Dry hopping query

[adamzworld]

I'm sure this will a fairly straightforward one, but I've got some Citra hops in the freezer which I'm planning to add to my Golden Ale kit that's fermenting at the moment. Question is do I get the hops out the freezer now and let them defrost before adding them, or can I just chuck them in frozen and let them defrost in the wort?

[oz11]

Just chuck 'em in, hops do not freeze.

[adamzworld]

Thanks for the quick reply Oz. I thought it would be okay to chuck them in straight from the freezer but thought it best to check first, so thanks for confirming. Cheers, Adam

[WalesAles]

hops do not freeze.

oz,
Why do we put them in the Freezer?

WA

[Rookie]

hops do not freeze.

oz,
Why do we put them in the Freezer?

WA

My guess is that the cold preserves them even if they don't actually freeze.

[far9410]

I think they freeze

[adamzworld]

I can report back that when I did get the hops out the freezer after being in there for a good few months they didn't seem to be frozen. They were a bit stuck togther but definitely weren't frozen so they went straight in the FV.

One lesson I did learn is that if you're going to use marbles to weigh down the hop bag, don't chuck them in boiling water to sterilise them as they will crack! Schoolboy error I know, but I was so keen to get the hops in, it didn't occur to me to slowly bring the water to the boil with the marbles in the pan. I'll know for next time!

[adamzworld]

I can also report that the hops still smelt great even after several months in the freezer!

[Rookie]

I can also report that the hops still smelt great even after several months in the freezer!

I've had hops still good after five years in the freezer. (amarillo)

[adamzworld]

Wish I'd bought more now in Jan as the price for Citra has now almost doubled!

[Kev888]

Hops don't have a lot of water in and do not freeze solid in a freezer (the cold still helps preserve them in good condition for longer, though). Consequently, they don't need to melt/thaw before use either.

[adamzworld]

Thanks for all the replies chaps. I've had a peak in the FV tonight and despite me putting a handful of marbles in the bag with the hops to weigh it down, it's floating happily on the surface like a little hop laden boat! I used a sterilised spoon and tried to push the bag down under the surface but it kept bobbing back up again. My question is, should I pull the hop bag out and add some more marbles to the bag in an attempt to weigh it down or should I leave it well alone? My concern is that if I do leave it, then not all of the hops are coming into contact with the beer so I would have thought the bag needs to be at least partially submerged to get the most flavour from the hops. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Adam

[adamzworld]

Well, I can report back that after 3 days in the FV I pulled out the bag of hops and transferred the fermented beer to a pressure barrel. It's only been in the barrel for two days but I took a sneaky sample today and even after two days, it tastes lovely! A little bit like Ghost Ship, but a touch sweeter. It's now out in the shed and I look forward to drinking this in a few weeks as the early signs are very promising!

[Redimpz]

Keeping hops in the freezer is supposed to help preserve the alpha acids in the hops from fading away. If they are not kept cold or at least airtight the flavour will fade in time.

[Bad 'Ed]

Oxidisation is what ages / damages all organic matter. Hops get older and taste less as they oxidise. Cold temperatures reduce the speed of this reaction as does removing as much oxygen as possible (hence why the come vac packed).

This is also true for beer. Beer will age slower the colder it is stored. The generally accepted rule of thumb is it lasts half as long for every 10c it is stored at