storing questions

[TheCollector]

So to save on shipping I ordered 3 ingredient kits at once all LME kits with whole leaf hops. I brewed the first but it won't be ready for another 3-4 week's to move to secondary.... Will my other LME be ok at room temp in the mean time? And also I have extra hops I wanna save from each batch cause the come in 2 oz bags. How do I make them keep? I put some in baggies in the freezer.

 

[j_adkison27]

Your LME will be good for a very long time. Your whole hops are a completely different matter. Keep them cool and out of light. (fridge). I keep extras of all my left-over hops too and when I accumulate enough, I mix them all up and make an IPA with all of it. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. But always interesting!

 

[TheCollector]

Even the vacuum sealed ones? Fridge them too? Was it bad to put the opened ones in the freezer? Room temp for the LME ok?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

LME will stale so stick it in the fridge. I store ALL hops in the freezer and vacuum seal opened packages but keep them in the Mylar to avoid exposure to light. If that isn't an option then press out as much air as possible (would still keep the Mylar bags) from a Ziploc and keep in the freezer. Fridge at the very least but not room temp.

 

[ChrisJPassarelli]

Hops degrade exponentially faster at higher temperatures, so absolutely keep them cold when you can. As long as they're in the light-proof vacuumed packets you're in better shape, but I'm with TANSTAAFB once they're open. Get those babies cold and get as much oxygen as possible out -- If we're talking about a couple weeks I wouldn't worry toooo much but if they start degrading you get that horrid, sweaty cheesy smell. Before using them, warm a pinch up to room temp and smell them. Easy to tell if you want them in your beer or not.