Storing hop pellets?

[Pyg]

I recently bought and extract kit, but did not plan on brewing it until March.
I have the LME & Dme in their sealed packages stored in the basement.

However the hop pellets arrived in a zip lock bag.
Not sure how to store them I tossed them in my beer fridge with the yeast.
My LHBS had them stored in the fridge.
Will they be ok in the fridge for a month or more?
Should I put them in a zip lock vacuum bag?

 

[Black Island Brewer]

The two enemies are heat and oxygen. If you can, vacuum seal then and put them in the freezer.

 

[sputnam]

how long will vacuum pack last?


how long will opened VP last that also gets put in ziplock bag?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Sub zero is best. HSI, or hop storage index, is calculated at 70ºF. If they are vacuum sealed and frozen you will be fine. I have hops in the freezer from a year ago that are vacuum sealed and frozen. My freezer runs from 0 to minus 5 ºF.

 

[ChefRex]

Feed them to a rabbit, they will be recycled and kept fresh indefinitely :fro:

 

[unionrdr]

I keep my hops in a ziplock freezer bag in their pouches/packets. Then on that small shelf in the freezer above the ice maker. Yeast in the butter cubby on the fridge door with LME in the fridge as well. The best way to store them a couple months or more in my opinion.

 

[soccerguy83]

Store LME in fridge as well?

 

[unionrdr]

Yup. LME & yeast in the fridge, Hops in the freezer. I keep my grains, DME & priming sugar (dextrose) in dunnage containers on my steel drier shelf in the brewery.

 

[Owly055]

Feed them to a rabbit, they will be recycled and kept fresh indefinitely :fro:

Isn't this how hops are made in to pellets in the first place.... by "hop rabbits"......

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Isn't this how hops are made in to pellets in the first place.... by "hop rabbits"......

Bravo!
This has all the makings for a " Things Billy-Klubb should be heard saying in public "post!

 

[Pyg]

Yup. LME & yeast in the fridge, Hops in the freezer. I keep my grains, DME & priming sugar (dextrose) in dunnage containers on my steel drier shelf in the brewery.

I kept my DME & LME in the box they came in, stored on top of a stack of wine boxes in the basement.

However when I go the any of the 3 LHBS, the keep both DME & LME stored on the shelf!

 

[unionrdr]

Mine does that too, even though hops & yeast are both kept in separate temp-controlled fridges. WTF?

 

[Konadog]

Isn't this how hops are made in to pellets in the first place.... by "hop rabbits"......

I always thought that's the way "Trix" cereal was made.....

 

[Pyg]

Yup. LME & yeast in the fridge, Hops in the freezer. I keep my grains, DME & priming sugar (dextrose) in dunnage containers on my steel drier shelf in the brewery.

I got home and put both the LME & DME in my mini beer fridge in the basement.
since I did not plan to cook for another month I wanted to keep a fresh as possible.
I read the date on the ingredients and I won't be buying a LHBS kit or Ingredients from this place again.

Anyone know the life expectancy of DME & LME ?

 

[unionrdr]

I've kept DME & LME for a couple months before using sealed & properly stored. DME will last longer, being dried.

 

[eadavis80]

I've always just thrown the hop pellets in the freezer and kept steeping grains and extract in my basement which is just under of 60 degrees. I've brewed kits that I received 3-4 months before brewing day and the beer tasted fine. I think pitch count and fermentation temperature is way more important than how long you've had the ingredients. Sure, fresher is better, but right on Northern Brewer grains it reads they're fine within 6 months.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, grains keep a long time if kept sealed, cool & dry. But I keep LME in the fridge to make sure it lasts fresh as possible till used.

 

[Pyg]

Guess I should not have thrown the DME in the fridge.

My issue with keeping stuff fresh is that some LHBS keep everything sitting on shelves as the sunlight peeks through the store window.
So by the time I have purchased the item it has been sitting around the store for who knows how long.
So does my throwing everthing in the fridge make that much of a difference?

for the record I am not too worried about my ingredients, the beer will be fine, after all it is beer!

 

[solbes]

Hops in da freezer, LME (unopened) and yeast in da fridge. DME in the cupboard. Grains in the basement. Thats how I do it.

I think you will be fine except for possibly the LME. LME that is old can stale out and give you a twangy aftertaste. When I brewed extract, I ended up buying from a large brew shop because the LME is in and out the door in under a week due to high volumes and turnover. No reason not to use it, but I would try to brew with it soon. No sense in letting it sit around longer when it could be turned into a tasty adult beverage.

 

[unionrdr]

Well, I did that at first & everything was OK for the couple weeks it might sit till used. But grains & DME last longer & better in the two dunnage containers I now put them in in the brewery. Dry & room temp is good.

 

[douglasbarbin]

Sounds like you need to find a better LHBS. Ziploc bags, seriously?