When drying your homegrown hops, it’s very important not to let them get too hot. Heat drives out the volatile hop aromas you want to keep for your brewing. Most food dehydrators now have adjustable thermostats that let you control the temp down to the low 90s, so if you want to fork out the cash and find some place to store it, go for it. You’ll have to run it for a few days to get the hops properly dried. Or you can try this high-tech hop dryer….
Put a layer of hops no more than 3-4 inches deep in the bags and roll the tops over to close them. Remember – sunlight is bad for harvested hops – it causes skunking. Then put the bags in your car. Give ‘em a good shake once or twice a day so you don’t end up with a moldy middle. They’re dry when the stems snap instead of bending.
I weigh an ounce and pack it into a quart size freezer ziplock. I put it under a book and stand on it to squeeze all the air out – then label and date it and store it in the freezer.
