do different hop types "last" longer?

Absolutely Jack. Some hops will store for years, and we use them in beers like Barley Wines and Imperial Stouts.

Other hops fade quickly, and they are reserved for things like Session IPAs.

cheers

 

Would you care to share details here? Which hops do you utilize for beers which are intended to be age worthy? Which hops do you utilize for quick drinking beers (e.g., Session IPAs)?

Feel free to PM me if need be.

Cheers!

Jack

 

For high gravity beers, definitely check out Magnum and Warrior hops. Even after a year of aging they hold up fantastic with very little degradation.

For low gravity, "must be consumed fresh" beers like a session IPA, fresh Cascade is a good choice. Its amazingly citrus, bright, grapefruit and pine when fresh....however gold ole' Cascade will deteriorate in a year's time and lose a ton of its vibrancy.

 

Shane, I am uncertain we are properly communicating here. I am referring to how well hops hold up in a finished beer; not how hops hold up in storage prior to brewing.

When you state "Cascade will deteriorate in a year's time" you are referring to hop storage prior to brewing, right?

I am curious about the topic of which hops last longer from a hop aroma/flavor perspective in a finished beer.

In other words if one were to brew a SMASH beer, would one hop variety result in a more stable beer from a hop aroma/flavor fade perspective vs. another?

Cheers!

Jack

 

Some of the same principles of storage apply to post-production beer. Warrior and Magnum hold up great in Barley Wines and Imperial stouts for years. I do not recommend using Cascade for long-storage in finished beer.

cheers!

 

It was a complement. He wants more threads of substance like this one .

 

I too have found that Torpedo keeps very well. Perhaps because the older american IPAs did not use so many hops for aroma. I would think aroma fades before bitterness.
I have found (in a very unscientific way) that IPAs that rely heavily on their dry-hopping/late-hopping tend to fade a lot quicker than those that are of a more "classic" bitterness.

 

yup - it has a long "half-life" ;-)

 

Your unscientific observations are dead-on accurate. Once Alpha Acids have isomerized (biterness) they are relatively stable. Measured IBU (isomerized alpha acids in solution) will drop over time, but not nearly as fast as aromatic compounds.
Aromas by definition are unstable, that's what makes them aromas--volatile oils and compounds that flash off and greet the nose. Because they flash off it means they have weak chemical bonds compared to other elements which is why aromas are so inviting. Hop aroma largely comes from hop oil, as you crack your bottle or pour your pint, the carbonation forces the aroma compounds in oils out of the beer and up into your olfactory orifices as aroma.
Some compounds found in hops are more stable than others. Of the "big four" essential oils in hops (myrcene, humulene, Caryophyllene and Farnesene) Caryophyllene (responsible for the woodsy cedar notes in hops) is by far the most stable. Myrcene and its derivatives (linalool, limonene, etc.--the most "desirable" floral and citrus hop notes) are ironically the most volatile. Some more than others. The Holy Grail for hop breeders is a high linalool hop. Linalool is an intense orange blossom, lilac floral aroma that is behind much of the highly-touted hops of recent years. The truth is, we don't know yet exactly how all of the oils react because some are so fleeting and precious it's still up for debate whether they are their own thing, or simply a short-lived derivative of something else.

Here's a sucky, but accurate generalization. The hops that everyone is clamoring to get for hop flavor (Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, Galaxy...etc.) tend to be heavy in unstable aromas. But there is a huge risk reward ratio. Super intense flavors when fresh, but man, they fade fast.

The gist is, oxygen is the major culprit in hop degradation. The more TPO (to package oxygen) and total oxygen in finished beer, the quicker hops will fade. Brewers who are rigorous about keeping their beer oxygen low have better stability. Using a volatile hop with high O2 is a recipe for faded hop flavor.

I hope this helps.

-Bill

 

The nitrogen itself won't have an effect either way (as long as it's pure nitrogen, which often it's not.) If a nitro IPA is packaged with high O2, the hops will fade quickly.

-B

 

You know it. Great work everyone and thanks again brother_rebus.