Old hops

[neko]

Sorry if this has been asked somewhere else, but my searches didn't find the answer.

My friend gave up homebrewing and was nice enough to give me all his equipment. It had been sitting in the garage for maybe 3-4 years and in the freezer were some hops still sealed in the foil vacuum packed bags. There were two 2oz amarillo bags and two 2oz centennial bags (whole leaf) so I took them even though he said he didn't know if they were still good. I'm thinking he bought them in 2004 and I would hate to throw them away if they were still okay. Maybe a decrease in AA, but not too much?

There's always the "Try to brew it and see what comes out" answer, but I don't want to waste the money on all the other ingredients if people think it's too late to save the hops.

 

[DeathBrewer]

make a belgian.

 

[z987k]

make a belgian.

or better yet a sour Belgian.

 

[neko]

Digging up my old posting...

I looked at the package and it said 2005 so they aren't quite as old as I thought they were. What do you think?

 

[smizak]

Wait..your friend gave up home brewing? Is he the only one? He better have developed an allergy to hops or something.

 

[Tonedef131]

Digging up my old posting...

I looked at the package and it said 2005 so they aren't quite as old as I thought they were. What do you think?

Set them out in a brown paper bag in a warm area, once they get past that "cheesy" stage make yourself a lambic.

 

[neko]

Wait..your friend gave up home brewing? Is he the only one? He better have developed an allergy to hops or something.

He's the kind of person who jumps from hobby to hobby and after spending a bunch of money on equipment and getting a bad batch that was it for him.


Oh hey, look what a little Google search brings you
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/old-hops-50106/ (no final result though)
Hey, Anybody got any Three-Year-Old Hops?

 

[ArcaneXor]

You can also use them as starter hops if you feel inclined to hop your starters.

 

[Doog_Si_Reeb]

You can also use them as starter hops if you feel inclined to hop your starters.

Does hopping the starter have a benefit? I've just been using unhopped DME, but this piqued my interest.

 

[DeathBrewer]

make a belgian.

10 characters

 

[DeathBrewer]

Does hopping the starter have a benefit? I've just been using unhopped DME, but this piqued my interest.

not really...its a preservative, but starters do not need them.

 

[smizak]

He's the kind of person who jumps from hobby to hobby and after spending a bunch of money on equipment and getting a bad batch that was it for him.


Oh hey, look what a little Google search brings you
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/old-hops-50106/ (no final result though)
Hey, Anybody got any Three-Year-Old Hops?

My brother. He has stuff like once-used $1500 worth of snowboarding equipment, $500 gas powered remote control car(used twice, then broke it), etc...

And yeah, I'd age those hops and make a belgian/lambic something. I've got some old Northern Brewers in the freezer I'm thinking of aging.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Does hopping the starter have a benefit? I've just been using unhopped DME, but this piqued my interest.

It makes them taste better, and theoretically the hops act as antimicrobial agents, so you reduce the chance of infections.

I mostly use spare and/or old hops in mine because I drink the starter beer that would otherwise be decanted. Without hops, it tastes pretty vile; with hops, it can actually be enjoyable and, with some experience, give you an indication of the health of the yeast.

 

[Evan!]

Two words:

Lam.

Bic.

Aged hops aren't easy to come by...if you don't want them, I'll take 'em off your hands for my lambics.