Can I reseal Hops Direct bags?

[StarCityBrewMaster]

I ordered 5lbs (5-1lb bags) of different types of hops from Hops Direct and I am about to break open one of the bags tonight.

Is there a way to reseal the bags that they come in? I thought I read somewhere that an iron works if you place the bag under a towel or something along those lines but I can't seem to find it anymore.

Thanks!

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

with that many hops i would prob invest in a vacum sealer food saver.. i have 7 pounds of hops on the way to my house and thats my plan for all of them, u know it will be fresh and freezer safe

 

[samc]

If you're not going to vac seal them, it is pointless to reseal the bags they come in. You'd be better off using zip locks and squeezing out as much air as possible. Foodsaver has beer running specials recently and almost giving away the machines, you might want to keep an eye on it.

 

[StarCityBrewMaster]

I do have them all in a chest freezer that sits in the teens for temps so they're frozen and in a dark place which is good.

I probably should invest in a vacuum sealer but do not currently have one, so I am wondering if I can reseal the bags they came in?

 

[davesrose]

If there's a lot of room in the bags, you probably could force out all the air and tape it airtight. Either that or use ziplocks....the important thing is to try to keep the air out of the opened container, and also keep the hops in the freezer.

 

[eastoak]

my hops came from hopsdirect and i could see no way to reseal them, they are longer than the vacuum sealer i have and i'm not sure those thick bags would seal with the bit 'o heat my foodsaver puts out anyway. get a foodsaver or something like it. they sell quart sized bags on amazon for $22 per hundred (weston brand) i make 1 oz and .5 oz bags

 

[GetLooseontheGoose]

To answer your question, Yes you can iron the bags shut again. Just push out as much air as you can, iron and save in your freezer.

I iron mine directly to the bag, no ill effects.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I invested in one of these: http://www.sorbentsystems.com/sinbosealer.html

I also found mylar bags in various different sizes here: http://search.store.yahoo.net/safet...atalog=safetycentral&query=mylar bags&x=0&y=0

It has enabled me to keep my hops sealed the way they should be, and I can also reseal hops better than the LHBS provides them to me.

 

[StarCityBrewMaster]

Thanks for all the input!

I ended up breaking the lb down to 4 oz zip lock bags. I just rolled it up tight to push as much air out and sealed it. I then repeated that step inside of another bag and placed them back in the freezer. It's not perfect but hopefully it's enough to make them last 6 months or so minimum.

Might I add my first ever lb bag from Hops Direct weighed in at 18ozs!!!!! love it!

 

[curlyfat]

Foodsaver has beer running specials recently and almost giving away the machines, you might want to keep an eye on it.

I love beer running specials!

 

[Foxknuckle]

I seal all but about a half inch of my hop direct bags with an iron, then roll them as tight as I can, lean on the bag squeezing out most the air then seal the last half inch.... It works great and you can get most the air out.

 

[joety]

Thanks for all the input!

I ended up breaking the lb down to 4 oz zip lock bags. I just rolled it up tight to push as much air out and sealed it. I then repeated that step inside of another bag and placed them back in the freezer. It's not perfect but hopefully it's enough to make them last 6 months or so minimum.

Might I add my first ever lb bag from Hops Direct weighed in at 18ozs!!!!! love it!

I ordered 10 or 12 pounds from them, and so far everything has been around 18oz, their version of a baker's dozen.

 

[Clef051]

Hmm this is good info to know. I just got two pounds of hops from them and was wondering what to do with them all.

 

[corwin6654]

Hmm this is good info to know. I just got two pounds of hops from them and was wondering what to do with them all.

You should make beer with them!

 

[jblizz]

I've never done it with hops but as a fisherman we used to put the fish in zip lock bags then submerge the bottom of the bag in water to force the air out, then seal the bag... Obviously it would work with anything but you certainly don't want to get your hops wet, so you would have to be really careful...

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

IMO, the biggest problem with using the existing bag is that it's a full pound. All of the opening/closing over the course of a full pound will render the last hops 'not fresh'.

There are some people with very refined palates at my homebrew club and they have picked up some hop cheese in some of my beers (but these were all whole leaf hops). So I'm trying to be as careful as I can and using more pellet hops for finishing.

 

[724b]

Here's a technique to vacuum seal mylar bags-
http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2011/02/use-mylar-bags-with-foodsaver-vacuum.html

Those bags may be too thick to work though.

 

[TheMan]

For anyone that says the foodsaver cannot reseal these bags...My foodsaver v2240 will seal the Hopsdirect bags just fine. Airtight. I got it on sale for only $120. I use it on everything, well worth it in my opinion.

 

[724b]

That's good to know!

For anyone that says the foodsaver cannot reseal these bags...My foodsaver v2240 will seal the Hopsdirect bags just fine. Airtight. I got it on sale for only $120. I use it on everything, well worth it in my opinion.

 

[Turlian]

Today's woot sellout deal is for a Rival vacuum sealer for $24.99 shipped.

http://sellout.woot.com/

 

[weirdboy]

Today's woot sellout deal is for a Rival vacuum sealer for $24.99 shipped.

http://sellout.woot.com/

I have one of these and it's worked like a champ for 2+ years on those hops direct bags among other general-purpose vacuum sealing.

 

[TheMan]

Today's woot sellout deal is for a Rival vacuum sealer for $24.99 shipped.

http://sellout.woot.com/

I checked the reviews for this...gets great comments. If I didn't already have a foodsaver I'd pick one up. Get on it guys, great deal.

Come to think of it, Maybe I should get one as a backup...