I just got a vacuum sealer for free from a friend - are there any down sides to using it on hops and possibly to extend the life of uncrushed specialty grains?
No down sides. I vacuum seal any small quantity of hops or grains and throw 'em in the freezer. The lack of O2 preserves the hops, and the cold prevents the weevils from hatching.
what about leaving the grains at room temp? I've always been told that they will stay fresh for a year uncrushed. I wonder how much it would extend the life to be vacuumed sealed