Cheap and Easy Hop Storage

[Homercidal]

Nice system. I've vacuum-packed my homegrown hops for a few years now. I Always hated having partially used bags of pellet hops and this system look like it can keep them organized and seems easier than re-sealing bags in my foodsaver. I might pick up a pump and give it a go. There are a couple of hop varieties that I prefer and this look like a great way to keep them fresh when buying in bulk.

 

[azazel1024]

Sadly I need a 2nd fridge for the space. I did just get a food saver for Xmas and have yet to get any bulk hops to try it out with. I really, really want to try soon. My biggest problem is I don't know that I brew enough and my varities change sooooo much that getting just 1-2 varieties in bulk doesn't make a lot of sense for me.
So I really need a LOT of space so I can get, say, 10-15 varities in bulk, but that is a lot of freezer space, whether bagged or jarred. I do like the convenience of the jarring and vaccum sealing idea.
I am still thinking I'll give something like a 1lb of Hallertau, fuggle and maybe Cascade or something a try as they are both great for bittering their respective styles (noble, UK and American hopped brews) without imparting much flavor that is off style. Then it just leaves needing to sometimes get a different flavor/aroma hop.

 

[electrolight]

Since everyone is chiming in, figured I would too. I'm partial to this method because the food saver bags don't play nice with the whole (as in, non-pellet hops) because they crush them. With the Ball jars, they don't get crushed but still remain in the vacuum environment.
But after reading all this... I wonder, is there a longevity hit if you store the hops and open it up after say 1 year and then reseal. Does the process of exposing them to the air and probably warming them up to room temp before they are vacuumed and frozen affect their longevity adversely?

 

[hafmpty]

Anybody buy one of these or have experience with one of these:
http://www.thriftyvac.com/#!product/prd15/3067811061/thriftyvac%C2%AE-vacuum-system%3A-5-free-vacuum-bags
This lets you vacuum pack in any ziploc type bag in your kitchen. You can see the video on YouTube here ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYFnrq84ipI ) where he shows how it works and shows how he used a cheap 3 cent plastic bag to seal food in. This could be cool. I read some mixed reviews on Amazon but there are a lot of 4 & 5-star reviews. Amazon is selling them here:
http://www.amazon.com/ThriftyVac-Food-Vacuum-Packing-System/dp/B00GX0DN7I/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1423195462&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=thrify+vac
And you can also buy Mason Jar attachments that work with it for around $20 for 5 valves.

 

[hafmpty]

Sorry to hijack the comments section with "other ideas" but I also found another product that works along with the mason jar sealer. It's found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Packmate-95000-Vacu-Seal-Starter-Handheld/dp/B0011FJS4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378245398&sr=8-1&keywords=vacu-seal
This is a battery powered version of the hand pump. Does the same thing without the manual labor involved
One final piece for this process I was wondering about was CO2 flushing of the jars before your vacuum seal them. There will be some air remaining in the jars, so why not flush the jars with CO2 so that the air that remains is not oxygen. That little bit could potentially contribute to staling could it not? Having CO2 though might mean a bit more freshness for even longer?

 

[TexasWine]

I wonder if that FoodSaver Jar Sealer would work with my Vacuvin wine saver pump? I have a hunch it would.

 

[connell89]

Very nice write up. I like the idea of using jars vs. bags since they are more durable. Now, I only need freezer space. How long are hops good for in a vacuum seal bag? I have some for over 18 months but not always in cold temps.

 

[green_giant43]

Thank you for the article. Got the stuff and tested this last night. Works like a charm. Much, much better than sinking over a hundred on the vacuum sealer stuff I think. A little manual labor with the pump isn't terrible either. Now I'm just happy to be able to save so much when I see deals on bulk hops.

 

[jova146]

Anyone have an idea of how this would work with fresh/wet hops?

 

[EthanH]

connell89 brings up a point that I was thinking about. If you are vacuum sealing in a sanitized container, how necessary is it to put them in the freezer. I'm assuming it's not great to have them sitting at 80F for weeks in summertime, but how important are freezer temps?

 

[BlackMetalBrewing]

So I just received my ball jars, sealer and pump. It took a couple tries initially to get the lids to seal. But wound up working great! Excited to get a pound of mosaic for smash beers. And the bags will be nice when harvest season comes around for my home grown hops.

 

[Aonghus]

Here is a method that I have used for years to store salad. Fill the sink with cold water, place salad (with a paper towel) in a 1 gallon ziplock freezer bag. Submerge the bag up to the zip line; seal at that point. I have not tried it with pellet hops, it might work with those. But it is no big deal to get a small amount of water into the salad. I am not sure the hops would be as forgiving. Still, if someone was careful, it might work.

I really like the hop in a jar idea and have ordered the needed parts.

 

[jekeane]

Are you just taking an ounce or two out and then resealing them?

 

[Floatzel]

It seems great for storage