Old Hops - Bittering or Aroma

[PittsburghBrewer]

I have some Fuggle hops that have been in the refrigerator in a Zip-loc bag for about a month. I would like to use them in an English bitter I'm brewing this weekend. My plan is to use them as 60 minute bittering hops, and to use fresh hops at 45 and 5 minutes. Does that make the most sense - use the oldest hops as bittering hops?

Next time I have leftover hops, I will be sure to put them in the freezer - I've heard they last much longer that way.

 

[kh54s10]

In the refrigerator for only a month, I would use them for bittering, aroma or flavor. I would though, use a little more. It would be a guess as to how much more.

The better way to store is vacuum bagged and frozen. Mylar/foil bags are even better. Nitrogen flushed even better than that. They will lose potency even that way but much slower. A lot of my hops are a couple of years old. I use them in normal proportions and get good results.

 

[Ike]

To answer your question: if I had some old hops, I'd trust them for bittering before I trusted them for aroma/flavor.

BUT, I agree that a month in the fridge isn't old at all. If a given region only harvests hops once a year, then arguably couldn't the hops in your LHBS's fridge be nearly a year old at some time of the year?