7 replies to this topic

[Noontime]

I took advantage of Hopsdirect prices (thanks for the link!!!) and bought 5 lbs which is WAY more than I'll use any time soon. It might take me a couple of years to go through that (which only occured to me after I bought it). Will pellet hops last that long in the fridge? Should they go in the freezer? Should they be used within a certain amount of time?Thanks guys!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I took advantage of Hopsdirect prices (thanks for the link!!!) and bought 5 lbs which is WAY more than I'll use any time soon. It might take me a couple of years to go through that (which only occured to me after I bought it). Will pellet hops last that long in the fridge? Should they go in the freezer? Should they be used within a certain amount of time?Thanks guys!

keep them in a dark airtight space. the freezer is best for any length of storage.

[3rd party JKor]

I took advantage of Hopsdirect prices (thanks for the link!!!) and bought 5 lbs which is WAY more than I'll use any time soon. It might take me a couple of years to go through that (which only occured to me after I bought it). Will pellet hops last that long in the fridge? Should they go in the freezer? Should they be used within a certain amount of time?Thanks guys!

It may be more than you'll use any time soon, but at the prices you get from Hops Direct, even if you end up only using half of them it'll be cheaper than you would pay locally by the ounce. And if you keep them cold and sealed they last a long, long time. I just finished up some centennials from the 2006 crop, and they were still damn good and they weren't always stored cold either. They do lose bittering/aroma/flavor over time, but you can just use more to make up for it. Based on what I've read, you don't need to start accounting for alpha acid/oils loss until they are >18 months old.

[Noontime]

It may be more than you'll use any time soon, but at the prices you get from Hops Direct, even if you end up only using half of them it'll be cheaper than you would pay locally by the ounce. And if you keep them cold and sealed they last a long, long time. I just finished up some centennials from the 2006 crop, and they were still damn good and they weren't always stored cold either. They do lose bittering/aroma/flavor over time, but you can just use more to make up for it. Based on what I've read, you don't need to start accounting for alpha acid/oils loss until they are >18 months old.

Thanks for the info. I plan on storing them in a dark bag in the freezer. Does that 18 months account for being stored cold, or is that in general room temp?Thanks again; I feel alot better about my purchase. And you're totally right about price...I've been paying between $1.70 to $3.00 an ounce. And now I can make a HUGE hop beer without regard to cost.

[3rd party JKor]

Thanks for the info. I plan on storing them in a dark bag in the freezer. Does that 18 months account for being stored cold, or is that in general room temp?Thanks again; I feel alot better about my purchase. And you're totally right about price...I've been paying between $1.70 to $3.00 an ounce. And now I can make a HUGE hop beer without regard to cost.

The 18 months refers to storage at freezer temps.

[BrewerGeorge]

I don't know why you'd store them any other way. :DFor five pounds, though, you should probably invest in a vac sealer of some kind. You've got $70 worth of hops there, invest half that savings in a cheap vac sealer and they'll last you years. OTOH, if you try storing them in their original bags, they'll be open to the air (and freezer burn) every time you open the bag to get hops.

[3rd party JKor]

Yeah, now that I've got about 10 lbs of pellets I need to start breaking them up into smaller quantities and vac packing them.

[Noontime]

Good point. Thanks!