What is the best way to store opened beer hops?
Today I brewed an ale. After I added the deliciously smelling Cascade hops
, I wondered if my my trick of storing the left over hops in the freezer was actually a good storage method.
You see, when I first used hops with a brew, that's the first thing that came to mind to do (maybe I was thinking about coffee or batteries) and I've done it ever since without a further thought.
Is this an OK way to store the hops?
Are there better ways to care for hops?
Do different hops need different storage methods?
Are there better ways to care for hops?
Do different hops need different storage methods?
These are the questions that I started to ponder.
So, to save you the hassle, I've done some research into the best ways to store beer hops. And when I say research, I mean I just did some reading on the internet.
Because beer brewing only needs to be simple and not over thought.
But first we need to take a moment to discuss why the home brewer wants to preserve their hops.
It's because they lose their bittering qualities over time, and their essential oils degrade and this means you might not get the desired brewing flavours if you used hops that have deteriorated.
Fresh is best as they say.
So what's the answer to storing hops then?
Turns out freezing hops is actually a popular trick with beer brewers!
This is what you can do and pretty much all you need to do.
Take your left over beer hops and place them in a zip-lock bag. Remove the excess air, seal and place in the freezer until required.
If you want to go all 'professional' you could use a vacuum sealer to remove all the air.
In such cases, you might not need to freeze the hops if the sealing has been done properly, but it wouldn't hurt.
You can also refrigerate the hops. Again, put them in a zip lock bag and remove as much air as possible. I read that hops can stay fresh for up to a year this way.
That trick would seem to rely on there being hardly any air in the bag!
Extra for Experts:
How to dry hop your beer
How to add hops to the beer kit's wort
Where to buy beer hops online
But first we need to take a moment to discuss why the home brewer wants to preserve their hops.
It's because they lose their bittering qualities over time, and their essential oils degrade and this means you might not get the desired brewing flavours if you used hops that have deteriorated.
Fresh is best as they say.
So what's the answer to storing hops then?
Turns out freezing hops is actually a popular trick with beer brewers!
This is what you can do and pretty much all you need to do.
Take your left over beer hops and place them in a zip-lock bag. Remove the excess air, seal and place in the freezer until required.
If you want to go all 'professional' you could use a vacuum sealer to remove all the air.
In such cases, you might not need to freeze the hops if the sealing has been done properly, but it wouldn't hurt.
You can also refrigerate the hops. Again, put them in a zip lock bag and remove as much air as possible. I read that hops can stay fresh for up to a year this way.
That trick would seem to rely on there being hardly any air in the bag!
Extra for Experts:
How to dry hop your beer
How to add hops to the beer kit's wort
Where to buy beer hops online
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