ryser2k said:
Yeah I think you're right, a vacuum sealer would probably be a good idea for me, especially with the direction I want to go with my brewing. My plan is to get a set of bulk ingredients that will let me brew several different partial mash or extract recipes without having to order anything from a HBS, since I don't have a local one.
Right now, I'm thinking
- 55 lb Extra Light DME
- Larger quantities (~1 lb each) of common hops (like the Three C's), kept in the freezer
- Wyeast American and Irish Ale yeast (washed and reused up to 5 times)
I figure with these things plus some speciality grains, I can do just about every variety of ale out there. Also, I could probably brew for six months to a year without placing an ingredients order.
joutlaw, how do you store your specialty grains? After you vac bag them per batch, do you freeze them as well? It sounds like you are doing the exact thing I want to be doing, so please do share any knowledge you have
I keep my grains in my fridge. No particular reason other than storage. I keep my unopened bags from AHB in the brown box they came in if I don't have room.
I also keep my yeast, vacuum sealed wit ingredients, dry hop tablets, and clarifiers in the fridge.
I keep the hops in my deep freeze, and I've learned not to order the whole hops again. I really couldn't tell that much of a difference, and the 1lb pillows took up too much room.
My goal when I ordered that 55lb box of DME was to get enough speciality grains, clarifiers, and yeast to make at least 8 batches, 4 recipes 2 times each. I'll probably have enough DME to make 10 batches total... some of recipes call for 7lbs of DME.
I already had the hops I needed to initially. I had been planning this for a while, and finally took the plunge.
I think the yeast will save you most money. Bulk DME is cheaper, after shipping it was around $3/lb.
In case your interested the recipes I had in mind were:
ESB
Irish Red Ale
Best Bitter
Light Ale
These used magnum, northern brewer, cascade, williamette, and e.k goldings hops.
I have some hops I've never opened like chinook, perle, sazz, tettanger, hersbrucker, and others just laying around in the deep freeze.
I'm thinking with whatever DME I have left over after my 8 batches I'll make some insanely hoppy IIPA with a large variety of these hops. pretty much just an experiment.