Hops Woes

[Randolf]

Got a question for yinz. Do you keep your UN-Opened hops packets refridgerated?Here are my problems.I brewed a pale ale with Hull Melon hops,another pale ale with Mandrina Bavarian,and an Amber ale with Pacific Jade hops.The Hull Melon said it had honeydew and strawberry influences,the Mandarina had intense Mandarin orange,and the Pacific Jade had citrus and black pepper.I got none of these nuances from any of the hops.Now,when I bought the packets of hops from the LHBS,they weren't refridgerated.When I asked the guy why,he said they didn't need to be in the fridge.All of the other LHBS I've dealt with have theirs in fridge units.Could this be the answer to why these hops had no character?I brew my beers the same way,and the hops are always noticeable.I have several more packs from the same place,Sorachi Ace,Equinox,Falconer's Flight,Azzaca,and Motueka,which I have since put in the fridge.Do you think this will rejuvenate them.TIA Randolf

 

[unionrdr]

It's better yet to keep your hop packets in the freezer. This slows down the gradual degradation of the hops more than the fridge or room temp storage. Putting them back in won't rejuvenate them. Just slow things down again.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I believe most commercial hops are packaged in nitrogen (or some other inert gas) to avoid oxidation. I always store mine, opened or unopened, in the freezer but I don't know if that makes a difference for unopened hops.

One thing that may effect the perceived flavor is aroma or lack of it. Smell and taste are very closely linked. I have done IPAs with citra (tropical fruit) and found just hints of tropical fruit. But when I do a hop stand and dry hop, I get huge aroma and more perceived flavor.

Even so, there are some descriptions where I don't pick up the flavor. Like the black pepper in Pacific Jade. I never detect that. My palate may just not be that refined.

 

[IslandLizard]

Beware of what you buy at that LHBS. At least they've got the last 2 letters down pat!

As said before, hops need to be stored well refrigerated, or even better, deep frozen. They also need as much oxygen (air) purged from their packages as possible. Vacuum or nitro flushed is preferred. However, I don't have a nitro tank or a vacuum bagger, so I fold the flap over a few times while squeezing as much air out of the (pound) bags as possible, then tape the folded flap down tight and shut and the bag goes back into the freezer. Hops from the 2012 harvest are still as good as when I bought them. The only adjustment I make is an estimated 10% bittering/aroma loss for each year of age, so the hops from 2012 now get 30% added to the quantities in the recipe. That seems to work quite well.

 

[GHBWNY]

My LHBS carries hops that come in packs that are nitrogen-flushed and not vacuum sealed (I can see why they don't vacuum-seal a potato chip bag, but hops?) A bag that has had the oxygen flushed out of it and remains well-sealed in a high-grade O-impermeable material is going to last a l-o-n-g time (the hops I use have no BIUB date) whether it is refrigerated/frozen or not. Will doing so extend the life of the hops? Who knows, except that hops should be used as fresh as possible anyway, so maybe stockpiling them for weeks/months is generally not a good idea. Who knows how long they have sat around the manufacturer's warehouse prior to sitting on the LHBS's shelves prior to your purchasing them?

Which reminds me, I have to go downstairs and check on my hops in the freezer.

 

[Rev2010]

When I asked the guy why,he said they didn't need to be in the fridge.

The things some people in business say. No they don't "need" to be in the fridge as they won't quickly spoil like meat for example, but they do degrade faster at room temperature than at refrigeration temperatures. Now, whether this matters or not is really dependant on the age of the hops. The longer they are kept the more alpha acid you will lose and if kept at room temp, let's say 8 months, you will lose more alpha acid than if kept refrigerated. It won't be a night and day difference, like keeping it at room temp won't mean you'll lose 50%+ as opposed to keeping it at refrigerated temps. But the fact that he doesn't refrigerate his hops says only one thing to me - he's cheap and trying to save money on electricity.


Rev.

 

[dlutter]

I can't comment about hop storage other than to say I have always kept mine in the freezer.

As for an easy way to vacuum seal the opened bags, I bought a little Ziploc vacuum sealer kit for $5. It came with special quart size bags and a small, cheap vacuum hand pump. Seems to work much better than squeezing the bag and taping; plus they are reusable. I haven't seen the kits for a while(maybe discontinued???) but have seen replacement bags in quart and gallon sizes.

 

[IslandLizard]

Aside from cold/frozed storage that slows down aging by as much as 70-90%, Mylar, oxygen-impermeable bags are also important, yes. If the hops smell cheesy do not use, unless you age them much longer (~3 years) for use in sours.

 

[Terek]

my LHBS vaccum seals all there hops in 2 oz packs. I still keep them in the freezer, and if i dont use them all, i re vaccum seal them. I also store my homegrown the same. I grind them all into powder after drying, then vaccum seal. Then into the freezer with them.

 

[m00ps]

I would also ask about the recipe. If you are trying to make a single hop focused beer, how much did you use?

 

[bbohanon]

I have started buying all my hops from Yakima Valley so I know what crop year they are from and knowing they take VERY good care of their hops all the way to my door based on how much fresher my batches with those hops have turned out. They are just much brighter beers hop-wise when I use their current year hops.

I have no idea how old the hops really are, nor how they were handled prior to getting to me when I get them from my LHBS and with a few batches, I have noticed the fresh hop "pop" is not there when I use the LHBS hops vs the Yakima Valley hops using the same quantities of the same hops which leads me to believe they are just not as fresh coming from the LHBS.

Also, when I open my Yakima hops, I usually freeze them on arrival and keep them in the freezer post-opening (ziplocked with minimal air) and had no issues.

I have let my LHBS know about the issue, but the one I get usually get my hops from is getting them from a larger local supplier where of late, that supplier honestly just does not really give a damn about someone small-time like me...Its a take it or leave it scenario with them. So I choose to leave it and go elsewhere for fresher hops.

As for the best storage option for hops, I echo all here..freeze them..always.. in a air-tight container/bag..

 

[GHBWNY]

Ultimately, the best way to store hops is in the beer itself.

 

[kh54s10]

I would say that the LHBS is not giving bad advice. Just not complete. If their turnover is quick the hops will be OK. If the hops are used soon they will be OK. If you want to store your hops for an extended period of time vacuum bag them and freeze them. If they at least refrigerated them there theoretically would be less degradation.

I have only visited 3 LHBSs where I saw their hop storage (1 other where I didn't see their hops) and all of them refrigerated the hops. I would get my hops elsewhere.

 

[unionrdr]

It also depends on their fridge's temp. Mine keeps theres at 34 or 38F, as I remember. Yeast too, but in separate fridges.

 

[bucfan1234]

If the hops are vacuum packed with an inert gas and unopened, then I have a tough time believing that there is much of a benefit to keeping them stored in the freezer.

If they are opened, then yeah, the freezer will most likely extend their useful life.

 

[eric19312]

Stability testing used to determine shelf life of perishable products always considers temperature. Whatever the shelf life of the product is at room temperature it will likely be much longer if the product is kept cold (refrigerated) or longer yet if stored frozen. Whatever the packaging is, the colder the product is kept the longer it will retain freshness.

here is a calculator that estimate alpha acids in hops stored in various types of containers at various temperatures.
http://www.brewerslair.com/index.php?p=brewhouse&d=calculators&id=cal16

If I had to guess I would expect the aroma and flavor characteristics you are talking about degrade faster than the alpha acids.

 

[bucfan1234]

If they were ever there to begin with...

 

[unionrdr]

Just like us, hops were alive at one time before processing & freezing. Your meat & veggies go bad eventually, just more slowly when frozen. Living biochemicals break down still, even when frozen. nothing lasts forever but the earth & sky...maybe not even that...

 

[Brew_G]

Just like us, hops were alive at one time before processing & freezing. Your meat & veggies go bad eventually, just more slowly when frozen. Living biochemicals break down still, even when frozen. nothing lasts forever but the earth & sky...maybe not even that...

Spores. Those little f'ers know how to stay alive for a looooooong time.

 

[CA_Mouse]

my LHBS vaccum seals all there hops in 2 oz packs. I still keep them in the freezer, and if i dont use them all, i re vaccum seal them. I also store my homegrown the same. I grind them all into powder after drying, then vaccum seal. Then into the freezer with them.

I would advise against grinding them down before you vacuum seal them. That will help them degrade faster. If you are doing it just for space, I can understand the desire to maximize storage and minimize the amount of space taken, but by grinding them you are releasing some of the essential oils, adding heat (grinding does create heat exchange) which will degrade the aroma & flavor and, lastly, the lupulin glands are protected by the leaves of the cones, grinding them exposes that glands to oxygen and disperses them into the air, rather then leaving them protected and intact. Just MHO, but I deal with hops on a daily basis and have seen a lot of hops degrade faster than needed.

 

[Rev2010]

nothing lasts forever but the earth & sky...maybe not even that...

Nope, not even the earth. In 5 billion years our sun will go into red giant stage and expand past our orbit thus incinerating the earth. Plus even before that we have the galaxy merger with Andromeda. Who knows what that will bring .


Rev.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Mylar bags are great, but expensive. If you can, the best option is to use the little Silica Gel packets in conjunction with a home food sealer. If possible, flush the bag with CO2 as well. I do the following for my bulk hops at home (I bought over 15 pounds for home this year): Weigh out the portions I expect to use (1oz for bittering, 2oz for flavor/aroma and 3oz for IPAs), place in a sealable bag (Mylar or foodsaver), drop a 5g Silica packet in, quick shot of CO2 and then vacuum seal and toss in the freezer. I have several ounces of CTZ from 2013 that are still just as great as they were 2 years ago.

 

[Randolf]

these hops were in the sealed 1 oz. silver packs.I used them as I use all of the others,but these had none of the advertised characteristics,which led me to ask if b/c they were unrefridgerated,would that cause them to loose their,bitterness,aroma,and flavor.

 

[bucfan1234]

My point was, sometimes advertising is just advertising.