Hops preservation

[zhubbell]

Not sure this is the right place to post this...
But I have 3 1# packs of different hops in the freezer - Citra, simcoe, and cascade, and I'm getting ready to brew my first batch breaking into them. I wanna portion the remaining left overs in 1oz containers, how should I store them & how long will they last?

 

[Hammy71]

Many of us use food saver machines. It's a little bit of an investment. But, well worth it in my opinion.

 

[zhubbell]

I definitely plan to get one, but have already spent a small fortune converting to all grain this month, and it might prove difficult to convince my better half to up the investment before I have the chance to get her into brewing with me, haha, it's all about getting her into it too! Anyway, I have a pretty large batch of grains as well, and plenty of fermenters, so I can go through all the hops within a month or so I'm thinking - is there a cheaper way that won't compromise the quality for this time around, and I can make that investment next month?

Which also brings up another question - I just got my grain bags in - they're in my sunroom, which is pretty chilly, do I have to do anything special once I open the bags to keep them good? They are whole (not ground)

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm not discounting the food saver. But here's my method.

Cut off a corner, dispense the hops you need.

Then squeeze all the air out of the bag and fold over that corner flap followed by folding over the rest of the flap a few times and taping it down to the bulky body of the bag. Put this tight, almost airless bag back in freezer.

Obviously, I don't have a food saver either and this method has served me for years. Keeping your hops frozen is more important than the little air the bag may contain. Once you get a CO2 cylinder (for kegging) you could flush the bag with CO2 if you want. Or Nitrogen, but that's a big step up.

 

[zhubbell]

That's more the method I was looking at.

 

[zhubbell]

Any advice on grain storage?

 

[kh54s10]

Any advice on grain storage?

Dry and cool. I have lock and lock boxes for the smaller amounts and buckets with Gamma lids for my bulk base grains.

They are just stored in my basement, partially finished, and in the mid sixties during the winter, dehumidified and in the high 70's to mid 80's mid summer.

I have kept grains for about a year before use with no problems.

 

[Puddlethumper]

If you do end up getting a Food Saver you might find it more convenient and less costly to break your pounds into 4 oz - 8 oz packets. Vacuum seal them and toss into the freezer. You can then cut the top off the bag, pull out an ounce or two, then re-seal the bag. It makes the bags last longer. I've been doing this way for some time now and it works pretty well.

Some guys have also tried the Zip-Lock vacuum sealer with some success. The key, as noted above, is to pull what you need then re-seal and freeze the remainder. Minimize their exposure to light and oxygen and keep them cold. Vacuum sealed in freezer is best.


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[Sbarnard80]

I'm not discounting the food saver. But here's my method.

Cut off a corner, dispense the hops you need.

Then squeeze all the air out of the bag and fold over that corner flap followed by folding over the rest of the flap a few times and taping it down to the bulky body of the bag. Put this tight, almost airless bag back in freezer.

Obviously, I don't have a food saver either and this method has served me for years. Keeping your hops frozen is more important than the little air the bag may contain. Once you get a CO2 cylinder (for kegging) you could flush the bag with CO2 if you want. Or Nitrogen, but that's a big step up.

That's my method too.

 

[Cajun_McChicken]

I just picked up a hand held foodsaver for like 25 bucks on amazon plus the wide mouth mason jar sealer for 10. They're not actually designed to work together but it's real easy to get it to work anyway (YouTube for salad in a jar and some lady has a video on how to do it).

 

[Radobrewer]

Cajun- where do you store the jars of hops after vacuum sealing them?

 

[Cajun_McChicken]

Cajun- where do you store the jars of hops after vacuum sealing them?

In my beer fridge's freezer with all my left over bags of specialty grains