What is the best way to store hops?

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

What’s the best way to properly store opened hops?

Hops are expensive, and if you’ve got some spare, keeping them fresh makes good sense. Freezing leftover hops is common practice among brewers—it preserves their aromatic oils and alpha acids.

If you’ve bought a vacuum-sealed packet of hops and have leftovers, just freeze them until your next brew day.

To freeze opened hops:

  1. Place the hops in a clean zip-lock bag.
  2. Fold over the top to expel as much air as you can, then seal. If you have a vacuum sealer, use it to remove the rest of the oxygen.
  3. Label the bag with the hop variety so you won’t forget what’s inside.
  4. Store the bag in the freezer until you need it.

Proper sealing slows oxidation; freezing adds an extra layer of protection.

Cascade pellet hops
RiteBrew Cascade pellet hops

You can also refrigerate the hops

Store hops in a fresh zip-lock bag or other airtight container. Properly sealed hops can remain fresh in the refrigerator for up to a year.

How to get cheap hops

Specialty brewing shops often offload older hops to regular customers. Follow your local brew shop on social media and watch for giveaways when they clear out old stock.

Signing off
As long as your hops haven’t been exposed to too much oxygen, they’ll keep well and you won’t have to worry about staleness.

Understanding Hop Storage for Optimal Brewing

To keep hops at their best and ensure maximum flavor, it’s crucial to know what degrades them and how to guard against it.

The enemies of hops: temperature, oxygen, and light

  • Temperature – Store hops cold (1°C–5°C / 34°F–41°F). Freezing won’t harm them and helps lock in oils. Avoid temperature swings.
  • Oxygen – Oxidation dulls bitterness and creates off-flavors. Remove as much air as possible before sealing.
  • Light – UV exposure leads to “skunky” off-flavors. Keep hops in opaque, airtight containers.

Best practices for hops storage

  • Vacuum sealing – Reseal opened packages immediately. Vacuum sealing is ideal; if you can’t, squeeze out as much air as you can.
  • Packaging – Use mylar foil bags or glass jars with tight lids. CO₂ flushing adds extra protection.
  • Refrigeration/freezing – Store in the fridge or (better) the freezer. Cold slows the breakdown of alpha acids and oils.
  • Use promptly – Once opened, aim to use hops within a few days for best aroma and bitterness.

Hop Storage Index (HSI)

  • HSI measures oxidized vs. non-oxidized hop acids.
  • HSI ≤ 0.32: fresh hops.
  • HSI 0.33–0.40: slightly aged.
  • HSI > 0.40: quality is questionable.

Additional tips for homebrewers

  • Buy in bulk – Less handling means fresher hops overall.
  • CO₂ flushing – Displace oxygen in storage containers for longer-term freshness.
  • Avoid odors – Keep hops away from strong-smelling items; they can absorb unwanted aromas.

Impact of storage conditions

  • Oxygen – Causes oxidation and loss of aroma.
  • Light – Leads to skunky flavors.
  • Heat – Accelerates degradation of hop compounds.

By following these guidelines, you can extend your hops’ shelf life and keep your brews flavorful and aromatic.

For more details, see the American Homebrewers Association and Brew Your Own.

Leave a Comment

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Powered by Blogger.

Tags

absorption caps abv acetaldehyde acid adjuncts advice about beer brewing aeration aeration kit aging air lock alcohol alcohol poisoning ale ale beer kits alkaline alkaline brewery wash all grain american amylase apera apples attenuation autolysis automatic temperature compensation bacteria baker's yeast baking yeast ball lock ball valve bar keepers friend barley batch prime beer brewing beer capper beer dispenser beer filtration kit system beer gushers beer kit beer kit review beer kits beer lines beer salt beer taps beerstone best brewing equipment biotin bittering BKF black rock bleach blichmann blow off tubing bluelab bohemian pilsner boil in a bag boil over boneface bottle cap bottle caps bottle conditioning bottling bottling beer bottling spigot bourbon brettanomyces brew and review brew day brewing beer guide brewing salts brewing spoon brewing sugar brewing thermostat brewzilla british thermal unit brix brix scale BTU budvar buffer buffer solution burton snatch buyer's guide calcium chloride calcium sulphate calibration calibration probe calibration solution campden tablets capping carbon dioxide carbonation carbonation drops carboy cascade caustic soda cherry wine chinook chlorine christmas chronicle cider clarity cleaning your equipment clear beer clone recipe cloudy beer cold crashing coldbreak conditioning tablets conductivity conical fermenter contamination coopers copper tun corn sugar cornelius corny keg craft beer creamy beer crown cryo hops cubes danstar nottingham demijohn dextrose distilation DIY DME dopplebock draught dry hopping dry malt extract edelmetall brü burner eisbock ekuanot electrode enhancer enzyme equipment ester ethanol experiments in beer making faucet fermcap-s fermentables fermentation fermenter fermentis fermentor final gravity finings five star flat beer floccing foam inhibitor force carbonation french fresh wort pack fridge fruit fusel alchohol garage project gas burners gelatin gift and present ideas gin ginger beer glucose golden ale golden syrup goldings gose grain grain mill green bullet grist guinness gypsum hach hacks hallertauer heat mat heat pad heat wrap home brew honey hop schedule hops hops spider how not to brew beer how to brew that first beer how to brew with a beer kit how to grow hops how to make a hop tea how to wash yeast hydrated layer hydrogen sulfide hydrometer IBU ideas idophor infection inkbird instruments isoamyl acetate jelly beans jockey box john palmer juniper keezer keg cooler keg regulators kegco kegerator kegging kegs kettle kombucha krausen lactic acid lager lagering lauter lion brown liquid malt extract litmus LME lupulin lupulin powder lupuLN2 making beer malic acid malt malt mill maltodextrin mangrove jack's maple syrup mash mash paddle mash tun mccashins mead methanol micro brewing milling milwaukee MW102 mistakes mixing instructions moa mouth feel muntons must nano brewing New Zealand Brewer's Series no rinse nut brown ale oak oak wood chips off flavors original gravity oxygen pacific gem palaeo water pale ale panhead parsnip PBW pear pectine pectolase perlick ph levels ph meter ph pen pH strips ph tester pico brewing pilsner pitching yeast plastic drum poppet valve pot powdered brewing wash ppm precipitated chalk pressure relief valve priming prison hooch probe problem solving propane and propane accessories pruno pump system purity law radler re-using yeast recipe record keeping reddit refractometer reinheitsgebot removing beer labels from bottles review rice hulls riwaka rotten eggs saaz saccharomyces cerevisiae salt sanitization secondary regulator sediment seltzer session beer silicon simple tricks for brewing siphon site glass skunked beer small batch brewing soda soda ash soda stream sodium carbonate sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate sodium hydroxide sodium metasilicate sodium percarbonate sour beer sparge spigot spirals spirits spoon spraymalt star san starch STC-1000 steinlager steralisation sterilisation sterilization sterliization still stoke storage solution stout sucrose sugar supercharger tannins temperature temperature controller therminator thermometer tips for beginners tri-sodium phopsphate tricks and tips trub tubing tui turkey vodka infused gin vorlauf water water testing wet cardboard taste wet hopping weta whirlfloc tablets white claw williamswarn wine winter brewing wood wort wort chiller yeast yeast energizer yeast nutrient yeast rafts yeast starter yeast traps zinc

Copyright How to Home Brew Beer.

Back to Top