I was doing some random shopping online and I came across the blow out sales on Yakima Valley Hops. They are selling some hops from 2013 and 2014 at what seems to be very low rates when buying in bulk. I was curious if anybody has bought hops this old, and how do they stand up compared to more fresh hops. The two random pounds from 2013 for only $15 sounds intriguing, mainly because I love trying new hops and I haven’t tried too many of them. Thoughts?
I’ve bought hops that old and used them without problem. If they have been stored cold and without oxygen they will hold up flavor-wise. The AA will drop and I seem to think YVH had tested and relabeled the AA on those hops. (I may be thinking of a different vendor.) If they are not relabeled then it’s not too hard to approximate the change.
I’m still leery about using old hops though… the fresher the better. Those super cheap hop prices are tempting though.
Yeah, the fresher the better. Though I’m still using the 2014 hops that are vacuum sealed in the freezer and they are good.
It looks like the prices for 2015 hops have increased substantially (at YVH) over what 2014 hops were going for at this time last year. Also the selection and available quantities seems to be down. Are we going into another hop shortage?
I have some two year old hops in the freezer that are vacuum sealed and still pretty good considering. Not sure I’d necessarily buy 2013 hops at this point, but if you vacuum seal after opening each time and keep them in the freezer they’d work well for a bit.
You should check out https://www.yakimavalleyhops.com/ Huge selection, including several experimental new varieties.
No, we are not going into another hop shortage. Some varieties may be harder to find than others, but in general it was a great harvest year.
Speaking of hops, anyone have any idea when the 2015 crop of Continental hops arrive? They usually show up in January, and I don’t seem them at either Yakima Valley or Hops Direct yet. My Saaz supply is very low and I want to brew pilsner. :-[
I just had Saaz and Hallertau delivered from Yakima. The invoice says “2015 CROP!”
Cool. They need to update their website.
Whole or pellets?
Just ordered some 2015 EKG’s (and Crystal… and Lemon Drop… and some new hop called 007… can’t control myself :-\ ) after reading this. Looks like most of the European hops are listed as 2015 at YVH now.
Pellet.
I got some EKG, too.
Gonna keg an IPA with 007/Idaho 7 tomorrow. The smell from the steep was amazing. Can’t wait to see if it lives up to the SN beer.
Is 007 the same hop as Idaho 7?
Yeah, according to yso191 (Steve) who works at a hop company. SN called the beer ‘Idaho 7’ before the hops actually came to market. They’re sold as 007 now. Aroma and samples seemed pretty spot on so far.
Edit - On Denny and Drew’s new podcast, the brewer from Faction brewing confirmed this, too. Said he likes the hops a lot as well.
On the podcast episode being released today, Rodger Davis if Faction talks about his use of Idaho 7. Drew thinks it smell like pears.
I’ll be listening. I got lots of cool stuff out of the SN beer - tangerine, black tea, herbal. I’m hoping this beer I brewed lives up.
Edit - Did Drew actually try a beer with the hops or just smelled the raw hops on the podcast? Because in beer I don’t get pears or gonga. ;D
I came across your post when looking for information from other homebrewers that have purchased and used older harvest hops. I too came across that same blowout sale on the Yakima website. I was so disappointed to see that rather than answering your question, your post was usurped by people talking about a particular hop, a possible hop shortage and one person actually recommended that you check out the Yakima Valley Hops website!
I found this on the Brülosophy website: exBEERiment | Impact Using Old Willamette Hops Has On A Blonde Ale | Brülosophy
He used hops that had been removed from their original packaging and vacuum sealed for 9 years, brewed two blonde ales, one with new willamette and another with the old willamette. Rather than re-write the entire article I suggest you read it yourself and then like me get some of those incredibly reduced hops from that blowout sale!
I would be curious to see another exbeeriment with a pale ale or IPA with the same hops that are a few years apart.