Quick hop question

[Teufelhunde]

Just a question on storing hops (pellets). I have been brewing a couple of years (extract/partial mash) and getting ready to venture into all grain. I now have a pretty good idea of the hops I like/will use a lot of and want to purchase those in bulk to save a little money. I have been putting the 1oz packets I have been getting into a freezer bag and keeping them in the freezer until used.

My question is if vacuum sealing would be beneficial? I have a vacuum sealer and could vacuum seal whatever I have left of a bulk purchase, then open it when I need some, then re-vac seal. I keep my vacuum sealer put away, and being a basically lazy person, if there is nothing to be gained from vacuum sealing prior to freezing, I could just throw them in a ziplock freezer bag.

What is the consensus of the masses?

TIA for input

Lon

 

[PberBob]

I’ve had good luck storing leftover 1/2 to 1 oz baggies of pellets taped shut and in the freezer. The aromas seem to hold for about 6-10 weeks. Small samples seem to fade fastest. Vac sealing seems like a good idea.

 

[Sam_92]

VICHYIE Jar Sealer for FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer, Jar Vacuum Sealing Kit with Accessory Hose and Portable Manual Vacuum Pump for Mason Jars with Wide and Regular Mouth https://a.co/d/dBSvcJC

This is basically what I use. I store my hops in mason jars that I've sucked the air out of in the freezer and I've never had hops go south on me.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Thumbs up for vacuum sealing.

 

[bracconiere]

i'm not saying this is what i do, but...had the thought....

https://www.morebeer.com/products/body-connect-gas-ball-lock-post-bulkhead-assembly.html
1/2 gallon mason jar with wide lid? wouldn't that be better then never being able to suck all the air out?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

On rare occasion

• one will read a comment where someone bulk orders using 4 oz / 8 oz packages - as it avoids wasting packaging material and reduces the effort of repackaging 16 oz containers.

• people will report using a 'just in time' strategy - keep the hops in original containers until first use, then use a re-usable storage contains to vacuum seal the recently opened package.

edits: formatting

What is the consensus of the masses?

 

[Sam_92]

i'm not saying this is what i do, but...had the thought....

https://www.morebeer.com/products/body-connect-gas-ball-lock-post-bulkhead-assembly.html
1/2 gallon mason jar with wide lid? wouldn't that be better then never being able to suck all the air out?

I don't think that would work because mason jars are designed to hold negative pressure indefinitely but they don't do well with positive pressure. I have put some yeast samples in the fridge in mason jars and had the lids warp from the yeast continuing to ferment the priming sugar.

You could probably make your own "jars" out of cpvc that would hold pressure though...

 

[day_trippr]

Assuming freezing + vac-bagging = best case longevity, I always buy hop pellets, always by the pound, and use my Foodsaver vac-bagger from the jump. I size the bag length to allow for multiple "re-seals", and haven't been caught out yet - there's always been enough bag to re-seal...

Cheers!

 

[Teufelhunde]

. I size the bag length to allow for multiple "re-seals",

Cheers!

Now THAT is a great idea.....thanks

 

[renstyle]

... I always buy hop pellets, always by the pound, and use my Foodsaver vac-bagger from the jump

If ya don't mind me asking, which Foodsaver model has been working for you?

 

[balrog]

multiple "re-seals"

I have had terrible luck with reseals and the Yakima Valley Hops aluminized mylar 8oz bags punching holes in the vacusealer bags.
Simply open the original at first use and dump into vacseal bag, tossing orig bag away, and reuse.

 

[day_trippr]

I'm down on The Cape Of Cod for our annual family vacation week, so the actual model isn't available at the moment. And it's now ~12 years old so the model isn't likely current.

But, for any generation the core tech is shared across numerous models with the difference typically what is "included" with the unit.

I've never tried resealing mylar bags...

Cheers!

 

[renstyle]

I'm down on The Cape Of Cod for our annual family vacation week, so the actual model isn't available at the moment. And it's now ~12 years old so the model isn't likely current.

But, for any generation the core tech is shared across numerous models with the difference typically what is "included" with the unit.

I've never tried resealing mylar bags...

Cheers!

Good enuf for me. Enjoy your time away!

 

[AlexKay]

How much vacuum does a vacuum sealer pull (if a vacuum sealer could pull vacuum)? The ones I can find specs for suggest you’re getting half an atmosphere or something … this doesn’t seem like enough to make a big difference in longevity.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

this [half an atmosphere or something] doesn’t seem like enough to make a big difference in longevity.

This chart, mentioned here (link), summaries various storage approaches over time.

For HSI, when storing at freezing (-18C) temperatures, vacuum sealing vs air doesn't look like a significant factor. Note that it's possible that the specific hop oils needed for NEIPAs have different storage attributes.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I feel like I have had okay storage of my hops by just using the resealable bags they come in and squeezing out as much air as I can. I store them in the upper freezer of my beer fridge. It is not the coldest freezer, but enough to keep ice frozen.

I just ordered one of the Inkbird vacuum sealers that are on sale for Amazon Prime Days for $44. The review on Homebrew Finds looks okay and I have been reasonably happy with various Inkbird products that I have owned (at least for being inexpensive imported products). I figure it would be handy for repackaging 1 lb bags that I get on sale, and for packaging my homegrown hops (and maybe even for food products!).

Some buddies and I have talked about splitting up bulk hop buys and splitting them up. It can be hard to pass up the price on some 1 lb bags of hops, but I usually cannot go through 1 lb of hops in a timeline I am comfortable with.

https://www.homebrewfinds.com/2022/...43-39-on-prime-day-deals-hands-on-review.html

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Some buddies and I have talked about splitting up bulk hop buys and splitting them up. It can be hard to pass up the price on some 1 lb bags of hops, but I usually cannot go through 1 lb of hops in a timeline I am comfortable with.

https://www.homebrewfinds.com/2022/...43-39-on-prime-day-deals-hands-on-review.html

A good enough reason to brew more.

 

[Teufelhunde]

This chart, mentioned here (link), summaries various storage approaches over time.

View attachment 774769
For HSI, when storing at freezing (-18C) temperatures, vacuum sealing vs air doesn't look like a significant factor. Note that it's possible that the specific hop oils needed for NEIPAs have different storage attributes.

After reading that article, it is clear as mud.....

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

After reading that article, it is clear as mud

I offered cliff notes in reply #15 with regard to vacuum sealing (or not) at freezer temperatures.