How long can I store?

[daveyk]

Hi,
I have a packet of Challenger Hops which were opened I reckon about 1 year ago.

They came to me Vac packed from a reputable HBS, I have used some of them but they have sat in fridge ever since..... cool and dark.

Sorry for such a basic question but are these likely to still be ok? what is the usual shelf life for hops stored in the manner? does the flavour gradually weaken ie should I put more hops in or just cut my losses and get new?

Thanks,

dave

[scuppeteer]

Hops are a natural preservative. They will absolutely fine to use, especially as you seem to have kept them stored very well.

As a note I kept some in a plastic carrier bag in the garage for 2 years and they still produced a fine tasting beer, with no obvious loss of flavours.

I assume you will use them for bittering so the AA rate will not reduce significantly anyway, if you try and overcompensate you could over bitter it completely.

[daveyk]

Thanks for the reply and the confidence boost.

[gregorach]

This article may be of interest.

[Rookie]

Do a smell test. If they smell cheesy ditch them.