Hops ... does year matter?

[myelo]

I'm going to buy some hops in bulk for the first time. I've noticed a lot of places will have hops from the most recent year as well as several years before. The older ones are generally a bit cheaper. Are they just as good? How old would you go?

Or is it a matter of certain harvest years being better or at least different than others?

I'm asking about pellets specifically.

 

[trevelynzx]

IMO you stand a chance to get a 5-10% reduction in quality from 2018 hops. if that’s worth it to you spend the extra $ on later harvests. for me- i’d say buy the freshest hops you can for everything from whirlpool onward (dry hop). bittering, get the best deal you can and adjust recipe for the alpha acid decay rate.

 

[Nate R]

I'm going to buy some hops in bulk for the first time. I've noticed a lot of places will have hops from the most recent year as well as several years before. The older ones are generally a bit cheaper. Are they just as good? How old would you go?

Or is it a matter of certain harvest years being better or at least different than others?

I'm asking about pellets specifically.

There may not be any facts to back this up, but i feel like buying from a company that takes care to properly date, package, & store the older hops makes a difference, too.
I recently found a few hops only.online companies that i have been very happy with. Not the big eveything brew suppliers- just hops. To me it is worth the extra few bucks.
Ymmv

 

[Hammy71]

Second shout out to this: For bittering, use the old stuff, for aroma, flavor: go for the freshest you can buy.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

It is a good question. I generally feel that if I am going to buy bulk hops (8 oz or more) than I want either the current crop or the prior crop. Given that it might take me a year to use up the hops, I don't want too old of hops around. It may also just be a mental bias...I feel that I enjoy a beer more knowing that it was made with "fresh" hops.

I am kinda curious about different years. I definitely notice differences from pack to pack, but I don't go through enough of a hop to know if that variance is due to the field it was grown in, the week it was picked, the packaging process, etc. Several years ago I swore off Simcoe and Citra after several strong "cat piss" beers, but I use both those hops often now and I feel like something must have changed in how they are grown or packaged these days.

I do appreciate hop sellers that print the year on the pack and inform you before you order. I have had good luck with the Artisan hops sold by MoreBeer, but I just have to hope that they are a recent crop year. (Does anybody know how to decode the various codes on those packs to track them to crop year?)

 

[smata67]

In the past, I bought hops from wherever I was ordering all my ingredients from and that varied. Usually what I needed for the next few brews and to have an in-house stock. I currently have 16 different hop varieties, mostly in 2 oz bags, from BSG, YCH, Artisan, MoreBeer, and various unmarked bags. None have dates. This past fall I ordered 6 one pound bags of hops from Yakima Valley 2018 crop. First time ordering that quantity. I am totally sold on them and plan to do this going forward, ordering 8 oz and 1 lb bags once a year. The hops are clearly fresher, greener, and have a stronger aroma. I don't think a single one of the 2 oz bags I have opened since have come close to being as good. Not that they are bad, they are just not as good.