Hop Union Hops fresher than others????

[Pezman1]

O.K., was brewing Nbs Inkeeper, and it was my first kit from them that included the new Hop Union sealed bags. The kit came with EKG, Fuggle, and Styrian Golding.

I always smell and taste my hop additions, mostly to train myself to recognize and appreciate different hops.

I noticed that all three varieties seemed fresher, more aromatic, and more complex that the hops that usually come in the JD Carlson sealed film bags supplied by NB and Midwest.

My question: Is this just a quirk, and for some reason my sniffer and taster were just in fine form this AM, or has anyone else noticed this?

I am more apt to believe it is just my imagination, but was curious enough to post.

Pez.

 

[rhamilton]

I've also noticed Hop Union's better aroma and color. I was brewing last week and I mixed the same hop variety, 1/2 from my LHBS and 1/2 from Hop Union - the Union hop was markedly greener and had a much stronger aroma. It almost made my LBHS hop look kind of brown.

Maybe a quirk but I've always noticed very high quality from them.

 

[ErieShores]

They also state on their website that their hops are good for 3-4 years when stored properly.
http://www.hopunion.com/1024_FAQ.cfm?p10=open#12

 

[samc]

Same thing I always noticed about Freshops being above average compared to LHBS hops. Basically the closer to the source you go the better they usually are.

 

[unionrdr]

It seems like a lot of places are seling Hop Union this season. I got both raw & pellet Hop Union hops from both JW Dover (my lhbs in Westlake),& Midwest. The flavors have been quite good from them,whether pellets or raw. Even the imported hops I used in my latest batch of APA were from them. The Atahnum & stirling varieties made a rich hop aroma while it was in initial fermentation. Can't wait to sample it on St Patrick's day. Hop Union gets two thumbs up from me!

 

[Pezman1]

Hmmmmm, maybe there is something to this. Pez.

 

[wailingguitar]

Carlson gets hops from Hopunion... if there's a difference in what you are seeing at the end, it is a matter of handling (time, temps, #of hands they pass through, etc), nothing more

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,I think it's a freshness thing. And LD Carlson is South of me in Kent,OH. But the Hop Union ones are greener & more robust that I've gotten this season. The quality of their hops whether imported or American have been good from Midwest. I've gotten them at my LHBS too. Just seems like Midwest's are a bit fresher than the LHBS though.

 

[TromboneGuy]

I saw a notice a while back that AHS was shifting to HopUnion. They mentioned something about HopUnion nitrogen-packing to reduce oxidation.

 

[unionrdr]

LD Carlson does that too. They use nitrogen to purge the air from the packet before vacuum sealing them.

 

[HawksBrewer]

The only thing fresher is growing yourself

 

[Denny]

Same thing I always noticed about Freshops being above average compared to LHBS hops. Basically the closer to the source you go the better they usually are.

I think this is the key. I live less than 1/2 hr. from Freshops and not far from Hop Union. Although, the best I've ever seen are from Hop Heaven, which unfortunately has very limited distribution and aren't available to most people.

 

[Pezman1]

Carlson gets hops from Hopunion... if there's a difference in what you are seeing at the end, it is a matter of handling (time, temps, #of hands they pass through, etc), nothing more

Didn't know that. I would like to think I'm good enough to tell that the hops packaged directly by Hopunion are fresher than the ones repackaged by JD Carlson, but I gotta doubt it. Either way, they sure were nice this morning.... Pez.

 

[scottland]

You probably got hops that were from the 2011 harvest. Lots of LHBS might very well still have hops from the 2010 harvest right now.

 

[wailingguitar]

Didn't know that. I would like to think I'm good enough to tell that the hops packaged directly by Hopunion are fresher than the ones repackaged by JD Carlson, but I gotta doubt it. Either way, they sure were nice this morning.... Pez.

Well yeah, if the hops were packaged in 1oz packs by Hopunion themselves, it would stand to reason that they were fresher, handled less, exposed to less oxygen, temp changes, etc. Most likely Carlson is getting the stuff in 44lb cartons, and using less than ideal methods of repackaging into smaller lots. It is also true that you would likely be getting the most recent crop when a direct from the source supplier was used rather than yet another middle man. Anyway, take a look at Carlson's website, they link to Hopunion's Hop Guide as well as have some Hopunion trademarked hops listed. Clearly, they are their source. In fact, the vast majority of hops sold in the U.S. pass through Hopunion in one way or another.

ANYWAY

I wasn't saying you were wrong about the freshness, I totally believe that! Was just pointing out that they were the same hops, just subject to less than ideal conditions.

 

[JJL]

I know that the nitrogen voided, vacuum sealed, foil bags are typically as good as it gets in terms of oxygen protective packaging. Actually, if they are nitrogen voided, the vacuum sealing is probably overkill, but it doesn't hurt. They are often used for food and medical grade products. So the hops should maintain their freshness for a while. Now, I would guess that the foil is better than the film bags, particularly if the the film bags aren't voided or vacuum sealed. But, I don't for certain since I deal more with the foil bags.

 

[Pezman1]

Well yeah, if the hops were packaged in 1oz packs by Hopunion themselves, it would stand to reason that they were fresher, handled less, exposed to less oxygen, temp changes, etc. Most likely Carlson is getting the stuff in 44lb cartons, and using less than ideal methods of repackaging into smaller lots. It is also true that you would likely be getting the most recent crop when a direct from the source supplier was used rather than yet another middle man. Anyway, take a look at Carlson's website, they link to Hopunion's Hop Guide as well as have some Hopunion trademarked hops listed. Clearly, they are their source. In fact, the vast majority of hops sold in the U.S. pass through Hopunion in one way or another.

ANYWAY

I wasn't saying you were wrong about the freshness, I totally believe that! Was just pointing out that they were the same hops, just subject to less than ideal conditions.

O.K. makes sense. I just didn't believe I was good enough to tell the difference.
Pez.

 

[jonmohno]

I hear ya. Ive had a lot of hops that i question the age and you cant request this years hops although i went to my lhbs and they had hop union and i knew they were from the 2011 harvest -(because i recognized the current packaging) and i notice a difference in my beers. I think i can blame some of my meh beers on aged hops when im in doubt about what i did wrong. I think it sucks that you cant select the age of hops when you mail order. I sometimes feel that homebrewers get the last picks too or something,at least it seems that way. Ive opened many different hops that had a same bland smell to them-im not shure if that is normal but i dont get blown away by intoxicating aromas or anything.As far as if this is what you should get upon opening them for the first time.

 

[Reaver]

I don't know.. but I've got my first packets of H.U. ready for this weekend. So I will check it out for myself.