Vacuum sealing oxygen barrier bags

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mikee

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So I recently got 5lbs of hops from hops direct. I was going to just purchase some oxygen barrier bags and seal them. I told my friend this and he said that the standard vacuum sealer will not seal these bags. I took that as a challenge.

30 min and 6 failed attempts later success!

Here is how. First take your regular vacuum sealer bag roll and cut a 3 inch strip off the end. You will notice a pattern on one side of the bag and nothing on the other. Cut the non patterned side off and then cut the patterned side into strips about ½ inch thick.


Fill your oxygen barrier bag with an ounce of hops. Stick the strip with the rough side down (not sure why this matters) inside the bag and the lines (like tire tracks) are vertical.

Put the bag in the sealer and hit vacuum/seal. Bam done!

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The vacuum seal bags are textured to allow the air to get channeled to the vacuum. By putting in a little piece of this bag in the Mylar bag it creates this channel. Just keep it where the clamp is and not where the heat strip is and it should work every time. If you don't have a vacuum sealer you can use a oxygen absorber then seal the Mylar bag with a hot iron.
 
actually, for my sealer it required me to put it across the heat strip.
 
I'll be sure to do that with my whole williamette hops - man does that stuff take up a LOT of space!
 
Just a question regarding hops storage, why do commercial hops companies not vacuum seal their container, I know they flush with nitrogen, however surely people would prefer to see the vacuum sealed that way the know that there is next to nothing in container? Does the vacuum pressure have any effect of the alpha acids?

And a second question, since those of us that keg have easy access to CO2 and it is heavier than air so is it worth flushing our hop bags with CO2?

Clem
 
So vacuum sealer bags are not oxygen barriers? I don't understand this. If oxygen can get through the bags wouldn't you loose the seal? i.e. the bag would fill with air.
 
Just a question regarding hops storage, why do commercial hops companies not vacuum seal their container, I know they flush with nitrogen, however surely people would prefer to see the vacuum sealed that way the know that there is next to nothing in container? Does the vacuum pressure have any effect of the alpha acids?

And a second question, since those of us that keg have easy access to CO2 and it is heavier than air so is it worth flushing our hop bags with CO2?

Clem

The 1lb bags I received from hopsdirect were all vacuum sealed.
 
So vacuum sealer bags are not oxygen barriers? I don't understand this. If oxygen can get through the bags wouldn't you loose the seal? i.e. the bag would fill with air.

I have the same thoughts. I am going to be doing the same thing soon and glad i stumbled on this thread. Thanks for the info!
 
Yeah I looked it up they definitely are oxygen barriers. Other wise they would not be very good for holding a vaccum, it is physics. Mylar are just a higher quality plus they are light barriers. But for hop storage for homebrewer it seems it will be fine. A sealer for Mylar bags are also super expensive
 
You can seal Mylar with a hot iron over a broom handle. Just add an oxygen absorber packet before sealing and in about 2 days no more air in bag!
 
Yeah I looked it up they definitely are oxygen barriers. Other wise they would not be very good for holding a vaccum, it is physics. Mylar are just a higher quality plus they are light barriers. But for hop storage for homebrewer it seems it will be fine. A sealer for Mylar bags are also super expensive

Sweet! Common sense prevails! I have 5-6 lbs in 2-4 oz portions using food sealer bags. I was starting to get pissed that I did something wrong. My hops are safe from evil oxygen!
 
All my hops are in food saver bags as well....and tossed into the freezer. So far no issues. Now the trick to reseal the Mylar bags is a good one to save on waste. (always have little bits of food saver bags left around).
 
I spent some time reading further last night and it seems like the vacuum bags are good for short term (~1 year) while mylar is good for 5-10 years. Personally, mine get opened then vacuum sealed every few months or so, so it is not a big problem. Plus hops are not going to last 5 years in the freezer. happy brewing
 
Just an update, my bags are remaining sealed as long as I don't rough them up. the seal breaks where the strip goes in. just be gentle with them and they should be fine. All of the ones I have are still sealed, but if I knead the bag or pull on it the seal breaks.

Also I left the bag on the sealer while I filled the next bag to give it some more time to melt/seal
 
You could seal them with the foodsaver strips, while leaving a little extra bag on the end. Then cut off the excess foodsaver strip (i.e. portion outside of the seal), which should leave a portion of the end of the bag with out the strip. Then put another seal on the end(no vacuum, just heat seal) and then you should have any more problems losing your seal. It's a little extra work, but I think it should work.
 
ok, looking around I found videos showing how to get a vacuum sealer to work with a Mylar bag... that and this thread make me think it will work.. so I am looking to get a sealer for this so I can store hops.

I seem to hear various results on getting a good seal with a vacuum sealer. OP- you said you get a good seal every time... what sealer are you using? I just want to get one that I can be sure will get hot enough to give a good seal. I feel confident I can get the vacuum to work using your method. Thanks! Also, what thickness mylar bag are you using?
 
According to the Hop Age Tool in BS2, hops in O2 barrier bags kept in a freezer (0°F) maintain over 96% of AA after 6 months, and over 92% after 12 months.

That's a pretty flat curve...

Cheers!
 
Yes I realize this is resurrecting a semi-old thread but this information was useful to me and may be to others:

Much of what I have read indicates that O2 permeability is higher with the foodsaver bags as compared to mylar. As has been mentioned mylar also seals out light which is damaging to hops.

In my experience most of the hacks to make mylar bags vacuum seal-able with foodsaver and similar devices do not work very well. As some others have pointed out, while I am able to pull a vacuum on the mylar using "straws" or strips of the foodsaver embossed bags, the sealer does a poor job creating an airtight seal around this and the bags tend to loose their vacuum over a few hours. The models that do not have a locking latch seem to be more flexible with this type of hack.

The best way to use mylar with these types seems to be to use an O2 absorbing packet and create a regular seal.

There is however one company, Sinbo, that makes a type of vacuum sealer called a snorklevac. Instead of the gasketed chamber, there is a metal tongue that extends inside the bag beyond the heating strip to create the vacuum. When the bar on the unit is pressed to seal the bag, the tongue retracts allowing for a good seal. I have read that this is closer to the way industrial units function if they are not of the vacuum-chamber type. This type of sealer does not require the special embossed bags and works great with mylar. It can be purchased on the sorbentsystems website or amazon. There is a slightly newer model that I have seen on amazon with a canister that goes inline with the vacuum line and will trap dust and liquids preventing damage to the motor. It runs about $130. If you truly want to vacseal mylar and are unwilling to shell out major $$ for an industrial unit, this seems like a good way to go. I'm surprised I've seen so few mentions of this product despite references to the sorbentsystems website for bags and O2 absorbers.

Having worked in a retail homebrew shop, I have seen all kinds of hop packaging. Some use mylar bags flushed with N2 and not vaccum sealed. Others vac seal but don't use mylar. The hops we purchased in bulk and broke down into smaller quantities were sold in vacuum sealed mylar. Whatever you do, keep em cold and use within a year! Even in proper packaging, there will be loss of aromatics/changes in hop aroma and flavor.
 
So vacuum sealer bags are not oxygen barriers? I don't understand this. If oxygen can get through the bags wouldn't you loose the seal? i.e. the bag would fill with air.
I know its an old thread but I figure I should add this info here...for the curious minds.
I had the same thought about 20 years ago when I installed my first hydronic (hot water) in-floor heating system. The plumber specified that the PEX tubing had to be with Oxygen barrier???!!!??? WTF? Why does it need an oxygen barrier If it contains water and is covered in concrete.
I looked it up and sure enough oxygen does permeate through most plastics because of the minute size of particles. It permeates through PVC and polyethylene pipes as it does permeate through concrete and most building materials.
 
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