Vacuum Sealer Bags are killing me

[joetothemo]

...anyone know of a way to get them any cheaper than retail? About the best I can find is $10.99 for an 8" roll.

I have hops to freeze and I really don't want to spend that much!

 

[Changeduser123]

Are you talking about the foodsaver bags ? Costco has a value pack with a great price. It is sold on their website, and I know it is available at my local warehouse as well.

 

[jbrookeiv]

I use these, and they work great. Perfect for 8oz of pellets.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BADTKQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[joetothemo]

Yes...I am talking about foodsaver bags. These things are like the printer ink of food storage. If that makes sense.

 

[jd3]

Ebay. Should be able to get a 8x50 foot roll for around that price. Also, I have good luck with the ebay precut bags. The nice part is you really end up wasting less(assumuming you fill them up) then with rolls. I always cut the wrong size....

 

[wyzazz]

Buy the Mason Jar attachment and start using Mason Jars.

 

[Bithead]

The bags are reusable although they eventually become too short.

 

[joetothemo]

The bags are reusable although they eventually become too short.

This is the mistake I made. I cut them all too short when I first got the sealer and packaged 5# of hops in 2 oz bags.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Try getting seal a meal bags at Target or Wal-Mart. I got a box of two rolls, don't know the dimensions though. I got mine around October of last year and I just know used up the first roll. I've gotten about 7lbs of Hops in that time. I believe they will work with the foodsaver units, and they were about 10 Bones. Hope that helps!

 

[Catt22]

Buy the Mason Jar attachment and start using Mason Jars.

I have two of the Mason Jar attachments, one for regular jars and one for the wide mouth jars. The attachment works very well and I can cram almost 6 oz of whole hops in a wide mouth quart jar. It has occurred to me that it may not be beneficial to store the hops in a vacuum sealed jar. I am thinking that maybe the reduction in pressure might cause the hops oils to evaporate faster than they would otherwise. When using the bags, the air is vacated and the bag collapses tight around the contents with very little remaining air space inside the bag. this is quite different from using the jars. I don't know one way or the other on this. Anyone have a clue?

 

[BrewThruYou]

When using the bags, the air is vacated and the bag collapses tight around the contents with very little remaining air space inside the bag. this is quite different from using the jars. I don't know one way or the other on this. Anyone have a clue?

It's still creating a vacuum. Try throwing a marshmallow in the mason jar, turning it on and see what happens.

 

[Catt22]

It's still creating a vacuum. Try throwing a marshmallow in the mason jar, turning it on and see what happens.

That's exactly my point. The hops cells will expand and probably burst when exposed to the vacuum much like a marshmallow expands. The question is, are the volatile hop oils escaping into the partial vacuum space inside the jar if this is happening. If so, these desirable hop essences would be lost when the jar is opened. Repeated opening and re-sealing the jar could make it even worse. I don't know if this happens or not, but seems like it could.

 

[wyzazz]

That's exactly my point. The hops cells will expand and probably burst when exposed to the vacuum much like a marshmallow expands. The question is, are the volatile hop oils escaping into the partial vacuum space inside the jar if this is happening. If so, these desirable hop essences would be lost when the jar is opened. Repeated opening and re-sealing the jar could make it even worse. I don't know if this happens or not, but seems like it could.

They wouldn't expand when the vacuum is created, it would be quite the opposite. Not sure I'm following why you think your logic wouldn't apply to a vacuum sealed bag instead of just a jar. I guess you could always try this out as an experiment. Save a couple oz of hops in a bag and another in a jar for 6moz, open and reseal them periodically, then brew side by side batches. I doubt you would find any differences that could be attributed to the hop storage methods.

FWIW I use bags and jars, both seem to work just fine.

 

[Catt22]

They wouldn't expand when the vacuum is created, it would be quite the opposite. Not sure I'm following why you think your logic wouldn't apply to a vacuum sealed bag instead of just a jar. I guess you could always try this out as an experiment. Save a couple oz of hops in a bag and another in a jar for 6moz, open and reseal them periodically, then brew side by side batches. I doubt you would find any differences that could be attributed to the hop storage methods.

FWIW I use bags and jars, both seem to work just fine.

Sure they would expand, just like a marshmallow does. Do your marshmallows get compressed when exposed to a vacuum? That would be very strange indeed. It's a much different situation with the bags as there is much less open space. A bag collapses close around the hops. That doesn't happen in a jar where the volume remains constant. I have about half of my hops in vacuum sealed jars right now. I would think that any degradation would happen slowly. I plan to continue using the jars until something indicates there might be a problem. I'll do some seat of the pants comparisons, but with so many variable and much relying on subjective impressions, the results probably won't be at all definitive. Don't get me wrong; I like the jars, but seems that we might be protecting the hops from oxidation at a cost in a reduction in aromatic oil utilization. Hopefully it makes no noticeable difference one way or the other.

 

[wyzazz]

Sure they would expand, just like a marshmallow does. Do your marshmallows get compressed when exposed to a vacuum? That would be very strange indeed. It's a much different situation with the bags as there is much less open space. A bag collapses close around the hops. That doesn't happen in a jar where the volume remains constant. I have about half of my hops in vacuum sealed jars right now. I would think that any degradation would happen slowly. I plan to continue using the jars until something indicates there might be a problem. I'll do some seat of the pants comparisons, but with so many variable and much relying on subjective impressions, the results probably won't be at all definitive. Don't get me wrong; I like the jars, but seems that we might be protecting the hops from oxidation at a cost in a reduction in aromatic oil utilization. Hopefully it makes no noticeable difference one way or the other.

I guess I've never watched to see if my hops expand, or I've never noticed it when creating a vacuum on a jar. And I've never vacuum sealed a marshmallow, although now that I think about it I guess they would try to take up the space left by the vacating air. If you do decide to do a comparison I'd be interested to hear what you find, while not definitive it will at least be something.

 

[EarthBound]

I know that the benefits from vacuum-sealing (removing the oxygen from) your hop containers are very significant which is why I use the foodsaver/masonjar technique, as well. However, I think any damage that the hop oils may observe is very small and probably negligible, especially if they're pellet hops. It may not be neglible with whole hops and if you vacuum the hops over and over. When you vacuum them, are you actually able to see the hops exanding? If so, you may have reason for suspicion. If not, I doubt there's any reason for concern. Maybe vacuuming the hops actually helps the hop utilization? I don't really know exactly what to think on this topic, but here's the BT article on it.

 

[passedpawn]

Bags allow you to remove the air, and thereby the oxygen.

Jars don't. Yes, there is a minor vacuum, but probably you've still got a lot of oxygen in there. I don't have any hard data here, I'm just guessing.

I would do bags.

 

[TripleHopped]

I think Costco has the vacuum bags on sale in their coupon book right now.

 

[Ender]

I use the mason jar atachment and flush with co2

 

[lschiavo]

Last time I bought them I got 2 rolls of 11"x50-ft. Total was under $50 shipped. I dont know how that compares to prices you are finding but if you want to check it out I got them here:

www.[B]bcuplastics[/B].com

 

[Catt22]

I did a test on a quart mason jar to see just how much air was being evacuated. I sealed an empty jar as best I could using a vacuum pump. Next, I submerged the jar and pried the lid open letting it suck in water. The lid was only slightly cracked and when the rush of water stopped I closed the lid and removed the jar from the water. The jar filled about 85% of the way. This was a crude experiment and the 85% is an estimate as I did not bother to actually measure it. I should have weighed the water for a more precise %. So, air is about 79% nitrogen, 19% oxygen and 2% other gasses. So, based on those assumptions, there should be less than 3% of the oxygen remaining in the jar. I have no idea if this is a significant amount or not, but I suspect not. I suppose that some vacuum pumps are better than others, so YMMV blah, blah, blah.

 

[Catt22]

I use the mason jar atachment and flush with co2

This is an excellent idea. I plan to start doing the same.

 

[Henrythe9th]

I have found that unfortunately Wall Mart has the best prices on food saver bags
9.99ea or the better buy of 39.99 for 2 8" rolls and 3 11" rolls
I don't like to shop there, but after searching the web you cant beat those prices

 

[jspence1]

Costco 4x11" rolls and 2x8" rolls for $39 and they frequently offer then at $8 - $10 off

 

[joetothemo]

I broke down and bought a 8" x 20' roll at Fred Meyer for $10.99 in a pinch (had 1LB of Cascade to package).

I'll plan on exploring these options when I make a bigger buy. It looks like any value is in greater qtys.

Thanks all