Freezing Frsh Hops

[QldKev]

All of my spare hops from this season's growth have been placed into zip locks bags under a slight vacumn and stored in the freezer. ie. I did not dry any of the hops prior to storage. Fresh herbs and spices in cooking make a huge difference; and there is nothing like fresh hops in beer. I assume commercially dry hops last longer in transit, and they dont have to be kept frozen; also lighter for transport costs. So does anyone else freeze their hops from fresh; or have I just gone hopping mad!

QldKev

 

[ozpowell]

All of my spare hops from this season's growth have been placed into zip locks bags under a slight vacumn and stored in the freezer. ie. I did not dry any of the hops prior to storage. Fresh herbs and spices in cooking make a huge difference; and there is nothing like fresh hops in beer. I assume commercially dry hops last longer in transit, and they dont have to be kept frozen; also lighter for transport costs. So does anyone else freeze their hops from fresh; or have I just gone hopping mad!

QldKev

I freeze all my hops. If you use Beersmith, you can use it to calculate the loss in Alpha Acids over time using various different storage techniques. Airtight container in the freezer is best.

 

[T.D.]

Yes, freezer is best for dried hops, but is it the right thing for green hops? I would also love to know as I had a whole batch of green hops spoil recently because I didn't try them fast enough (vacuum packed them but obviously that wasn't enough to preserve them in their green form).

 

[mfdes]

I never do it because mine have gone brown and mushy before. Dried is much safer.
Let us know how you go!

MFS.

 

[Shortz]

Where does one get hops from to grow?? I grow a couple of seasonal vegies, so i know a little bit about growing stuff.....you feed it with beer right [or beer related products]??

Is it like growing grapes where you graft it onto a rootstock??

 

[Sammus]

I imagine with fresh hops if you freeze them it would be like freezing other fresh fruit/veg etc. You get the thing where the cell walls burst and it spoils the food, makes it go brown and mushy, as mfdes pointed out.

 

[PostModern]

I imagine with fresh hops if you freeze them it would be like freezing other fresh fruit/veg etc. You get the thing where the cell walls burst and it spoils the food, makes it go brown and mushy, as mfdes pointed out.

Unless you can snap freeze then to minus 40C almost instantly so the ice crystals form really quickly and are really small so they don't protrude thru the cell walls. Pellets don't mind being frozen as their cell walls are already corrupted by the pelletising process. I keep my non-compressed flowers in the fridge on the advice of knowledgeable people. Hop plugs and pellets, I freeze. I've never stored wet hops and don't think I would. It'd be like trying to keep fresh basil indefinitely, wouldn't it?

 

[T.D.]

I imagine with fresh hops if you freeze them it would be like freezing other fresh fruit/veg etc. You get the thing where the cell walls burst and it spoils the food, makes it go brown and mushy, as mfdes pointed out.

Yep, that was my hunch too. Maybe there's a reason why hops are generally dried!

 

[QldKev]

Thanks for all the replies.

I never do it because mine have gone brown and mushy before. Dried is much safer.
Let us know how you go!

MFS.

Would these go brown/mushy in the freezer or when you take them out? I have about 4 bags I put in there middle of Apr and they look ok so far. I just haven't tried taking them out to use yet.

Where does one get hops from to grow??

Do a search for rhizomes on here. There's plenty of info on it.

QldKev

 

[mfdes]

Hi Kev,

They go mushy when I take them out. Perhaps not a problem if you put them into boiling wort directly, but be warned it happens pretty fast
Having used fresh and dried hops, I prefer to dry mine. The flavour difference is minimal (I actually prefer the dried ones). I hear fresh hops do wonders for long term flavour stability, which might be worthwhile in a barley wine or dopplebock... I might do a seasonal barleywine next year with them and see

MFS.

 

[Steve]

Unless you can snap freeze then to minus 40C almost instantly so the ice crystals form really quickly and are really small so they don't protrude thru the cell walls. Pellets don't mind being frozen as their cell walls are already corrupted by the pelletising process. I keep my non-compressed flowers in the fridge on the advice of knowledgeable people. Hop plugs and pellets, I freeze. I've never stored wet hops and don't think I would. It'd be like trying to keep fresh basil indefinitely, wouldn't it?

I grow herbs every year the main one being coriander. The leaves are stripped, straight into a zip lock back and into the freezer. I use them for cooking throughout the year. They taste as fresh as when they were first picked. They are soggy yes but definately still have the flavour and aroma. I was given a bag full of fresh wet POR a month or two ago and I stuck them straight into the freezer. Im quite reluctant to use them because of the same questions being asked here. A $10 tai green chilli dinner is easier to sacrifice than a double batch of beer.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Steve]

I grow a couple of seasonal vegies, so i know a little bit about growing stuff.....you feed it with beer right [or beer related products]??

:blink:

Do you feed your pumpkins with pumpkin soup? NO. Do you feed your tomatoes with dolmeos pasta sauce? NO. Do you feed your zuchinis with a zuchini slice? NO. Are you serious? You feed a hop plant with the same products that all plants love...nutrient rich compost and the likes.

 

[Pumpy]

Encapsulate your hops in ice they dont dry out this way

just use a plastic mould add 14 gram lots and add water and freeze .

Cryogenic suspenion of your hops in a soluble solution is the modern home brewers way to preserve thier hops precious oils and aromas

pumpy

 

[barls]

i did my first years batch wet they weren't too bad, but i dried them the next year

 

[PostModern]

I grow herbs every year the main one being coriander. The leaves are stripped, straight into a zip lock back and into the freezer. I use them for cooking throughout the year. They taste as fresh as when they were first picked. They are soggy yes but definately still have the flavour and aroma. I was given a bag full of fresh wet POR a month or two ago and I stuck them straight into the freezer. Im quite reluctant to use them because of the same questions being asked here. A $10 tai green chilli dinner is easier to sacrifice than a double batch of beer.
Cheers
Steve

Fair enough. Hops are boiled not tossed into salad. I don't think I'd be throwing thawed basil in a salad, but in a soup our curry or whatever, yeah, so I supose sloppy thawed hops would still bitter and flavour a beer.

 

[Steve]

Fair enough. Hops are boiled not tossed into salad. I don't think I'd be throwing thawed basil in a salad, but in a soup our curry or whatever, yeah, so I supose sloppy thawed hops would still bitter and flavour a beer.

yeah of course - they'd be no good in a salad but in a curry I cant tell the difference. Still apprehensive about using frozen WET hops in a brew though. I have used frozen DRIED home grown POR (that I grew) and they did the job very well for bittering.

 

[Brewer_010]

yeah of course - they'd be no good in a salad but in a curry I cant tell the difference. Still apprehensive about using frozen WET hops in a brew though. I have used frozen DRIED home grown POR (that I grew) and they did the job very well for bittering.

Would be alright in a boil, surely? It does sound odd using wet sloppy hops, but I couldn't imagine there would be anything to go amiss by boiling them.

I wouldn't be so keen on dry hopping though

In any case, POR is going to make your beer taste like shite anyway!

 

[0M39A]

Pellets don't mind being frozen as their cell walls are already corrupted by the pelletising process. I keep my non-compressed flowers in the fridge on the advice of knowledgeable people. Hop plugs and pellets, I freeze. I've never stored wet hops and don't think I would. It'd be like trying to keep fresh basil indefinitely, wouldn't it?

So flowers are a bad thing to keep in the freezer? I have some in there right now in a zip lock bag... would they be better in the fridge? doubt they'll last long though

 

[ozpowell]

Just to add fuel to the fire here's an article from the BYO archive that seems to advocate storing flowers in an airtight baggie in the freezer: link

 

[mfdes]

Dried hops of any kind are fine in the freezer. Make sure you let them warm up to room temp. before you open them to stop them getting wet from condensing water out of the air.
MFS.