what is considered overdoing it for pellet hops?

[WyomingBrewer]

Only reason I ask is, as some who have read my posts know, I received some free stuff that is approx 5 years old and brewed a batch of beer with it just to see what it will be. I used 2 oz of the old hops for bitterness, but I don't know what kind they were as they were unlabeled and used 2 oz of cascade hops at the end of the boil. The fermenting fumes smell hoppy as all get out. I will drink it no matter what but what do the experts think considering these pellet hops were vacuum packed but 5 or so years old? BTW, Im not a huge fan of real hopped up beers. Oh well, maybe?

 

[japhroaig]

ha! the moar the merrier!!!
really though without measurements it's impossible to say, but if i were to look into my crystal ball....

....

...not too bitter, interesting aroma.

 

[WyomingBrewer]

Measurement as in oz or HBU?

 

[japhroaig]

if they are 5 years old, then sending them to a lab to be tested for alpha acid >

in practical terms, the only way you or I are gonna tell is by brewing with them. depending on how they have been kept, they may loose bitterness, aroma, both, or neither. but it's kinda like canned tomatoes--you won't know till you try.

however, in my opinion hops are like salt. it's easy to add more, it's hard to remove excess.

 

[Calder]

It depends on the hops, but you can expect to lose about 50% of the bittering capabilities of hops over 5 years with good storage (vacuum packed and kept in a freezer). I don't think you have over-done the bittering. Unfortunatly you don't know what they are so you will have to wait to find out how it came out. Might be perfect.

 

[crazyseany]

I think Austin HBS has a kit (i think I saw it on their site?) called "hop bomb" that comes with 19 oz of hops.... 260 IBU....

if you are gonna drink it anyways.... Just drink 4-8 of something else first... Then it won't matter as much

 

[malkore]

well being vac sealed properly, they should be 'aged hops' and not 'oxidized, cheesy, funky hops'.

I'm curious to hear how it tastes after bottling/carbing.

 

[snowboard419]

I just made an IPA with everything in my freezer including some 5+year old hops, some unlabeled, and some unknown homegrown hops from a friend and it is one of the better beers I have made. :rockin: