Nelson Sauvin IPA

I think old hops will stay flavorful and fresh for a long time, but they need to be sealed and not exposed to oxygen. That’s my conclusion from brewing an ipa using a bunch of old ingredients, including nelson hops from 2015, some 2 row malt (crushed) of unknown age, and expired yeast (March 2022). I based the recipe on an amazing all galaxy "hazy" ipa from 2015. 

But the malt and yeast are not the problem. There are no yeast off flavors, no stale taste from old grain. It’s the hops that ultimately did in this beer, and what a shame. 

So why did I put off using these? Since they’re expensive and maybe rare, or at least they are at the time I bought them, I wanted to save them for the right time. Or a special occasion. Sort of like saving that special bottle of wine. 

Unfortunately over time somehow the vacuum sealed bag they were contained in somehow developed a small hole. I couldn’t actually see it, but the vacuum seal had obviously failed. So of course that meant exposure to oxygen. I don’t know exactly when this happened, but I know I discovered it some time last year, maybe a year ago. 

Finally in August 2022 with some empty kegs I decided I’d use them. They didn’t look bad, but the aroma was definitely not fresh. ​I used to brew ipas all the time, but in the last 5-6 years I’ve focused a lot on lagers and lower alcohol and more balanced beers. Having taken a break for awhile, it sounded nice to make one again. Post fermentation, the flavor was pretty good. A fruitiness that I did think was in the realm of white wine, a typical descriptor for this hop. 

Dry hopping really changed things. It made the beer overly bitter. Dry hopping shouldn’t impart bitterness, so maybe it was all in my mind. It definitely had a harshness. That harshness has subsided thankfully but now the beer just tastes old. Like an ipa sitting in the back of your fridge for a year or two. 

So the lesson here, which all brewers already know and I did too, is to use hops and while they’re fresh. If you don’t, then you’re bound to be drinking old-tasting beer. That said, I still think hops can stay “pretty good” for a long time if properly stored. Around the same time I bought these, I also got some “007 golden hop” hops from Yakima valley. I think they’re rebranded as Idaho 7 now. Anyhow, these too languished in my freezer for years, but the seal remained intact and the finished beer is much tastier. 

Recipe:

5 gallons

10 lbs 2 row

1 lb flaked oats

US-05

All Nelson hops:

.5 oz 20 minutes

.5 oz 15 minutes

.5 oz 12 minutes

.5 oz 7 minutes

.5 oz 6 minutes

.5 oz 1 minutes

.5 oz 0 minutes

Dry hop 2 oz