.

Cheers!

 

[FloppyKnockers]

If it looks like a hop and smells like a....a......if it look like a hop, it's a hop! Use it!

 

[Razorback_Jack]

Haha!!

 

[Razorback_Jack]

Thanks for that great info Day Tripper. Good thing most of what I ordered was Magnum! Also some Perle, Summit (CHEAP right now on Yakima Hops y’all) and just a little bit of Styrian.

 

[Razorback_Jack]

Like I said, Summit is cheap on Yakima. I read into it and seems like a lot of people hate that hop, seem to get an onion-garlic flavor from it. How many oz are these people using? I likely wouldn’t dry hop with it, but maybe add an oz along with an oz of Fuggle at 10 mins. Then maybe whirlpool with Styrian or something. I know this should go in a separate thread but since I started the thread I’m going to shift it! Haha. Anyone like/hate the summit hops?

 

[Yesfan]

^^ I have some Summit that I hope I'll (finally) get around to using. I bought it to use as a bittering hop since it was so cheap. I found a Summit Smash recipe here I'm going to try it on.

@day_trippr is the HSI linear? If hop X loses 20% after 6 months, then another 6 months it loses another 20%? Appreciate the list upload. I have Beersmith 2, so I downloaded and save that list in case BS2 doesn't show that.

 

[Razorback_Jack]

The HSI.... Those losses are measured when the hops are vacuum sealed in a freezer? I don’t understand the storage when HSI is measured.

I still have a lot to learn, I know.

 

[day_trippr]

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/understanding-the-importance-of-the-hop-storage-index