Storing Hops

I brew a lot of small gallon batches now, so an oz lasts me a bit of time. What's the best way to store these hops? They come in a heat sealed bag from the HBS (Adventures in Homebrewing) but how to store these partial bags after opening?

Unfortunately I do not have a vacuum sealer nor the money to invest in one currently. So far I've been folding them over, placing a piece of clear packaging tape over them, and putting them in a small tupperware container and into the fridge.

Can I improve upon this with minimal cost? Mason jar? Etc.

A simple vacuum bagger is not that expensive. http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-FM2000-000-Vacuum-Sealing-Starter/dp/B00LUGK5XA/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1450286790&sr=1-4&keywords=foodsaver And well worth the money. I use mine for my hops and also in the kitchen.

But for now squeeze out as much air as possible, seal tightly, maybe use small ziplocks and store them in the freezer. Use them as soon as you can after opening them.

I currently have over 25 varieties in my freezer.

BTW I picked Foodsaver as a well known brand. There are less expensive "off" brands.

Haha- I'm defrosting my freezer, so I happen to have all of my hops sitting here:



As you can see, they are either in the original packaging, or vacuum sealed with my food saver. I have had hops be fine to use for years, once properly sealed and kept frozen.

if you don't want to use a vacuum sealer, at least put them in a ziploc freezer bag and squeeze all the air out. It's oxygen that destroys hops, and warmer temperatures make it worse.

Before I had a vacuum sealer I would keep them in the original package and put that in a zip lock bag. Then I put a straw in one corner of the bag and closed the zip lock all the way up to it, sucked the air out of the bag and then pulled the straw out with my teeth while closing the zip lock at the same time. If done right, that actually removes quite a bit of air...almost like a vacuum sealer. Use the "Freezer" type bags also.

Ah, looks like vacuum sealer is the only way to go... Unfortunately. But if vacuum sealed, I'm good for 1+ year?

This way I can start to buy in bulk... OH THE SAVINGS from homebrewing over buying craft in store lol. I love them.

Thanks for the nudge over the edge all, I'll place an order shortly for a vacuum sealer.

SeeRoe said:

Ah, looks like vacuum sealer is the only way to go... Unfortunately. But if vacuum sealed, I'm good for 1+ year?

This way I can start to buy in bulk... OH THE SAVINGS from homebrewing over buying craft in store lol. I love them.

Thanks for the nudge over the edge all, I'll place an order shortly for a vacuum sealer.

Click to expand...

Haha- I used some 2007 pellets recently, and they were fine.

But...........you can get by short term with ziplocs and squeezing the air out. For maybe, up to a year, I'd think. If the hops smell "stale" or "cheesy", they are no good. But if they smell fresh and hoppy, they should be all right.

Yooper said:

Haha- I used some 2007 pellets recently, and they were fine.

But...........you can get by short term with ziplocs and squeezing the air out. For maybe, up to a year, I'd think. If the hops smell "stale" or "cheesy", they are no good. But if they smell fresh and hoppy, they should be all right.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip Yooper.

Valved coffee bags work well. I use a vacuum cleaner to suck all the air out and put a piece of tap over the valve.

http://morecoffee.com/products/valved-coffee-bag-1-lb.html

BBBF said:

Valved coffee bags work well. I use a vacuum cleaner to suck all the air out and put a piece of tap over the valve.

http://morecoffee.com/products/valved-coffee-bag-1-lb.html

Click to expand...

Man! Wished I would have stumbled on this idea before buying one of those jar sealers and a bunch of jars....

http://www.foodsaver.com/accessories-and-parts/foodsaver-wide-mouth-jar-sealer/T03-0023-01P.html