Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

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sonicated
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Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by sonicated » Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:23 pm

I've just discovered 5 x 100g packs of vacuumed sealed Citra from the 2015 harvest in my garage. They would have been there for about two years and the garage can go to -5C to 30C+ throughout the year. Will they be alright for dry hopping? I'm brewing kits at the moment so I can't use them for bittering.

I fear they'll make the beer just taste grassy rather than floral.. any advice appreciated! I wish I had put them in the freezer!

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Sadfield
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Sadfield » Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:06 pm

The only way to tell is to rub them in your hands and sniff, if they smell ok, they are ok to use. Any deterioration is likely to present itself as a cheesy aroma. Making a hop tea might be a safer way to do it, at least you can ditch it if unsure.

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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by sonicated » Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:11 pm

Good advice - thank you

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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Rookie » Sun Feb 04, 2018 7:20 pm

Depending on which variety they could be used in lambic.
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Wonkydonkey » Mon Feb 05, 2018 9:01 pm

Or you could split off a gallon or less in to a DJ and dry hop that, then you will wish you had done the whole batch or glad you only done a gallon
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by scuppeteer » Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:49 am

If they've been out of the light they'll be fine. As already mentioned give them a rub and a sniff. Citra is too expensive to waste! ;)
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by sonicated » Tue Feb 06, 2018 1:38 am

scuppeteer wrote:
Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:49 am
If they've been out of the light they'll be fine. As already mentioned give them a rub and a sniff. Citra is too expensive to waste! ;)
That's good to hear! They came vacuum packed in silvery reflective plastic and have been in a dark garage ever since so fingers crossed, I'll open one up tomorrow :)

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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Laripu » Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:20 am

Even vacuum packed, without refrigeration there'll be deterioration. Use them for bittering, and assume 30% loss of alpha.

The biggest expense in home brewing isn't ingredients, it's your time. Don't waste your time for some measly hops.

Hops can grow, and will continue to grow long after you're gone. Don't waste your time.
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Jim » Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:50 am

I agree with Lari - for dry hops you need to use the best.

Old hops are OK for bittering if you're desperate, but will have lost a lot of bittering power depending on how old they are and how they've been stored.
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Hairybiker » Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:05 am

A few years back I found a pack of hops in a drawer, they had been there for about 10 years. Gold solid pack.
Thinking they would be down in AA, I used the WHOLE 100g in a brew.
...

It took SIX MONTHS to get to the point where it was drinkable, way too bitter.

My 2015 hops are in the freezer so will still be good to go when I use them, but what can I use 2Kg of Admiral in - sensible answers please.

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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Sadfield » Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:15 am

Of course there is always going to be a best practice, use the freshest of hops. However, why discard 500g of Citra without evaluating whether they will give a satisfactory result? As mentioned, dry hopping a couple of litres isn't going to do much harm.

Did brewers in the 1850s use the freshest of hops in every brew, and store them below freezing in vac packs?

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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by dcq1974 » Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:33 pm

If you want to have a ball park figure of alpha acid potential, I've always found this calculator useful.
Of course, we never really know the age of the hops, just the commercial year of sale etc.

http://brewerslog.appspot.com/HopAlphaCalc
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by sonicated » Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:19 pm

Thanks for all the advice. I opened a packet today and they smelt wonderful! I made hop tea from a few pellets and it was too bitter to taste on it's own. Once fermentation dies down I'll take a small sample and dry hop it for a few days and see what it's like.

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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by scuppeteer » Wed Feb 07, 2018 9:15 pm

Laripu wrote:
Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:20 am
Even vacuum packed, without refrigeration there'll be deterioration. Use them for bittering, and assume 30% loss of alpha.

The biggest expense in home brewing isn't ingredients, it's your time. Don't waste your time for some measly hops.

Hops can grow, and will continue to grow long after you're gone. Don't waste your time.
30% loss is excessive for only 2 season old hops Lari.

They can grow, but whether or not they still flower is a different matter! :wink:
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Re: Can I use old hops stored in the garage for dry hopping?

Post by Laripu » Thu Feb 08, 2018 5:29 am

scuppeteer wrote:
Wed Feb 07, 2018 9:15 pm
Laripu wrote:
Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:20 am
Even vacuum packed, without refrigeration there'll be deterioration. Use them for bittering, and assume 30% loss of alpha.

The biggest expense in home brewing isn't ingredients, it's your time. Don't waste your time for some measly hops.

Hops can grow, and will continue to grow long after you're gone. Don't waste your time.
30% loss is excessive for only 2 season old hops Lari.

They can grow, but whether or not they still flower is a different matter! :wink:
It's the lack of refrigeration that makes me think that.

Let us know how it turns out, and good luck. I hope it works out.
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