Looking to stock hops, Need some tips

[Hank_McGee]

Hi everybody =), so I am looking to more or less stock up on some hops because my LHBS is up to an hour and a half away, sooo.. as you can guess not a trip I like to do everytime I want to brew =P. So, my idea is to stock 5 to 10 oz of some of my favorite hops, Willamette, no brewer, fuggles, warrior, EKG, etc. anyways.. I have plenty of ball jars and co2, ive been researching and it seems some people stock them in those and put a co2 planket over them, seal me up and freeze them. Another seen research is vacuum sealing with an oxygen barrier material, where would I find this material of bags and what is it called? =), and are the ball jars better than vacuum seal or is vacuum seal better than ball jars? thanks ahead of time for the tips everyone! Happy brewing!

 

[FATC1TY]

I'd suggest buying in bulk in the fall when the harvest takes place. You buy normally in 1 pound increments. 5-10oz can go pretty fast!

I personally end up stocking around 15-20 pounds of hops, pellets and whole leaf.

I bought a vacuum sealer for my hops, a Food Saver.. They have the bags that you can make whatever size you need and seal them up in whatever amount you want. I do 2 ounce and 5 ounce bags. Normally I have enough bag left to cut it open, use what I want and seal it back again for next time. No need for flushing it with co2, as there is little to no oxygen left in the bag, and it's sealed tight.

The biggest thing is to keep them in the freezer when you aren't using them, as it keeps the alpha acids from breaking down.

 

[Hank_McGee]

I'd suggest buying in bulk in the fall when the harvest takes place. You buy normally in 1 pound increments. 5-10oz can go pretty fast!

I personally end up stocking around 15-20 pounds of hops, pellets and whole leaf.

I bought a vacuum sealer for my hops, a Food Saver.. They have the bags that you can make whatever size you need and seal them up in whatever amount you want. I do 2 ounce and 5 ounce bags. Normally I have enough bag left to cut it open, use what I want and seal it back again for next time. No need for flushing it with co2, as there is little to no oxygen left in the bag, and it's sealed tight.

The biggest thing is to keep them in the freezer when you aren't using them, as it keeps the alpha acids from breaking down.

Thanks! Do you have any suggestions on brand or kind of food saver/ what price an things I should be looking for and also just shop online? I live in a small mountain town so not much stuff is available to me besides Walmart and target about 15 miles away and Costco 60 miles away

 

[kh54s10]

I use an older version of this. http://www.walmart.com/ip/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Sealer/16652298 The bag material comes in rolls. You seal one end of the "tube" then insert the hops, suck out the air and it seals. Then throw the hops in the freezer. I have some that is getting pretty old but it is still giving me good beer.

 

[FATC1TY]

Just look up Foodsaver, it's a brand name food vac system. They have them everywhere.

 

[BigRedHopHead]

I use the foodsaver with the mason jar lid attachment. This seals the jar by sucking all the air out of it. Quart jar will hold a pound of hops. Pint jars work great for smaller quantities. I find this method easier and cheaper than spending lots of $$ on bags, which are expensive. When I am ready I pull the jar out of the freezer, measure my amounts, put the lid back on and seal it back up. The lid is off for maybe a couple minutes before I seal it back up. Works great IMO.

 

[FATC1TY]

The jars work great for pellets, but I find the bags to be much better if you use a fair bit of whole leaf, as I can get them pretty flat and they store easier in plastic bins in the homebrew freezer.

The mason jar attachment is nice though, and works great if you find that you pull out small amounts here and there and never enough to justify having a larger bag that will get cut open and resealed each time, getting smaller ever seal!

 

[MichaelBrock]

I have been using a Seal-a-Meal sealer for storing hops (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009EQJTFS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20). A bit cheaper than the Food Saver with the same features and it can use the Food Saver & generic bags (just like the Food Saver can). I have been using bags to store my hops because it takes less space. However, I think I'm going to switch to small jars for the hops I use most often (like Magnum).