Hop storage techniques that preserve impact in beer

The quality of hops has a significant influence on the quality of the finished beer, so how should hops be preserved so that we can continue to use the old hops for the next brew and still be able to produce delicious batches of beer?

Luckily, there are some simple and cost effective hop storage techniques that brewers can take to keep their hops fresh and their beers consistent from ABV Beer Shop!

Avoid exposing hops to oxygen

Alpha Acid and the important essential oils present in hops degrade rapidly when the foils are opened and the flowers are exposed to oxygen. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the factors of air and light when preserving hops. To limit chemical changes that directly affect beer, brewers should preserve hops by using vacuum bags, the mouth of the bag has been sealed. After using, you should either seal the remaining hops in the package with a vacuum sealer or seal as tightly as possible and store in the refrigerator.

Notes on storage and use in due time

Hops usually have a shelf life of up to 3 years, but the quality of the hops will change more or less after using. Therefore, brewers should note the storage time, store them carefully, for example, seal the opened hops foil and note the date and time the hops were opened. This method can keep for about 2 months depending on the type of hops.

Also, if the hops are wrapped but not in the original foil, the brewer should note some information: variety, LOT number, season, percentage alpha acid and weight before refrigerating. This makes it possible to predict how much beer will affect when you continue to use them again.

Store in the refrigerator

Regardless of the type of hops, it should not be exposed to air, heat and light to avoid affecting the beer. The quality of hops when exposed to high temperatures will gradually degrade. The higher the temperature, the faster the quality degrades. Therefore, hops should be stored between 0°C and 4°C or lower and care should be taken to seal the bag tightly so that the hops are not affected by other flavors in the refrigerator.

However, the degree of stability when storing hops varies from strain to strain. Each strain of hops has different natural antioxidant capacity and different antioxidant resistance. They can lead to faster deterioration even under the same storage conditions.

Use hops in pellets

Brewers may consider using pelleted hops because of the same quality but easier storage and longer shelf life than whole hops. Hops in foil degrade more slowly than in whole hops. Their compact shape minimizes exposure to air and is easily vacuum sealed, further slowing the degradation of alpha acids and essential oils.

The advice of ABV Beer Shop for those who have not yet brewed beer professionally or are afraid to preserve it is that you can buy just the amount of hops needed for the beer recipe!