How to Store Hops and Flowers

Hops provide the bittering agent in beer brewing. Growing your own hops for home-brewing use provides you with an ample supply of this necessary ingredient. The cones produced after the hops finish flowering provide the usable part of the plant. The white flowers fade and develop into light green or cream-colored cones about an inch in length. Though the cones are only produced during a short period of the growing season, harvesting and storing them makes available a year-round supply of this necessary brewing ingredient.

Window screen
Storage bags

Instructions

- 1
  Harvest the flower cones once they dry completely on the vines in late summer. Hops cones feel papery and are fragrant when dry.
- 2
  Spread the cones in a single layer on a window screen. Set the screen in a dry, well-ventilated area. Choose a location protected from breezes that can blow the cones off the screen.
- 3
  Dry the cones for seven to 10 days. Thoroughly dried cones shatter when folded in half.
- 4
  Place the dried cones in a tightly sealed storage bag. Press as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing it closed.
- 5
  Store the bag in a cool, dry place, such as a refrigerator or basement storage area. Alternatively, freeze the cones until you are ready to use them. Store frozen hops for up to one year.

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