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As they age, hops lose some of their viability and bitterness. The hop age tool calculates the loss in alpha (bitterness) percentage as a function of time for various storage conditions. If you are not working with fresh hops, it is a good idea to calculate the hop bitterness loss for each of the hop additions in your recipe. In general, you should consider getting new hops after aging has reduced the hop alpha to 50% of its original value or less.

Online Articles: Hop Storage and Aging, Balancing your Beer Bitterness

Using the Hop Age Tool

o	Select the Hop Age Tool from the Tools menu or ribbon.

o	Choose a hops from the database or enter the hop name, alpha and hop storage index. The hop storage index is the percent of hops lost in 6 months of storage at a constant temperature of 68 F (20 C).

o	Enter the age of the hops and storage temperature, along with the storage method. If possible, hops should always be stored in a oxygen barrier container such as a foil pouch or glass jar to minimize exposure to oxygen.

o	The tool will display the adjusted alpha value - which can be used in a recipe or the IBU calculator to account for lower bitterness due to aging.