Part one: Does it really matter what kind of bitter hops are used? Aren’t all of the flavors/aromas boiled off anyway?
Part two: How long do hops “last”, stored in a freezer? I’m thinking they last a long time with regards to AA but how long until the flavor/aroma starts to fade?
I don’t think it makes a huge difference in flavor, but I think you can certainly tell the difference between something like Chinook or CTZ as a bittering hop vs something like Magnum or a noble hop.
And the flavor actually lasts longer than the AA% when hops are stored frozen. Vacuum sealed and frozen hops retain their flavor for several years, but depending on their storage index they can lose a considerable amount of alpha acids over the same time frame.
There’s a differences in the perception of the bitterness for early hop additions. Some hops are described as course or sharp while others are described as smooth or clean. I’ve heard some say certain hops leave a stinging or tingling sensation that others hops do not.
Good to know. My concern was I stocked up on hops last year. I have several ounces left in the freezer in re-sealable bags and I’m trying to determine if they are still good. It seems like I may want to account for some AA being lost.
From a commercial brewing standpoint we used, we were in the same boat.Buy a lot of hops and have some left over but run out of others. We used Magnum as a bittering for German and Belgian styles and CTZ for American styles. Sometimes we wo[uld run out of Magnum and end up using CTZ. While I’ll say there definitely was a difference and it showed upon tasting panels the beer was still good. I probably wouldt’t have used the CTZ on a Kolsch or Helles styles though.
Plastic bags like Zip Lock aren’t an oxygen barrier and won’t keep as long as the foil, vacuum sealed bags that some hops come in when you buy them. And if yours aren’t vacuum sealed, you have that going against you. You should smell them before you use them as aroma hops.
Yes, it does make a difference. In the last year or so, there’s been a lot of research into survivables in bittering hops. It’s changed what has always been thought about bittering hops. Here are a couple things to read…
http://scottjanish.com/survivables-unpacking-hot-side-hop-flavor/
Wow, thanks for the references.
Now, first to understand this. And then how to use it to improve my beers.
These links seem to be about whirlpool hops. I think (maybe incorrectly) the question was more about the initial boiling/bittering hops - probably the typical 60 minute hops.
Scott Janish talks about this in his IPA book. From cheaper 2: “The bittering hop used can impact the final flavor of beer, so don’t overlook this aspect when putting together a recipe.”
As far as neutral bittering cultivars go, I had really good success with Galena. I used to use Galena exclusively as my kettle hop. It mostly added back of the mouth bitterness and then got out of the way. Magnum is a Galena-derived hop. IMHO, That is why it is so popular as a bittering cultivar. CTZ is anything but neutral.