Storing Hops

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Niall K

Storing Hops

Post by Niall K » Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:31 am

What is the best way to store hops? How long does it keep after its been taken out of the vacuum packs?

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bitter_dave
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Post by bitter_dave » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:11 am

If you seal the vacuum packs so they are airtight (or as close as possible - those plastic bag clips are good for this :wink: ), and keep in the freezer, hops should last a quite a long time in my experience. How long is a 'long time' others may be better placed to answer, but I've certainly used hops six months after opening.

When I started brewing I used hops bought loose (i.e. not vacuum packed), and I kept them at room temperature. When I moved to vacuum packed hops and stored them as above the results were a world apart from before. Hops degrade quite quickly when exposed to air and light, and should be stored cool/cold once opened.

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