Stay Out Of The Light!

[periolus]

Bought some vacuum sealed hops in clear pouches, and accidentally left them in a tiled fireplace in indirect light and a room at 17C for 9 days or so. Is this going to have spoiled them, or should I replace them?

 

[PD]

nah brew with them

 

[periolus]

Okay! Was worried I might have skunked them! Actually, it was 12 days, but now In the freezer : )

 

[dennisking]

Although not ideal will still be usable. Years ago when Boots sold brewing bits their hops were packed in clear bags, not vacuum packed, and sat on the shelves for months. When I look at what we get now I know they were not in the best condition but we still made decent beers with them.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I brewed for years with old brown hops, woolworths did a 4oz compressed pack wrapped in paper in the 80's.. Anyone remember them?

 

[dennisking]

I brewed for years with old brown hops, woolworths did a 4oz compressed pack wrapped in paper in the 80's.. Anyone remember them?

No wollies is a new one to me but I only used Boots as a last resort as I had a LHBS near where I worked and they would weigh out what you wanted then put them in a brown paper bag. Never saw vac packs to brupaks came along in the 90s.

 

[Belter]

they will have lost a lot of Alpha acid content. Might be worth using more than usual for bittering.

 

[PD]

I think Young's just wrap their hops in cellophane. a couple of packs of cascade and challenger I picked up at my lhbs certainly were. The only light reducing material was the piece of paper with Young's logo and hop details printed on.

 

[Stihler]

Okay! Was worried I might have skunked them!

The light struck reaction only affects the isomerized humulones present in the beer.

Since the isomerization process requires boiling, hops just sitting on the counter are fine with respect to their exposure to light. They may become oxidized but that is besides the point.

- Scott