Hops and malt storage

[Aracer]

What is the best way to storage hops and malt once they are opened?

 

[RM-MN]

For malted grain, just close the bag to keep rodents and insects out. It will keep well for a long time in a dry warm location. Hops store better cold and without air. If you can vacuum seal them it will be better but just pushing as much air out of the bag before resealing it won't be bad. I put mine in the refrigerator for short term storage (couple months) or freezer for long term.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Brulosophy podcast 46: Maintaining Hop Freshness.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-5-gal-70mil-Food-Safe-Bucket-White-005GFSWH020/300197644
Food grade buckets with gamma lids for grain
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai...N0KDRBpHFq6BFnYbn3XPoGb0UOuT22JoaAu1fEALw_wcB


Zipper Mylar bags for hop storage. Fridge or freezer. I store individual hops varieties in the smaller Mylar bags, then store all the individual bags in the larger versions in the freezer. I have had hops last 1+ years this way with only mild degradation.

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Shiel...ZBW1HQ9ZYRG&psc=1&refRID=M4XW1PGFPZBW1HQ9ZYRG




ETA: I buy all my ingredients in bulk. Before the buckets/gamma lids I used a Rubbermaid brute trash can with lid, and would store all my grain in their bags in there. Worked very well, but was heavy, had to remove lots of grain bags if grain you wanted was on bottom, and the footprint is rather large.

With the buckets I can sort individually and stack and store in various nooks and cranny throughout the house.

 

[Aracer]

For malted grain, just close the bag to keep rodents and insects out. It will keep well for a long time in a dry warm location. Hops store better cold and without air. If you can vacuum seal them it will be better but just pushing as much air out of the bag before resealing it won't be bad. I put mine in the refrigerator for short term storage (couple months) or freezer for long term.

And for the yeast? thank you

 

[Oginme]

For grains, I use food containers which seal to keep foods fresh. Mostly I reuse the containers that we buy nuts in and clean them out thoroughly before repurposing with grains. Base malts are kept in 5-gal food rated plastic pails with gamma lids on them or, for the three most used base malts, in sealed food storage bins.

For hops, vacuum sealed in original or mylar bags and store in the freezer.

Yeast is a bit more complicated. I will save yeast slurry in sterilized canning jars with loose lids in the refrigerator for up to a couple of months. Anything I want to keep longer or those strains I suspect may be contaminated, I streak on agar plates. Once I have good colony growth, I seal the plates and put them in the refrigerator for longer storage.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

And for the yeast? thank you

My method for yeast. I don’t try to salvage yeast from the fermenter. I make more starter than I need and pull some before pitching. I will use that as my starter for next batch.

My process: mason jars (various sizes depending on use) get washed thoroughly, dried, then put in to the oven along with metal rings at 250 for 2 hours. Then left to cool. The lids get doused with star San. I add a little more grain than my recipe calls for, then I pull some unhopped wort and boil that on stove top, while the rest of the wort goes to make beer.

After a 15 minute boil, I put mason jars with the small amount of wort I reserved, stick the sanitized lid, and metal band on and set aside until cool. This will be used to step up starters. The yeast that does not get pitched will go in to another mason and sealed, and be used next time as starter, and the wort will be used to step up. Then stored in fridge.

I used to do DME days before to prep starters and steps, but I found incorporating the above process in to my brew day worked better (for me)

This is short term storage method. Maybe 60 days in the fridge. For long term storage you would need cultures.

I have kept about 1/2 dozen different strains this way for years.

ETA: there is not much yeast reserved from the “pre pitch”. I use a large mason jar to store the yeast. The yeast takes up less than 1/4 of the jar, closer to maybe an eighth. This allows me to put a lid on it. Between the extra large head space, and the refrigerated temps it allows for whatever CO2 might still be produced. I have never had a jar break on me, but it is entirely possible if you over fill. If that is a concern you could just lay lid on top with no band, and put the band on it after 5 days or so. That you give time to off gas and stabilize.

 

[wallyLOZ]

For malt, I use a Gamma airtight pet food container. The link below is the container I use. There are additional sizes and configurations available. LHBS has the angled version and they stack them.

https://smile.amazon.com/Vittles-Va...55JGQ0QSYW1&psc=1&refRID=C0PFK8PH555JGQ0QSYW1

Hops are refrigerated for short term. Have not had to store hops for more than about four months.

Yeast is also refrigerated. Haven't tried to salvage and reuse yeast at this point.

 

[z-bob]

For base malts, I store them in white plastic buckets with snap on lids in the basement. (I don't like Gamma lids) Specialty grains, I just close them up in the original bags in a box on the shelf. Hops pellets get stored in their original Mylar bags which are then put inside a Ziplock freezer bag and stored in the deep freezer -- for up to several years.

 

[Beer-lord]

I second the Vittle Vaults. I've had 5 large ones for almost 8 years and they still look new. Stackable and airtight. Not the cheapest but they will last longer than you'll live!