How to avoid buying old hops?

[vlesperance]

Can you tell the age or "harvest year" before you buy a bag of hop pellets?

I've never seen a lable or "expiration date" or "harvest date" type info on a bag. Is there any kind of industry standard?

I'm thinking of buying bulk (1lb) bags to save some money, but since they'll be in my freezer for up to a year, I'd prefer that they weren't in someone else's for the past year.

I'm sure I could ask the sellers, but I'd assume everyone would say, "we carry only the freshest...."

It seems like this would be important to home brewers, so I figured someone here would know. How do you avoid buying old hops?

Thanks.

 

[eastoak]

buy from shops that sell tons of hops.

 

[JuanMoore]

Hops are harvested in the fall, late Aug through early Oct, and every place I buy from lists the harvest year. If a seller won't tell you the harvest year, don't buy from them. JMO.