Bulk storing hops : Hinged jar and flood with CO2

[Rivenin]

With a kid on the way... i don't know how good i'm going to be with getting my wife to accept the whole "i need a food saver for hops" and plus with the reviews i've been reading... most of the cheaper ones tend to need a bit of maintenance after a bit.

So i got to thinking, would these kind of jars work after flooding with CO2? Considering they are air tight, and the addition of CO2 would work just fine. and of course, storing in the freezer

Or would regular mason jars flodded with CO2 function the same?


with the kiddo on the way, i'm thinking of just getting 3-4 lbs of hops, a sack of grain (and some other misc poundage) and some dry sachets of yeast (i have glycerine as well for harvesting yeast) , so i can save money and have an impromptu brew day when time allows... plus i do 2.5 gallon batches, so i wouldn't be going through all that much

 

[kh54s10]

Buy your WIFE the FoodSaver and give it to her as a gift. Just don't tell her you will be using it more than she will. Vacuum bag and put them in the freezer. I think that in the long run that would be cheaper than the co2.

 

[Rivenin]

haha i wish my wife would go for that! she unfortunately, doesn't do any cooking at all... so still, the food saver would be in the kitchen with me

 

[DocScott]

I dont' think you'll get your money worth out of those jars and "flooding with CO2". I think you're better off buying by the ounce and using when needed. Without vacuum sealing, I think the hops will oxidize and lose freshness over a few months, even if stored in the freezer in a "mostly O2 free container".

Look into one of the cheap hand-held pumps. They are really inexpensive and I've heard work fairly well. I think they run $15-20 which is probably what those containers cost.

 

[Yooper]

I think even ziploc bags would be better than jars in the freezer.

 

[Rivenin]

well... i convinced the wife as i saw the Rival on sale for pretty cheap... now i gotta place an order with austin homebrew so i can get the mylar bags.

 

[TonyG]

You might want to rethink the mylar bags from AHS as I doubt that they will work with your rival sealer. Here is the description from AHS:

"These bags can be used to reseal bulk hops with an impulse heat sealer or some vacuum sealers (a "Food Saver" will not be able to vacuum seal). These are correctly sized to seal 1 oz of hops, but can hold up to 3 oz of hops.

I keep mine sealed in the regular food saver bags (use the bulk rolls) and they seem to work well, although I keep telling myself that I am going to get the jar adapter.

 

[two_hearted]

I bought a used food saver on ebay for $20. It works great.

 

[day_trippr]

I vac-seal my hops in roll-cut FoodSaver bags. They remain squished flat for as long as they're still sealed - I still have some 2012 home-grown hops in the freezer and they're flat as pancakes. Which means the bags have not admitted oxygen. What could a "mylar coated" bag offer above being oxygen-impermeable?

Cheers!

 

[trimpy]

Came here to say food saver as well. I have the mason jar vacuum attachment as well. It works great.

 

[nickmv]

Those mylar bags won't work.

 

[Rivenin]

sealing mylar bags with a vacuum sealer does work. the video explains why you normally can't, but the concepts are the same with the link and the video


http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/vacuum-sealing/

 

[nickmv]

sealing mylar bags with a vacuum sealer does work. the video explains why you normally can't, but the concepts are the same with the link and the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9dzaeC0hG0
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/vacuum-sealing/

That's a commercial/professional vacuum sealer, not a FoodSaver. The majority of FoodSavers wont work with that plastic strip that guy uses. And even if you could fit it in there, each time you use it, you run the risk of damaging the device. These are just as advertised -- modifications. They carry inherent risks.

Now, as for the collar modification, I could see that working OK, but the question is -- will it ALWAYS work? As you probably know, sometimes these seals fail even on the high-end devices. I'd be concerned about whether or not the seal would hold over time.

 

[Rivenin]

here is the same model i ordered.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/vacuum-sealing-oxygen-barrier-bags-303070/

http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2011/02/use-mylar-bags-with-foodsaver-vacuum.html