# Hops left out



## captain crumpet (13/12/17)

Brewed a 45L smash with Columbus on Sunday. 300g in kettle with another 200g left for dry hop. Had to rush off to work and bloody left the dry hops open in thei bag on the bench. It is now Wednesday. Question, will these still make good for dry hop?

Many thanks.


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## laxation (13/12/17)

yeh, you're fine
_maybe_ some degradation, but unlikely ... look at: http://www.brewangels.com/Beerformation/HOPS-Ranges.pdf
even after 6 months you only lose max 50% AA

what were they stored in?


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## mtb (13/12/17)

You can always dry hop again later if the aroma doesn't hit the mark. Give it a go.


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## wide eyed and legless (13/12/17)

If they were in a bag left open for a couple of days I would be ear marking them to go in the boil next time. Even though they are anti bacterial after leaving the at the mercy of airborne microbes I wouldn't be dry hopping with them.


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## captain crumpet (13/12/17)

wide eyed and legless said:


> If they were in a bag left open for a couple of days I would be ear marking them to go in the boil next time. Even though they are anti bacterial after leaving the at the mercy of airborne microbes I wouldn't be dry hopping with them.



That's one thing i hadn't even considered. Thanks


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## captain crumpet (13/12/17)

laxation said:


> yeh, you're fine
> _maybe_ some degradation, but unlikely ... look at: http://www.brewangels.com/Beerformation/HOPS-Ranges.pdf
> even after 6 months you only lose max 50% AA
> 
> what were they stored in?



True, but it's not the AA% I'm worried about. 

Vacuum sealed prior to being opened on sunday. Then left partially rolled up in a bag on a table in the garage.


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## Danscraftbeer (13/12/17)

If they got really hot I'd skip them. Maybe use for bittering as weal said. I did the same with a small amount I left in an opened bag from vac sealed and frozen. Left in the hot shed for 5 days or so. Definite, quite dramatic loss of quality. They started to smell like bad socks.


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## earle (13/12/17)

If the bag was rolled up enough so it was closed I might not be worried about air borne bugs on them causing infection.

How hot was it on the bench? How do they smell now? If they didn't get hot and smell fine then I would give them a go.


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## Garfield (13/12/17)

Try pouring boiling water over them to pasteurise then throw the hops and water in the brew


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## manticle (15/12/17)

Just smell them. If they smell cheesy, like baby sick or like my feet, give them a miss or use for a lambic. If they smell ok but not pop/fresh/delicious, consider bittering the next brew with them. If they smell like fresh hops then they are.


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## manticle (15/12/17)

I wouldn’t get super concerned with bacterial infection unless you shat on them.


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## captain crumpet (15/12/17)

I put them in two days ago. Definitely lost a big amount of punch but still tastes and smells ok.


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