Storing hops

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Puddlethumper

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How long will pelleted hops keep and what is the best way to store them?

I realize hat a lot depends on how fresh they were when I bought them, but I'm trying to get a general idea of how perishable these are. Any input would be appreciated.
 
I store mine in the freezer after vacuum sealing them in foodsaver bags. I've used some of them after having them stored like this for just over a year and have not noticed any issues.
 
I have used last years variety of many hops with great success. I have a foodsaver vacuum system. If you go to their website, they sell a sealer for the ball mason jars. Works awesome and, unlike the bags, it lasts forever.
 
Thanks guys. Got the idea that since I use the same varieties a lot it would be smart to buy in bigger quantities to save some bucks. Good information and I

Ike the vacuumed sealer idea. The wife has one and can probably talk her into teaching me how to use it! :)
 
Another storing hops question:

If I buy an 8 oz bag and intend to use them up over the course of a couple month's brewing sessions, is it really necessary to freeze them? Would they be likely to get moldy or otherwise spoil if I just put them into zip-lock baggies and kept them in the fridge?
 
Another storing hops question:

If I buy an 8 oz bag and intend to use them up over the course of a couple month's brewing sessions, is it really necessary to freeze them? Would they be likely to get moldy or otherwise spoil if I just put them into zip-lock baggies and kept them in the fridge?

Mold no, but they will lose a ton of their aroma and bittering qualities unless they are vacuumed and dont have any contact with air.

As others have said, buy a food saver that has the external jar hook up and then goto amazon and buy the Jar lid for either wide or normal mouth jars for $10, goto your grocery store and buy a box of 12 quart mason jars for cheap(like 10-15 bucks?)

The major cost being the food saver, but honestly unless you get the jar attachment its not worth vacuum sealing bags of hops...food saver bags, even generic ones bought in bulk @ costco are way too expensive, you'd be putting $3 of hops in a $2 bag.
 
* * *

The major cost being the food saver, but honestly unless you get the jar attachment its not worth vacuum sealing bags of hops...food saver bags, even generic ones bought in bulk @ costco are way too expensive, you'd be putting $3 of hops in a $2 bag.

I have the jar attachment, but I prefer to use bags. I buy the 8" x 20' when I find them on sale. The ZipLoc brand are a couple of bucks cheaper than the FlavorSaver brand and work just as well with the FlavorSaver. I break each pound into individual ounce packages and store in the freezer. Even with the cost of the bag rolls it is cheaper than buying by the ounce at most LHBS. If I need less than an ounce, I weigh out what I need and reseal the bag, noting the new weight on the bag, of course.

I should add that I use leaf hops. If you use pellets, each roll of bags will go a lot further.
 
Jar attachment and a hand pump for me -- cheaper, and less stuff to break. I use a hydraulic brake bleeder.
 
I put the sealed bags in a zip lock freezer bag with the air burped out in the freezer. I have hops from last july still fresh in there. I'm going to make an NZ IPA to use up some of them this month.
 
The attachment goes over the lid. Once sealed, you remove the attachment and can add a ring, if desired, but it is not necessary.
 
I have the jar attachment, but I prefer to use bags. I buy the 8" x 20' when I find them on sale. The ZipLoc brand are a couple of bucks cheaper than the FlavorSaver brand and work just as well with the FlavorSaver. I break each pound into individual ounce packages and store in the freezer. Even with the cost of the bag rolls it is cheaper than buying by the ounce at most LHBS. If I need less than an ounce, I weigh out what I need and reseal the bag, noting the new weight on the bag, of course.

I should add that I use leaf hops. If you use pellets, each roll of bags will go a lot further.

Eh i guess it depends if your finding the bags at a decent cost, i found resealing them to be a giant PITA to pull out .5 oz of hops.

When places like Brew brothers have hops @ $1/oz for many of their hops adding any repeatable cost by using the bags seems pointless.
 
FuzzeWuzze said:
adding any repeatable cost by using the bags seems pointless.

Thanks for that thought Fuzze. That's what I was coming to on this as well. I'm paying almost $2 an ounce at the lhbs and, if I add to a mail order that gets free shipping that omens down to $1.12 oz. Add a bunch of bags and we could be over $2 again. No savings. That's where the re-sealable jar makes sense to me. Higher initial cost but then virtually free afterward.
 
Howdy. Thought I'd chime in on the mason jar in the freezer tactic. Works great for me. Another option for vacuum sealing the mason jars (and this is admittedly uber cheap of me, buy hey it works) is to get the food saver attachment - $10 for the wide mouth version - and then buy a $4 pack of those ziploc vacuum sealer bags. The ziploc bags are basically useless, but the hand pump that comes with it works great on the food saver attachment. I get a really nice seal on my jars and my hops stay happy. Tough to beat for ~$15 and some jars.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005TN7H/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UEMFUG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Brew on.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
NathPowe said:
Howdy. Thought I'd chime in on the mason jar in the freezer tactic. Works great for me. Another option for vacuum sealing the mason jars (and this is admittedly uber cheap of me, buy hey it works) is to get the food saver attachment - $12 for the wide mouth version - and then buy a $3 pack of those ziploc vacuum sealer bags. The ziploc bags are basically useless, but the hand pump that comes with it works great on the food saver attachment. I get a really nice seal on my jars and my hops stay happy. Tough to beat for $15 and some jars.

Brew on.

So it sounds like that setup is pretty much free of operational costs once you buy the equipment?

Oh, and "über cheap" works for me just fine! :)
 
So it sounds like that setup is pretty much free of operational costs once you buy the equipment?

Oh, and "über cheap" works for me just fine! :)

Yup, all it will cost you is the few seconds it takes to pump the air out. Just need to buy some jars and those two things and you're all set. About as easy as it gets. I started doing this for hops but I now use it all the time for other things in the kitchen.
 
Thanks for those links. Followed them and looked at the setup. Does the device stay attached to the jar after you've pulled he vacume or do you somehow get a regular canning lid onto the jar in he process?
 
Thanks for those links. Followed them and looked at the setup. Does the device stay attached to the jar after you've pulled he vacume or do you somehow get a regular canning lid onto the jar in he process?

You just put the thin lid piece on the jar, then put the foodsaver attachment over that. Once you've pumped the air out you just pull the foodsaver attachment off - the vacuum seal you've created keeps the lid from coming off with it. Then just screw on the regular canning lid piece thingy (I don't know what it's called...obviously). Sometimes it helps to put 2 of the thin lid things on before you put the foodsaver thing on. Either way, it's super easy - even these 4 sentences make it sound more complicated than it is. Hope this helps. Also beware - once you start buying bulk hops you'll just want to keep buying them. It's awesome.
 
Super! Sounds like exactly the way I want to go. A couple guys earlier in the thread were also trying to point me in this direction but I guess I wasn't getting a clear idea of what they were saying. Those links helped a lot.

I appreciate the help!
 
Perhaps another stupid question but can the lids be reused or do i need a new lid each time I suck the air out?

Sounds like you can use the lids multiple times. As long as the rubber seal in the lid doesn't get damaged somehow I can't see why you couldn't reuse it multiple times. I'm going to have to order one of these setups and see how it works for myself, but seems like a good way to go. Plus, it will be a multi-tasker for other things in the kitchen as well!
 
So who have you found is a good supplier for hops by the pound?

I buy most of my hops from Farm House Brewing or Hops Direct.

Farm House Brewing sells many of their pellet hops in 4 oz bags for $0.75 - $1.50 per ounce. Prices on commonly used hops like Willamette and Cascade are less than a $1 per ounce. They also have some of their hops in 1 lb bags.
 
Perhaps another stupid question but can the lids be reused or do i need a new lid each time I suck the air out?

I buy coffee beans 5# a whack and store them in mason jars. Have used most lids a dozen times now and still working fine. The rubber (?) sealing coating can get stiff and seems to restore after a soak in hot water. But, they're cheap as heck also.
 
Yeah...I like both places but I buy more from Farmhouse brewing because they are much closer so shipping is cheaper and faster.

I was thinking along the same lines but it would be Hops Direct for me, being on the left (err...west) coast.

So how do you store your hops?
 
One concept that hasn't been addressed with using mason jar is storage space. An almost empty jar takes up the same space as a full one. If there is room in the freezer then the jars are the way to go but if space is an issue then the bags would be a better option.
 
Good point. But if they are vacuum sealed do they still need to be frozen? Wouldn't cold storage in the fridge do about as well?

I don't know the answer to your question, but I still keep them in the freezer. Also, because I use mostly whole leaf hops, individual ounce packages still take up quite a bit of space.
 
because I use mostly whole leaf hops, individual ounce packages still take up quite a bit of space.

That makes sense. Thanks.

I'd be interested to know how important freezing is for storage, though. Is it safe to assume the loss of potency comes from volatilization of the oils? If so, a vacuum would inhibit volitilization to about nil, so cold storage would be adequate. Is my understanding correct or is there another reason for loss of potency?
 
Freezing them is better,since it slows down degredation of the lupulins to near 0. I have some from NZ that I bought last July that're still great.
 
Did not know about that. Thanks. I did notice that the lhbs keeps their hops in the fridge next to the yeast. How long do you think they will stay good in those conditions?
 
Mine have been in the freezer now for 8 months & still taste great. & the hop fridge at our lhbs is near freezing.
 
unionrdr said:
Mine have been in the freezer now for 8 months & still taste great. & the hop fridge at our lhbs is near freezing.

I didn't ask about the temp of his fridge. Didn't occur to me it might be that cold.
 
Well,they have to last for them too. He keeps temp guages in all the freezer/coolers. But frozen mine have lasted very well.
 
I'd be interested in trying out this wide mouth jar sealer and manual foodsaver. A few questions though for those who've used this unit

1) Does an accessory hose need to be purchased ? (Some of the reviews on amazon mention this)

2) For jar sealing, does it only work on wide mouth jars ? So for narrower jars, another sealer needs to be purchased ?

3) I've seen something similar called Pump N Seal. But that requires a hole to be punched into the jar lid and after vacuuming the air out, some band aid like plaster is added. I'm assuming for this jar sealer, you don't need to do any of that and you just put on the lid and the jar sealer on top. But if so, silly question, how does the air get sucked out ?

4) If you have a pound of hops and you're removing an oz or two at a time, wouldn't it be preferable to bag them in smaller quantities rather than having a jar full ? Otherwise you're exposing the unused hops every time the jar is opened
 
With regards to the foodsaver. The newer models have a hose attached to them. The sealers that are on Amazon posted earlier are specific to to either the wide mouth or regular mouth jars so yes you will need two different pieces. As to the air removal, there is a rubber seal in the vacuum lid. The air is removed and the lid seems to seal. You can when its done as it is just like canning in that the center of the lid is no longer popped up. I have pounds of hops that I do this with. I have not had a problem one. For the people talking about space issues with the jars, the jars come in many sizes, so as you deplete that particular hop you can move the rest to a smaller jar. My wife uses the jar attachment for salsa's she makes and other things she wants to keep fresh. The kitchen as well as beer applications are unlimited. Happy wife=happy life.
 
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