Using 2 year old hops. Adjust the amount?

[kiwipen]

I'm going to brew a bitter, and the recipe told me to use fuggle for aroma.

The hops I got is over 2 years old. According to Beersmith it should have lost about 1/6 of the original alpha hops.

Should I increase the amount used with 1/6 or just leave it as it is?

 

[jmark]

The later the addition, the less adjusting you have to do. If these are last 10-15 minutes or later I wouldn't be worried about adjusting at all. All this is assuming the hops were stored well and don't smell like cheese!

 

[JohnSand]

Either way. IBU calculations are an estimate. I don't adjust, but 1/6 will not matter much. If in doubt, go ahead and correct. The hops will fade with time in the beer.

 

[FrozenOcean]

Were they kept in the freezer?

 

[Keithww]

Time to brew a sour, I had to wait for two years mine to age.

 

[kiwipen]

Were they kept in the freezer?

Vacuum sealed and kept in a freezer.

 

[Vandulus]

Keeping them vacuum sealed in the freezer really helps keep the bittering longer. One other thing to consider is that the Hop Storage Index (HSI) varies by hop variety. To look up what the HSI is for a variety, I suggest looking at the Storability values on Hop List for the hop being used. Hops with a lower HSI lose less bitterness every six months.

If you really want something a little more accurate, you can plug this formula into a spreadsheet:

=(((100-(HSI/4))/100)^SixMonth)*Alpha

HSI = Hop Storage Index for the hop variety
4 = Reduction in loss for keeping hops vacuum sealed at 14 F. Increase by one for every 28 F colder
SixMonth = The number of months your hops have been stored divided by six. This is due to the HSI being based on a six month period.
Alpha = Original Alpha %

 

[jmark]

You're good... I wouldn't bother adjusting at all for aroma.