Freezing hop pellets?

[caseyodell]

Should I be freezing hop pellets for storage?

 

[jekeane]

Yes. You should also be removing as much oxygen as possible by using a vacuum sealer or some other device.
There is an inexpensive hand pump thing that seals mason jars.
The volume of the hops you are trying to store should dictate your investment in a sealer. I buy hops by the lb in general so a vacuum sealer is worth it for me.

 

[Jwin]

For long term, yes
It's plant matter and decomps like plant matter does
That being said, hops do have preservative qualities and being vacuum sealed helps as well

 

[MaryB]

I haven't tried these yet but they would be perfect for storing hops http://www.discountmylarbags.com/sa...n-and-1-quart-channal-foil-mylar-vacuum-bags/

 

[NatureOfTheYeast]

Most definitely!

Oxygen is the enemy of hops, but temperature is equally important. I have a pound bag that I cut one corner off of and "seal" with tape after every use and store in the freezer inside of 3 layers of freezer baggies. While this isn't ideal, every time I open my bag of hops, it still smells fresh and aromatic. You could play with fire like I do, but your hops will last longer and stay fresher either flushed with CO2, or vacuum sealed. Only reason why I haven't invested in a vacuum sealer is because my hops are strictly used for bittering, and I don't have a use for a vacuum sealer in my daily life. The day I buy flavor/aroma hops by the pound is the day I buy a vacuum sealer.

 

[caseyodell]

Very good! Thank you for all the information.

 

[petrolSpice]

Yep freeze them! I store them in mason jars unless they came in a resealable bag. I do not vacuum seal but probably should.

 

[jmill]

Yes, and a good vacuum sealer (I have a foodsaver from Costco) is good for freezing bulk food, like chicken breasts.

I split up 2 1lb bags this evening into 1 oz portions so I don't have to expose the entire batch each time I use a small portion.

 

[DurtyChemist]

Yes freeze them. Mylar doesn't play well with food savers. It seals but they smash down and lock in oxygen. Google food saver Mylar and you'll see what people do to store them in Mylar. You can also find a vacuum sealer that can do Mylar bags or rig up something like preppers do.

 

[MaryB]

The mylar bags I posted are foodsaver friendly supposedly. When I have the extra cash I am going to try them...

 

[geezer103]

I read somewere on beermith that freezing hops was ideal way to store, so as I generally buy a few at a time I stored about 10 x 100g packs of my favs and used at will. Never had a prob with them once. Apparantly by freezing this helps to displace o2! Give it a shot see what ya think, its helpful if your into buying bulk when on special or dont live close enough to a homebrew shop and hate paying freight! CHur

 

[DurtyChemist]

The mylar bags I posted are foodsaver friendly supposedly. When I have the extra cash I am going to try them...

may be ordering those later. I've been storing mine in a vacuum sealed container.

 

[broadbill]

What is everyone's timeline for using their hop stock vs. their storage method. For example, I freeze my hops under vacuum (either bags or in mason jars) and are still using hops from the 2012 crop. This would be interesting data to collect I think.

 

[Jwin]

They do breakdown over time
use an alpha calculator to adjust as needed

http://brewerslog.appspot.com/HopAlphaCalc

 

[broadbill]

They do breakdown over time
use an alpha calculator to adjust as needed

http://brewerslog.appspot.com/HopAlphaCalc

cool calcuator, thanks.

 

[Natdavis777]

All mine stay frozen and vacuumed until use.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1463807105.491947.jpg