So the kit that I just completed was NB's Grapefruit Pulpin IPA. The beer didn't come out as I had expected, mainly a lack of hop aroma and flavor and a heavy malt backbone. In one of my other threads asking for help and opinions on what happened, it was suggested that being a kit, it's possible the hops were old.
The kits at the NB store are pre-packaged with everything inside of them - LME, DME, hops, etc. They just stack them on shelves. I plan to do a few more kits to work on perfecting my techniques before attempting my own recipes.
My question is this: how do you combat the possibility of old hops in these kits, other than not buying kits? And if you order hops online, how do you know you're getting fresh ones and they're not going to be old? Is there something I should be doing with them once I get them as far as keeping them in the fridge or something? (For this discussion, I'm speaking of hop pellets).
Thanks.
The kits at the NB store are pre-packaged with everything inside of them - LME, DME, hops, etc. They just stack them on shelves. I plan to do a few more kits to work on perfecting my techniques before attempting my own recipes.
My question is this: how do you combat the possibility of old hops in these kits, other than not buying kits? And if you order hops online, how do you know you're getting fresh ones and they're not going to be old? Is there something I should be doing with them once I get them as far as keeping them in the fridge or something? (For this discussion, I'm speaking of hop pellets).
Thanks.