hard to not go overboard when bulk ordering hops

[inhousebrew]

Well, I can't believe I have never done this before but I just order a couple pounds of hops online and man is it difficult to not get carried away. One place had five dollars flat rate shipping so I at one point had like six pounds in my cart thinking "Wow this is a great deal when thinking by the ounce!". Another had just great prices overall and adding a pound didn't really increase shipping by much so I had four pounds in my cart.

Then reality came in. I started thinking about my freezer space (or lack there of) and my bank account (or lack there of) and what the fact that I've been brewing 2.5 gallon batches lately and that it would take me an eternity to get through all those hops which I may get sick of at some point. And then I thought back to my initial reason for going online which was to get a cheaper pound of EKG hops because I always like to have a EKG bitter on hand.

So, in the end I wound up getting one pound of the US Goldings because they were way cheaper and seem to have favorable reviews compared to EKG and a pound of Nugget hops because they were $8.99 and I like their potential for bittering and mixing up some late additions.

 

[509inc]

That is why I buy the 4oz bag from Farm House Brewing Supplies. Just the right size for my bulk purchases.

 

[bobbrewedit]

Man, I have the same issues. I ordered 4 lbs a while back and find myself consistently having to substitute what I want to use for what I have too much of. I'm going to stick with cascade and centennial for my bulk purchases and get the rest from my LHBS from now on...the cost savings just aren't worth it to me.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

This year's harvest I bought 11# of hops. I brew 10 gallon batches, trying to shoot for at least a batch a month, and there's NO way I'll get through these hops before the next harvest...

Yeah, I went overboard.

Got 2# of Simcoe and 2# of Columbus, though. Those will come in handy

 

[seabass07]

Time to get a vacuum sealer! Buy by the pound, vacuum seal them in small quantities, and use them whenever you need them. I have some that are over a year old and they still smell fresh.

 

[SavoryChef]

Just store them in mason jars in the freezer with the air sucked out.

 

[hubbs]

Yup. I just bought 17lbs from eBay. They are supposed to be 2012 harvest, including 11lbs of Columbus, 2# of Goldings, and 1# each of Columbia, Fuggle, Magnum and Willamette. Spent less than $10/lb including shipping so i dont feel too bad.

It all started on HopsDirect's website with their outrageous shipping charges, I was gonna try some of their belma as it was cheap, but I was gonna pay more in shipping than the cost of the hops.

I'm hoping my brew buddy will take some off my hands.

I have a Food Saver, what is my best approach? Divide into lots of 1oz bags, or just one large bag for each and reseal after each use?

 

[meis1212]

What's the best source for hops? I pay around $2-3 per oz at my lhbs and want to make an IPA soon that I think will cost a fortune. Do you guys recommend an online retailer if I'm looking to buy by the pound?

 

[seabass07]

Yup. I just bought 17lbs from eBay. They are supposed to be 2012 harvest, including 11lbs of Columbus, 2# of Goldings, and 1# each of Columbia, Fuggle, Magnum and Willamette. Spent less than $10/lb including shipping so i dont feel too bad.

It all started on HopsDirect's website with their outrageous shipping charges, I was gonna try some of their belma as it was cheap, but I was gonna pay more in shipping than the cost of the hops.

I'm hoping my brew buddy will take some off my hands.

I have a Food Saver, what is my best approach? Divide into lots of 1oz bags, or just one large bag for each and reseal after each use?

I usually do 2oz bags.

 

[mike_in_ak]

Time to get a vacuum sealer! Buy by the pound, vacuum seal them in small quantities, and use them whenever you need them. I have some that are over a year old and they still smell fresh.

I broke up two bags in the vacuum bags. Hops were kind of a pain the ass to bag up. Definitely saves space though.

 

[lgilmore]

I put mine in 1 oz bags. I had four pounds which meant 64 times. Took a while, but the benefit is how easy they are to use.

 

[Paulgs3]

I bought several pounds and I've already put a decent dent in my supply. I brew APAs and IPA and 10g batches and I can easily go 4-8oz and that is NOT including dry hopping which can easily be 2oz per carboy, which I usually have two per brew session.

I guess it depends on your usage. For me it made great sense. I've purchased hops From Grain to Glass and Farmhouse and they have been absolutely a pleasure to deal with. I also vacuum seal, AND I do deal with the wrath of the wife... a lot. But I get that with any package that has a brewing return address on it so its all the same.

 

[Xpertskir]

Overboard is relative...I'd say I use 1-2lbs of hops a month on average. Some hops are worth buying more of because come spring and summer they will not be available, especially in bulk. Other hops are always available.

After my next order gets here today ill probably be sitting around the low 20's of lbs of hops. I don't have a LHBS, especially not one with bulk pricing so I always buy in bulk and keep an inventory for off the cuff brews. It's liberating, and once you outlay some capital to get it going you can go months without spending money on brewing.


Just a word of warning to the people repackaging hops. The nitrogen flushed hop union bags are the best possible storage for hops and you can't replicate it at home. Let them stay in those bags as long as possible and then when you break into it for brewing repackage.

 

[swackattack]

I did the same thing 2lb of centennial 1lb of amarillo 2 lb or citra. Got some ipas in my future

 

[inhousebrew]

Not even 12 hours since I wrote this topic posting and I'm already regretting not getting another two pounds. Just to have it. It will get used eventually.

 

[cabron99]

Get some 1 liter soda bottles, drill the lid to fit a tire stem. I seal that with silicone. 1 lb fits pretty well. After each use charge with co2, purge and recharge. In the absence of O2 the hops last remarkably well. I have pix if requested.

 

[supermoth]

I have to repackage some 1 lb. bags soon, and the easiest source of CO2 I have is my own fermenting beer. When I open my new hop bags for the next batch, I'm planning to repackage the pellets in mason jars, wait for active fermentation, then direct the end of the blowoff tube into the mason jars to capture the CO2 for storage.

While it's a fun idea, my one concern is the level of humidity in the exiting gas. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

 

[weirdboy]

It all started on HopsDirect's website with their outrageous shipping charges, I was gonna try some of their belma as it was cheap, but I was gonna pay more in shipping than the cost of the hops.

Hmmm, I never had outrageous shipping charges from HopsDirect. They always just bill what they paid for shipping. I think if you're getting 1# of hops they probably aren't the best shipping price, but it costs essentially the same to ship 1# as it does 10# from them.

 

[iaefebs]

I use one of those wide mouth ball jar sealers. http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-T03-0023-01-Wide-Mouth-Jar-Sealer/dp/B00005TN7H
When I open a 1# package of hops I pour 9oz into a quart size mason jar and vacuum seal it. I then seal the remaining hops in a resealable vacuum bag. When I need hops I use them from the jar and then vacuum seal the jar back up. When the jar is empty I open the bag up and pour the rest into the jar.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005TN7H/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[bobbrewedit]

Hmmm, I never had outrageous shipping charges from HopsDirect. They always just bill what they paid for shipping. I think if you're getting 1# of hops they probably aren't the best shipping price, but it costs essentially the same to ship 1# as it does 10# from them.

This is what bites me...I can't help but buy more because the shipping stays the same. So basically your cost per ounce drops as you buy more. I think deep down its why I use hopsdirect...More hops, more hops, more hops!

 

[supermoth]

I use one of those wide mouth ball jar sealers. http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-T03-0023-01-Wide-Mouth-Jar-Sealer/dp/B00005TN7H
When I open a 1# package of hops I pour 9oz into a quart size mason jar and vacuum seal it. I then seal the remaining hops in a resealable vacuum bag. When I need hops I use them from the jar and then vacuum seal the jar back up. When the jar is empty I open the bag up and pour the rest into the jar.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005TN7H/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Great recommendation! Thanks for posting that.

I just ordered one directly from the Food Saver website. They offer free shipping on your first order, but you have to sign in and make an account right when that first pop-up offer comes up. (I didn't, and it was a hassle getting the free shipping.)

 

[inhousebrew]

Great recommendation! Thanks for posting that.

I just ordered one directly from the Food Saver website. They offer free shipping on your first order, but you have to sign in and make an account right when that first pop-up offer comes up. (I didn't, and it was a hassle getting the free shipping.)

I'm new to this whole vacuum sealing thing so forgive me but, are those for use with that little handheld vacuum sealer? This thingy:

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

 

[tflew]

Get some 1 liter soda bottles, drill the lid to fit a tire stem. I seal that with silicone. 1 lb fits pretty well. After each use charge with co2, purge and recharge. In the absence of O2 the hops last remarkably well. I have pix if requested.

That sounds cool. would you mind putting up a pic?

 

[Braufessor]

As far as keeping the hops "fresh" - the BEST thing you can do, by far, is not opening the bag it came in. I absolutely would not open them all up when I got them and repackage them. Leave them in the original, nitrogen filled Hop Union bag until you are going to use that variety. I would be pretty comfortable opening that bag a year or two later and still having great hops. So, if you are not going to use a variety for a couple months - leave them sealed.
Now, once you decide you are going to use a particular variety, I usually Dump out what I need and immediately put the entire Hop union bag in a vacuum pack back and vacuum seal it right back up. I make the vac bag bigger than needed so that I can cut it open and reseal it several times. I also generally try to use only a couple variety of hops at a time . . . . meaning I like to avoid using 1 ounce of 5 different hops in a beer. Not just because beer tastes better usually, but because it exposes fewer hops to air.
I also like the idea of the vacuuming of mason jars.
And yes - it is easy to go overboard - I have a good 15 lbs in my freezer for sure

Someone asked about places to get bulk hops - I know Grain to Glass still had a good variety, good prices, cheap shipping as of last week. Not sure about some of the other standby's like Farmhouse, Hops Direct, etc.

 

[Leithoa]

I ran into the freezer space predicament last June when I ordered 2lbs of hops from Hopsdirect during their Fathers day BOGO sale last year. So I got 2lbs each of US Golding and Willamette.

I ended up repackaging in Mylar bags. I used mylar because they are without a doubt oxygen barriers, food saver bags are/are not depending on who you talk to. The only trouble with mylar bags is they require a higher sealing temperature than the food saver seals at so you have to use another method to seal them. I ordered 100cc Oxygen absorbers from amazon and placed them in with 1-2oz of each hops and sealed the bag with a soldering iron using a flat tip(cloths irons on the cotton setting also work). The combination of mylar bags and grossly oversized O2 absorbers should ensure ideal storage conditions.

 

[weirdboy]

The Rival vacuum sealer works exactly the same as the FoodSaver one, but costs way less, and even takes all the FoodSaver attachments for mason jars, etc. I know, because I have been using them all. I bought one for less than $30 at Target a few years ago and have been using it regularly with nary a problem.

I found this one on Amazon for $43. Still more than I paid when I got mine, but way better than the prices I see for the FoodSavers even when they are discounted:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JPU6XI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[MidTNJasonF]

I have to laugh a little bit, is there such a thing as too many hops? I have 30lbs vacuum sealed and in the freezer and I am looking for more of certain varieties.

 

[inhousebrew]

I have to laugh a little bit, is there such a thing as too many hops? I have 30lbs vacuum sealed and in the freezer and I am looking for more of certain varieties.

Well, of course all of this is subjective. So by my standards yes I would say that is overboard. But then again I don't have a supplemental freezer, a ton of disposable income, a fancy vacuum sealer or the need for billions of hops because I tend to lean more toward malt forward beers. But that's just me, if it works for you that's great.

The part that's tough for me is the lack of disposable income. I could easily buy ten pounds and justify it because I'm saving money but then I need to spend money on ten pounds of hops at once.

 

[meis1212]

What is your preference - leaf or pellet? I've always purchased leaf but pellet seems more convenient, especially for repackaging and vacuum sealing.

 

[hubbs]

Maybe outrageous was the wrong word. I did see that their shipping price did go up with quantity, and when you are ordering less than 5lbs the shipping is not insignificant.

 

[bobbrewedit]

Maybe outrageous was the wrong word. I did see that their shipping price did go up with quantity, and when you are ordering less than 5lbs the shipping is not insignificant.

Hmmm, I was just on their site today and shipping was $12.00 for 2 pounds. Granted, it stays at 12 pounds until u buy a ton, but $12 for 2 is quite a bit percentage wise.

 

[inhousebrew]

Maybe outrageous was the wrong word. I did see that their shipping price did go up with quantity, and when you are ordering less than 5lbs the shipping is not insignificant.

It's not insignificant but when I was looking around online a lot of the stuff was comparable to buying at Northern Brewer (in store, which I have the ability to do) even when accounting for shipping. For example, East Kent Golding's was $15 at hopsdirect but $11 shipping bumped it up to $26 total when it's $25 to get at Northern Brewer.

 

[Norie_]

Overboard is relative...I'd say I use 1-2lbs of hops a month on average. Some hops are worth buying more of because come spring and summer they will not be available, especially in bulk. Other hops are always available.

After my next order gets here today ill probably be sitting around the low 20's of lbs of hops. I don't have a LHBS, especially not one with bulk pricing so I always buy in bulk and keep an inventory for off the cuff brews. It's liberating, and once you outlay some capital to get it going you can go months without spending money on brewing.


Just a word of warning to the people repackaging hops. The nitrogen flushed hop union bags are the best possible storage for hops and you can't replicate it at home. Let them stay in those bags as long as possible and then when you break into it for brewing repackage.

With your experience, which hops do you find are not available the most during the spring and summer?

 

[Xpertskir]

It's basically as far as US hops go simcoe, citra, Amarillo, and maybe centenial. I don't use many English hops, so I can't speak to them. You can still get most of the Southern Hemisphere hops now and that harvest will happen in a few months with the US getting them in mid summer.

If you can find Amarillo in bulk this crop buy it, there was a drought that wiped out most of the crop.

The general rule of thumb is if it is a proprietary hop cultivar it can and usually is hard to get, especially ones with cult followings.