Left-over hops for bittering

[misterkidd]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is covered somewhere else. I'm sure it is, in fact, but I couldn't find it for searching... Anyhow, here's my question :

I have some left-over hops in the freezer from previous batches, (small amounts of different varieties) all from within the last year so hopefully shouldn't be too far gone. I was thinking of using them for bittering in my next batch, since I am unlikely to use them otherwise, and I hate waste. I am hoping that by using them for bittering, they won't impart too much of their unique flavour on the beer. The hops I have and want to get rid of are saaz, motueka (both leaf hops) and citra (pellets). I figure that using beersmith, it shouldn't be too hard to get the bitterness right even if I'm using multiple different hops...

1) If I use my old hops for bittering, will they impart any of their distinct flavours on the beer, or just make it bitter?
2) Should I be recalculating AA if they are bit on the old side? Any helpful "rule of thumb" if so?

Thanks in advance!

 

[billl]

1) Eh - they will definitely make it bitter, but that doesn't mean they are all interchangable. Some are more smooth, or harsh etc. They also will impart some level of flavor although it would be much, much less than if they were used later in the boil.

2) That really depends on how they are stored. Under ideal conditions, they might be at 90% of their initial AA. If they were exposed to air, they might be at 50%.

 

[misterkidd]

1) That's interesting on a number of levels, Bill, thanks. I've never considered the type of bittering hop I use for anything other than the AA level.

2) They've been stored fairly well so I'll calculate to 90% I think.

Thanks Bill!