Dry Canning Hops?

[phydough]

I have a nice harvest of Cascade and Millennium hops this year, i found that when i froze them last year they lost alot of their aroma and flavor and had to keep "dry" hopping to attain the flavor i wanted.
My question is can i pack them in mason jars with an oxygen absorber and keep them in a cool dray place?

 

[Homercidal]

Interesting. I'd be curious to know if packing a jar with hops and purging with CO2 would keep them fresh.

 

[nbswanson]

Not exactly what you are talking about but I seal mine in mason jars with a vacuum sealer. I have never had any issues and the system is pretty cheap and easy with just these two pieces of equipment:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005TN7H/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FWIVCA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[B-Hoppy]

Temperature is the enemy in your situation. The reason hops are stored cold is to help retard the deterioration of the oils/resins. Many hop processors purge the oxygen out of the storage bags the hops are packaged in by using nitrogen and still cold-store them. Here's a cool article that may help: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jib.40/full

 

[jleiii]

Not exactly what you are talking about but I seal mine in mason jars with a vacuum sealer. I have never had any issues and the system is pretty cheap and easy with just these two pieces of equipment:
Wide-Mouth-Jar-Sealer

I've been trying to find more info on the Wide Mouth Jar Sealer, maybe you can help.... Does it use the standard jar lid inside so that once you purge it the jar lid pulls down tight and then you remove the plastic thing? I can't believe I've not been able to find this answer. I've yet to see this in a store to look at it closely. Seems really dumb if not, but they'd sell far more if not.

 

[cannman]

I do a lot of preserving yearly (hence cannman? canning man.), and since the hop is a plant, I would say that YES you can dry can them, but you need to make sure that they are well dried before you store them into jars.

My preferred method is also the cheapest

1) Get a large brown paper bag from the grocery store.

2) Hang your hops from a long piece of stem strung through the upside down bag. Poke a few holes in the bag to allow for some airflow.

(This idea, but in the dark, like your closet)

2 alternative) If you've already harvested, you can place the cones into the paper bag directly. Don't stack them, just cover the bottom of the bag. Roll shut the mouth of the paper bag and poke holes near the top to allow for ventilation. You'll want to burp your bag and toss the hop cones around several times daily.

3) Keep in a dark very well ventilated area. Perhaps even keep a small fan running to help with the circulation.

4) You'll want to keep this up until nice and crisp. Not dry dead leaf crisp, it should still hold its shape with a little pressure and squeeze. The length of time depends on your climate and drying conditions, but I'd anticipate 2 weeks.

5) Dry can. You'll want to burp your jar daily for the first few weeks. Inspect closely for any signs of mold if you find you find sweating. Another thing to look for is if your hops seem to have rehydrated. This means the hops were not completely dry when you placed them into the jars and need more time in the bag.

I anticipate that this method will best keep the hops aroma and flavor over all other methods. Enjoy the process like you enjoy brewing. It takes time, but the reward is worth it!

 

[nbswanson]

Yes, you nailed it. It vacuums out the air, sealing the canning lid down. You just remove the plastic attachment and screw on the outside ring. I also throw them in the freezer to help preserve the goodness. Hope this helps

 

[phydough]

I usually dry my hops on window screens, i just pop them out of the downstairs windows and wash them with the hose and place the edges on cinder blocks in the basement and dry the hops on them for a week, this year ill probably do the same but half that way and half your way, i have a huge crop, id estimate 8-10 lbs of hops, the vines are over 35 feet long and very thick with hops, its my 5 th year of harvest.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]My preferred method is also the cheapest

1) Get a large brown paper bag from the grocery store. [...]

Or a few hundred.

Do you have any idea what 9 pounds of wet cones looks like?
Or how an upside-down paper bag would work with cones?

Cheers!

 

[cannman]

Or a few hundred.

Do you have any idea what 9 pounds of wet cones looks like?
Or how an upside-down paper bag would work with cones?

Cheers!

haha I had no idea about the 9 pounds lol

with the cone you'd keep the vine attached for attachment

 

[day_trippr]

haha I had no idea about the 9 pounds lol

with the cone you'd keep the vine attached for attachment

Ok, so you have no experience with hops.

The amount of plant material connected to said 9 pounds of hops filled two 3 bushel half-barrel style bins. Leaving aside the utter impracticability of keeping ripe cones on their bines through a harvest, you'd need that hundred paper shopping bags to even come close to holding all of that vegetation...

Cheers!

 

[nagmay]

Interesting. I'd be curious to know if packing a jar with hops and purging with CO2 would keep them fresh.

Canning jars are meant to work with an interior vacuum. Adding CO2 could work, but you wouldn't be able to maintain a proper seal.

Instead, I recommend using the wide-mouth jar sealer as someone else has already posted. This is how I used to do all my hops. A vac sealed mason jar of hops in the freezer will literally stay fresh for years. Now that I have large amounts to store, I vac seal in multi-pound bags and then move them to jars as they are used.

Dry canning positives:

• Really easy to vac seal
• Will last longer than most other methods
• Jars don't puncture from stems like the bags do
• Reusable. Just take some hops out to brew and reseal the jar

Dry canning negatives:

• Quart jars can be hard to pack. Half gallon jars work a bit better.
• Each quart jar will only hold 1/2 to 1 pound, max.
• They take up more room in the freezer than bagged hops.

 

[GVH_Dan]

I have a nice harvest of Cascade and Millennium hops this year, i found that when i froze them last year they lost alot of their aroma and flavor and had to keep "dry" hopping to attain the flavor i wanted.
My question is can i pack them in mason jars with an oxygen absorber and keep them in a cool dray place?

I wouldn't include the oxygen absorber. Our chemist has reason to believe some will absorb the oils and aroma's from the hops, as well. Just purge with nitrogen or CO2 like others have mentioned.