Hop shelf life

[quixoticgeek]

How long does a sealed pack of hops, stored in the fridge last? Is there an easy way to work out if my hops are past it?

Do hop pellets last longer than hop flowers?

J

[Morten]

BeerSmith can do the calculations for you.

Pellets retain aroma, flavour and bitterness better than flowers.

[Kev888]

Theres supposedly a gradual degradation (IIRC) both in aroma/flavour and alpha acids but they take a very long time to actually go off - some of mine have been well over a year old and seemed fine. I've seen a table of time vs %AA somewhere but annoyingly I can't find it at the moment..

Cheers
kev

[Morten]

The biggest factor is how you store it and how cold.
Examples from BeerSmith:
Northern Brewer AA 9,1%
-
Vacuum packed, stored at 20 deg. C:
1 month: AA 8,9%
2 months: AA 8,5%
6 months: AA 7,3%
12 months: AA 5,9%

Vacuum packed stored at 5 deg. C
1 month: AA 8,9%
2 months: AA 8,8%
6 months: AA 8,2%
12 months: AA 7,3%

Vacuum packed, stored at -18 deg. C:
1 month: AA 9,0%
2 months: AA 9,0%
6 months: AA 8,8%
12 months: AA 8,5%

Plastic bag stored at 20 deg. C:
1 month: AA 8,5%
2 months: AA 7,9%
6 months: AA 5,9%
12 months: AA 3,8%

Plastic bag stored at 5 deg. C:
1 month: AA 8,8%
2 months: AA 8,5%
6 months: AA 7,3%
12 months: AA 5,9%

Plastic bag stored at -18 deg. C:
1 month: AA 9,0%
2 months: AA 8,9%
6 months: AA 8,5%
12 months: AA 7,8%

[Yeasty Rob]

I always store mine in the bottom of the freezer, especially after the pack has been opened.