When Do Hops Loose Freshness

[dougsbrew]

hi there, i did a few google searches, didnt find the answer i was after.
so i thought i'd throw my question out there for your replies.
i keep my hop pellets(90g bags resealed after use) in fridge crisper.
some varities have been there for over 6 months. so my question. -
how long before you would consider that there no longer fresh enough to use?
is it time for the bin the ones that i have had for over 6 months?

 

[raven19]

Take them out and have a sniff - if you get good hoppy aromas they are fine to use imo.

If kept in a cool place they will last a lot longer, airtight in the freezer even better.

You can also use Beersmith to estimate the loss in bitterness based on age of hops - however I use older hops often for bittering and I hit my IBU targets no worries.

(plus really old hops can be used for lambics!)

 

[peas_and_corn]

Hops degrade over time, there's no 'cutoff date' so to speak, where they're suddenly no longer fresh. I blame expiry dates for this sort of mentality.

How quickly they degrade depends on temperature (better when colder) and whether they're in an airtight container, vac sealed, or just sitting in a pack. As mentioned above, let your nose decide whether your hops are still good.

 

[felten]

6 months isn't long, they last quite a while if stored properly. The oldest hops I've used are some 2006 crop styrian plugs with a starting AA% of like 2%, brewed in october, and it turned out fantastic (and still is).