best way/place to store hops?

I finally bought hops in bulk. I have 2lbs of citra in 2oz vacuum sealed foil-like bags. Not using them all right away.
Freezer? Room temp?
They're gonna be used within a couple months.
What is the proper way to store these things?
TIA
chris.

namyarb3 said:

I have 2lbs of citra in 2oz vacuum sealed foil-like bags.

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That's going to piss at least a few people off

namyarb3 said:

Freezer? Room temp?
They're gonna be used within a couple months.

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Freezer.

The main things are to keep them away from oxygen and light, which is what you're doing. The third measure to preserve hops (albeit not AS important as the first two) is to keep them frozen. Do those three things and your hops will stay fantastically fresh for quite a while.

I know. I had a hell of a time finding pellets right now. That's why i bought in bulk.

Off topic...
When do new crops of hops start showing up? I just started brewing at Christmas last year.

namyarb3 said:

I know. I had a hell of a time finding pellets right now. That's why i bought in bulk.

Off topic...
When do new crops of hops start showing up? I just started brewing at Christmas last year.

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Usually around October or November, I find.

Thank you, MJ.

Place them in the freezer.

emjay said:

The main things are to keep them away from oxygen and light, which is what you're doing. The third measure to preserve hops (albeit not AS important as the first two) is to keep them frozen. Do those three things and your hops will stay fantastically fresh for quite a while.

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Agreed, all 3 things are important, but I believe temperature has the greatest effect on preserving AAs.

JEALOUS! I have a pound of Citra in those same 2oz bags in my freezer but I had to visit LHBS stores an hour away and hit multiple stores to get that stock pile. I love Citra so I use it in every APA / IPA I brew.

Freezer is best.

Hmm...plenty of last year's citra crop around here. Both my LHBSs stock it for $2.39/$2.50 an ounce. I know it's limited supply, but there are still plenty of online shops selling it too if you want some. It's not a unicorn :cross:

What about storing those 2oz foil bags after they're opened? I'm trying to find my answer through search but not seeing anything.

DeadGuyNick said:

What about storing those 2oz foil bags after they're opened? I'm trying to find my answer through search but not seeing anything.

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I use a vacuum sealer. Usually it won't reveal the oxygen barrier bags, so I just put the remainder of the foil bag into a larger vacuum bag and seal it all up. Works like a charm!

WharfRat said:

I use a vacuum sealer. Usually it won't reveal the oxygen barrier bags, so I just put the remainder of the foil bag into a larger vacuum bag and seal it all up. Works like a charm!

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Reveal = seal. Dyac. I need to figure out how to edit posts!

What about those of us without vacuum sealing capabilities? Just brewed today. Ended up rolling up the foil bags and putting them in freezer bags, then pushing out as much air as I could. Will this work long term?

DeadGuyNick said:

What about those of us without vacuum sealing capabilities? Just brewed today. Ended up rolling up the foil bags and putting them in freezer bags, then pushing out as much air as I could. Will this work long term?

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Not long term, really. But, it should keep until your next brew day, assuming you're not waiting for months to brew again. Keep them frozen. Also, if you have CO2, that can help you get the oxygen out of the bags.

DeadGuyNick said:

What about those of us without vacuum sealing capabilities? Just brewed today. Ended up rolling up the foil bags and putting them in freezer bags, then pushing out as much air as I could. Will this work long term?

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I'm in the same boat as you. What I've done is roll up the foil as well as I can, then put it in a freezer bag with the air squeezed out. Then I put that in another freezer bag. It's not ideal, but I expect it will do well enough for my needs. It's been ok over a few months so far.

If not for the longer term, well, I can buy a lot of hops in smaller increments before an investment in a vacuum sealer would pay off for me. I don't have any other uses for it.

Per BeerSmith (Hop Age function):

Citra hops (25% HSI), 12% AA

Stored vacuum packed in freezer for 1 year would end up at 11.41% AA (or a 5% reduction of alph acids).

Stored in plastic bag in freezer for 1 year would end up at 10.85% AA (or a 10% reduction of alpha acids)


Vacuum packaging is better (half the loss of the plastic bag), but it is the cold temperature that is the key. There is no real problem storing them if you don't have a vacuum sealer.

I usually break my orders down to 6 ozs packages that I vacuum pack. The opened pack gets sealed using the re-usable zip-lock vacuum bags (with the little hand pump) .... it's way easier than pulling out the big vacuum sealer.



HSI = Hop stability Index, or the amount of AAs the hops would loose if left in the open at 70 F for 6 months.

Calder said:

HSI = Hop stability Index, or the amount of AAs the hops would loose if left in the open at 70 F for 6 months.

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Interesting. Is the 25% number you quoted for citra typical among hops?

That's very encouraging, actually.

zeg said:

Interesting. Is the 25% number you quoted for citra typical among hops?

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The HSI number varies with the hop, and generally ranges from 15% (for something like Cluster) to 50% (for something like Cascade). Most are probably in the range of 25% to 40%.

DeadGuyNick said:

What about those of us without vacuum sealing capabilities? Just brewed today. Ended up rolling up the foil bags and putting them in freezer bags, then pushing out as much air as I could. Will this work long term?

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I believe you can use an iron to reseal those bags. There won't be a vacuum, but it'll still limit oxygen exposure.

unionrdr said:

I've also used a trick I learned from my mother. Stick a straw in the zip lock bag ?& zip it up to the straw. Then suck out all the air & zip shut while pulling out the straw. Works even better.

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I do that even without a straw

How about these bags:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmar...lve-bags/1-4-lb-clear-valve-bag-limit-25.html

I don't have a vacuum sealer, yet. Was thinking this would be a better option to store hops in the freezer than my current use of ziploc bags.