okay to use or not?

[mike1978]

Today i recieved a package from a buddy who grows his own hops. He sent me 64 grams (2oz) of cascades that weren't vaccum sealed, but have been stored in freezer since harvest. I haven't used fresh hops hops yet and was wondering if they where okay to use and if the ratio to pellets was the same? I opened the bag and was surprised that they didn't have too much of an aroma, then i crushed one in my hands and it had a nice scent. They were kinda yellowish brown and seemed crispy to the touch. Anyway, do i use the same amount (weight) as i would for pellets? Do they sound okay to use or are they too old and not stored properly?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

They're the same. As long as he kept them in the freezer, you're good to go. I don't suggest using them for bittering until you've determined how bitter they actually are. This will take some brewing to figure out.

Make sure you put them in the freezer right away.

 

[TipsyDragon]

well the color worries me a little but the smell sounds good. little annoyed your friend didn't package them correctly for you. i would package them myself in usable sizes and stick them in the fridge.

cascade hops have an AA% within a specific range. you should use the same weight you would with pellets. but because you don't know the exact AA% you can really only guestimate what your IBUs will be. there is no way, short of testing, to know exactly how bitter they will make your beer.

 

[mike1978]

I can't be mad at the guy, he is giving me free hops. They were in Zip-lock bags, one Cascade and one Nugget. I've got some amarillo pellets in the mail which I will probably use to bitter with.