How long do hops and grains last?

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Bill Hopper

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I stocked up on supplies last year and have a lot that has gone unused. I have several packs of hops in the nitro sealed packs from Northerner Brewer that are about 14 months old and been kept at 42 degrees F. I also have assorted specialty grains from various vendors, some that have been sealed and some that have been opened along with about 20 lbs of 2 row, all uncrushed, in a sealed plastic bag and all stored in a sealed bucket, not air-tight but as close as I can get it, for about 10 months. Should I just throw these out or try to use them? What are the downsides of using these ingredients? Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
Fully sealed, grains can last at least a few years without issue. Hops should be kept colder than 42 degrees for long term storage. It's one of the reasons I keep my hops in a freezer (at least 0F) due to the amount I buy at a time. I usually go for at least one pound bags (bought a five pound bag of EKG last year, still working through it). I broke the five pound bag up into half pound bags (vacuum sealed) soon after it arrived. I did the same for the one pound bag of EKG. I've yet to open one of the one pound bags, and the other was only opened within the last couple of months.
 
I called Yakima Valley Hops about a bag that had been punctured during shipping, and the girl there told me hops can be stored without much degradation for up to 4 years, as long as they are vacuum sealed and in the freezer. Not 100% sure about grain, but I've read 6-12 months for standard base malts and 12-18 months for specialty grains. YMMV.
 
I called Yakima Valley Hops about a bag that had been punctured during shipping, and the girl there told me hops can be stored without much degradation for up to 4 years, as long as they are vacuum sealed and in the freezer. Not 100% sure about grain, but I've read 6-12 months for standard base malts and 12-18 months for specialty grains. YMMV.

A maltster told me if the [whole] base malted grains are in a sealed container, then they're good for at least a year.
 
I did some research when I started brewing again. I had malts that were several years old (5+). At that level there was enough reduction in their diastatic power to not make it worth even trying to use them. At 10 months, I'd plan to use that malt as soon as possible.

I recently bought a full sack of maris otter and have it in a sealing blue barrel (the entire sack). I expect it to be fully used within a couple of months (max). All the other malts (including flaked barley) are all vacuum packed. I also expect to use up the additional malts within a year (or so). With them broken up into smaller amounts, I also have less concern about the malts being good when I reach the end of the supply. Luckily, the LHBS I'm going to carries pretty much all the malts I'm using.
 
whole grains will last for years and years if kept dry and temperate. Mine are in air conditioned spare room and in buckets.

Hops I keep in mason jars in the fridge. Most fridges are actually around freezing, 32'
 
whole grains will last for years and years if kept dry and temperate. Mine are in air conditioned spare room and in buckets.

Hops I keep in mason jars in the fridge. Most fridges are actually around freezing, 32'
Actually most fridges are (or should be) in the 37-40F range (not above 40F). If it was 'around freezing' you'd have your veg freezing on you constantly. I had that when I was setting a past fridge far too low. New unit actually shows the target temperature and won't allow it to go (or be set) below 37F.

I have my freezer set to 0F currently (was at -6F while I had frozen yeast in it). At this temperature, hops will last a lot longer than at fridge temperatures. With how much I bought last time (still have a couple pounds left), longevity is important.

I also highly recommend vacuum sealing hops if you won't use them up quickly. While there are ways to do that with mason jars, the bags made for it do a better job (IME).
 
My "modern" fridges default to 0 on the freezer and 32 in the fridge. I just leave them at that. I guess the assumption is that the door is gonna be opened frequently and the contents will never actually reach the set point? IDK

I store my hops in a 1947 fridge set at the warmest setting. It stays in the low 30s outside of the ice box part.
 
If I am going to lay hops down for a long time (rarely do I do this) Ill Nitrogen flush and vacuum seal. Hops are good for YEARS like this in the freezer or fridge. But really they way they are pelletized there is so little surface to air contact. Grain. 2 years before any real diastatic degradation. You'll have a little but its negligible. Keep em cool and dry and they will last longer than you can NOT having a brew day :)

Cheers
Jay
 
My "modern" fridges default to 0 on the freezer and 32 in the fridge. I just leave them at that. I guess the assumption is that the door is gonna be opened frequently and the contents will never actually reach the set point? IDK

I store my hops in a 1947 fridge set at the warmest setting. It stays in the low 30s outside of the ice box part.
IMO, anything that assumes you'll be opening it often enough to offset a LOW temperature is a bad thing. My current main/kitchen fridge is a freezer bottom model. It's initial fridge setting was 37F (pretty sure that's the lowest I can set it). I've not had lettuce show freezing damage, which will happen if it dips below freezing for either any length of time or high enough frequency. I spend too much on veggies each week to have that happen (it's the largest part of my grocery bill each week).

Either way, I trust the vacuum sealing of the hops, placing them into a freezer (either the one in the kitchen or the chest freezer in the basement) more than putting them into the fridge. Never mind how I don't have the space needed for hops along with everything else when I make my initial hop purchases. I've gone through about 4# of hops in the past 16 months (or so).
 
Some of my hoarded malts (packed in big airtight plastic canisters and stored in a dark and cool place) are nearing their 4th year of age. When I use them I notice slight diastatic degradation (75-77% efficiency instead of usual 80%) but flavourwise, I taste no difference as yet.

That doesn't mean I enjoy aging my malts. In most cases I try to use them up in a year after the purchase date. However, some malts are used rarely or in tiny quantities, so they stay for longer, and when that happens, I don't feel it's a big problem.
 
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I usually buy base malts by the 50lb bag and it takes me about a year to use that up, maybe 2 sometimes and I've not had an issue with flavor degradation that I've noticed. Crystal malts and roasted malts on the other hand smell stale in just a couple months, so I tend to just order or buy those on an as-needed basis.

With hops it depends on the usage of the hop. I have no reservations about using 3 year old magnum as a bittering charge, but I would never use even 1 year old citra or mosaic in a NEIPA for example. I have a number of hops that I buy in bulk like old-world hop varieties such as Saaz, Hallertau, magnum, EKG, Target, that I keep on hand for a couple years vacuum sealed and frozen. I tend to buy "aroma" american and NZ hops like citra, mosaic, azacca, simcoe, etc on an as-needed basis for maximum freshness
 
We keep hops in the original, unopened bag in the freezer, at below 0 F. Once opened, they get repacked in a vacuum seal bag. They last a long time this way. Our hops are always whole leaf.

The grain is purchased in 55 lb bags. If the bag is good enough for the maltster, it's good enough for us. It has an inner plastic lining. We store the bags of grain in a cool and low humidity space in our wine cellar. The grain stays fresh, never a problem. But we brew often, so the longest storage time is perhaps 4 to 6 months.

I considered buying grain storage buckets, but figured the bags the grain is stored and shipped in are just as good. We just seal them up as best we can in between each use. No problems at all.
 
Actually most fridges are (or should be) in the 37-40F range (not above 40F). If it was 'around freezing' you'd have your veg freezing on you constantly. I had that when I was setting a past fridge far too low. New unit actually shows the target temperature and won't allow it to go (or be set) below 37F.

I have my freezer set to 0F currently (was at -6F while I had frozen yeast in it). At this temperature, hops will last a lot longer than at fridge temperatures. With how much I bought last time (still have a couple pounds left), longevity is important.

I also highly recommend vacuum sealing hops if you won't use them up quickly. While there are ways to do that with mason jars, the bags made for it do a better job (IME).
I stand corrected...went and looked at my kitchen fridge again....it's set at 35' and will not set below 32' And the control panel says "37 recommended"
 
Book that came with my new fridge recommended 37F for that part. I can go lower, or higher (it's a range after all) but I went with the 'optimal/recommended' setting. Since I can't afford to freeze veggies, usually spending $45-$65 (or more) per week on those alone. It's a higher spend when I'm making either a batch of chili or sauce (sauce is coming up this weekend, chili at the end of this month or early next).
 
I put the hops in glass jars and close them with vacuum lids. I keep these jars in the freezer.
Malt in closed iron barrels in an unheated box
 
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