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Plugs are the best
whole hops.
Hop plugs are made from
whole hops,
compressed
down into a plug that's about 1 inch wide and ½-inch
high. When placed in liquid, the plug swells
up into whole hop flowers.
Plugs are better than loose hop flowers
for many reasons. A major problem with loose hop flowers
is that they have a lot of surface area, so they spoil rapidly. Plugs are
better
protected from oxygen. Plugs also take up a lot less freezer
space. It's fashionable to call loose
hops "fresh hops," but they're often quite
stale! Plugs stay fresh for at least a year
when frozen!
Plugs are harder to get, because the plugging
machines in the world are in Great Britain.
American hops like Cascade must be shipped across the
Atlantic, made into plugs, then shipped back!
Hop plugs are approximately 1/2 ounce
each. They're sealed into
Ultraviolet-blocking, Oxygen-barrier
bags. These packages are approximately 1
ounce by weight.
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