Hops - How Old is Too Old?

[BlackDuck]

I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of different opinions here, but that's OK. I'm curious to see whay you all think. How old is too old? How long do you keep an opened package of hops in the freezer for? Is there a time when you say...They've been in there too long and throw them out?

I roll the original package up and put that into a zip lock bag and squeeze all the air out and keep them in the freezer. I've got a handfull of partial packages of about 6 ot 7 different hop varieties on hand, all less than an ounce.

[BigPapaG]

I do the same thing Chris...

And while I will keep sealed packs (and have) for a couple of years, (even three...), the opened ones quickly begin to oxidate starting the day they are opened imho.

Having said that, if they start to smell cheesy, or 'of the freezer'... (You know that smell...), then toss them.

Full disclosure though... I have never taken a bunch of (edit: really) old opened hops and made a beer with them, so I can't say how bad it might be... (Edit: sure, I've used up open packs that were still young... But nothing that I would normally toss out.)

Hmmm... Maybe in a dark beer... Or with something with lots of malt or yeast character.... A barleywine or a Belgian dark, or a stout... Maybe a Russian Imperial Stout...

[Inkleg]

I've always had a vacuum sealer and sprung for a fancy one when the last one took a dive, but I use it for meat too so the investment was worth it.
I use to break the 1lb hop bags into 1oz packs and vacuum seal them. Figured out quickly that was a waste of time and bags. Now when I buy a pound of hops I'll toss them in the freezer in the original packaging (as they are nitrogen purged) until read for use. On or just before brew day I'll open the package, measure out the amount hops needed and then vacuum seal the remaining hops in one bag until next time they're needed. Next brew day I'll just cut open the bag, measure hops and reseal till next time.

My next IPA named Boatload at 5 IPA will have Simcoe from 2013 and Columbus from 2014 in it and I'll be using 2 year old yeast. I'm a rebel.
I have no doubt that the Simcoe will smell of pine/cat pee goodness.

[Beer-lord]

I also have a sealer and love it. If the hops smell good and aren't brown and funky, they should still give you some of what you want from them.
Check this out: http://brewerslog.appspot.com/HopAlphaCalc
http://www.brewerslair.com/index.php?p= ... s&id=cal16
http://www.beersmith.com/help2/index.ht ... e_tool.htm

[BlackDuck]

Papa...I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say they "smell of the freezer".

Paul...Thanks for the links, I'll read those.

Jeff...Thanks for nothing, as I don't have a vacuum sealer.

[bpgreen]

Papa...I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say they "smell of the freezer".

Paul...Thanks for the links, I'll read those.

Jeff...Thanks for nothing, as I don't have a vacuum sealer.

Get one.

Seriously.

I originally bought mine for hops, but I use it for so many things now that I can't believe I ever got along without using one. A vacuum sealer pays for itself very quickly.

[Beer-lord]

Don't use it to seal broccoli! It keeps it really, really fresh but it becomes broccoli to infinity! Wow, the smell is intense and the taste is way too much broccoli.

[BigPapaG]

Don't use it to seal broccoli! It keeps it really, really fresh but it becomes broccoli to infinity! Wow, the smell is intense and the taste is way too much broccoli.

I imagine then that the result of eating said broccoli is also to infinity? Da^^n, could be lethal!

[Whamolagan]

Agree with BP on a vacuum sealer. I have had one for almost 20 years and hate shopping, if you buy in bulk, you are a fool not to have one. I have hops that I have had for 4 years and vacuum seal everytime after brewing. Also great for marinating, when the local grocery store has tri tip on sale, I buy 8-10 of them, put my rub on and seal them up. When it is time to cook, thaw and throw on the grill or in the instant pot.

[John Sand]

I've only had my vacuum sealer for a few months. Before that I used the roll, bag and squeeze method. Then I put them in (Gasp!) the refrigerator. If they smell good, I use them. If I have any doubt, I toss them.

[bpgreen]

Back to the original question, hops have 4 main enemies: oxygen, light, temperature, and time. If you eliminate (or at least minimize) the first three, time becomes much less unimportant.

There are calculators that try to estimate the loss in various compounds, but there are a lot of variables, so ymmv.

As already mentioned, when they reach a certain point, they develop a cheesy smell. If you wonder if your hops have that smell, they don't. It's REALLY obvious. I'm not sure if they can still be used for bittering at that point or not. I've only had it happen once, and threw them out.

[mashani]

I'm not sure if they can still be used for bittering at that point or not. I've only had it happen once, and threw them out.

They can still be used for bacterial/antiseptic control, but they don't have a lot of AA. Such hops can (and are commonly) used in somewhat massive quantities (comparatively speaking to other Belgians) for those reasons in beers like a Lambic or Geuze. So say for 5 gallons, something like 2oz of old (3 year old hops are commonly used) Kent Golding, Fuggles, Styrian Goldings, Hallertauer or other noble hops @90 gives you exactly what a Lambic or Geuze needs... almost no bitterness/astringency, and no flavor or aroma whatsoever. That lets the good sour bugs balance the beer and helps keep the bad sour bugs from getting a foothold without adding bitterness that would make the sour turn to yuck.

[swenocha]

Beat me to the lambic/geueze comment, mash...

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[natural320]

+1 on getting a vacuum sealer of some kind. for cheapness and portability, I picked up a "pump n seal" a few years back so I could buy hops in bulk...the little thing works great! get some mason jars and off you go. I have also found that it works wonders with steaks and the like in ziplock bags when you pump out the air.

I am still working through some hops from my very 1st bulk order (hint don't buy too many high AA hops at once!) and they still smell and seem to bitter adequately.

side question, I bought a pound each of German Perle and Saphir when yakima valley hops had them on sale (just looked, including shipping they were $20 to my doorstep!), but they are from 2013. I trusted that they were stored properly, and they came vacuum sealed in foil bags. I am sure they are a little less potent, but have worked well so far IMO. speaking of that, I should totally do a German IPA (aka: blasphemy!) with them. I love love Saphir! but I digress