Opened bag of hops

I just got everything set up to make a gallon of White House Honey Ale and one of the bags of hops was opened. just a little hole at the bottom of the bag. There were no hops in the box and it fills properly filled so I am assuming at I haven’t lost any. Can I still use it? I would to not be able to brew today because I one break from school and actually have a free day. I didn’t know if oxygen would mess with anything. I have messaged NB support but live chat is not open yet. THANKS!

Hop pellets exposed to air and moisture long term will go bad. Do the hops still smell pungent and bright? Does a pellet feel soft when pressed on or crumble with a lot of finger pressure? Package may have been punctured during packing if the hops are smelling good and feeling hard and dry. In this case I would say the risk of using them is very slight.

They smell great, dry and hard as a rock. It does not crumble under finger pressure. Thanks for the help. Hate to miss a brew day! I bought it January and it’s been in the dark closet since I got it. I think I will risk it!

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I hope the beer turns out great or I’ll feel bad.

I vacuum seal even the unopened bags of hops for storing in the freezer if they won’t be used for a couple of months or longer. Otherwise just keep them in the refrigerator. I think refrigerating the punctured bag would have destroyed them. Lot of moisture in a refrigerator.

Chat with NB even though you are using them. They need to know about QC problems.