Storing open containers of extract and hops

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cannman

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I'm thinking of buying in bulk hops and liquid or dry malt. I intend to only brew 5 gallon batches every 2 weeks so I will need to store the stuff for a few weeks to a few months if not used. Is there a way to do this that won't compromise quality? I appreciate you advise!

-C
 
Hops - Freeze, preferably in vacuum bags, otherwise store with as little air as possible. Will keep for a couple of years. Will lose some potency, but not too much. There are some calculators to adjust if you want to be a purist.

LME - Will darken if opened. People say store in fridge. I use 33 lb containers and use in about 6 brews. I just leave sealed in basement at low 60s temp with no problem.

DME - If you keep it dry, it should be fine. Can be stored at room temps. If it gets damp it will become a rock, but still be useable (the sugar will still be there).

Grain - Store dry (uncrushed) and it will last years.
 
I have some LME buckets that I'm going to save for next November. If I can squeeze any more batches in this year then I'll pour the contents of the buckets into ziplock freezer bags and into the freezer and rinse the buckets into the wort.

Although I have read about pouring a layer of vodka over the LME in the buckets so I might just freeze them that way and pour off the vodka in the fall when I return them to the fridge. Anybody do this?
 
i don't freeze my lme, but i do buy it premixed from BMW 6 months in advance sometimes and to avoid returning to moldy lme i add a thin layer of vodka on top. it's worked like a charm for 6 month storage at ~68F in a shaded area. as for darkening...it's unavoidable with lme.
i wish i had a basement...damn apartment building.
 
It makes more sense from both a cost and a length of storage standpoint to go all-grain and store the grain. In a dry air-tight container, grain will last a long, long time. A 50lb bag of grain will only take you a few months to use up at your production rate and be much cheaper than dried or liquid extract.

I can't really answer your question about extracts as I rarely use them anymore, but DME seems to store better than LME.

L
 
It makes more sense from both a cost and a length of storage standpoint to go all-grain and store the grain. In a dry air-tight container, grain will last a long, long time. A 50lb bag of grain will only take you a few months to use up at your production rate and be much cheaper than dried or liquid extract.

I can't really answer your question about extracts as I rarely use them anymore, but DME seems to store better than LME.

L

I don't think grain is going to store longer than LME and I know it won't outlast DME.
 
I don't think grain is going to store longer than LME and I know it won't outlast DME.

LME changes color pretty quickly. DME is pretty long lasting. But the primary purpose of buying in bulk is to save $$ and that's best done by getting rid of malt extract altogether.

I'm not saying you can't brew perfectly good beer with extract, just that it's not the most economical way to go.

L
 
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