Storing ingredients (lots of questions)

[Redpappy]

So I have done a search on this, but most of the results have been several years ago. So what I am basically looking for is currant short answers, cause I know this can be answered in lengthy detail.

1. Hops, how long can you store them in the freezer, with them being kept in a zip lock bag. And how long in a vacuumed sealed bag? I have read that you can keep them for a year + in vacuum sealed bag. (Edited part- hops will be pellets, not sure if there would be a difference, but thought I would add it)

2. How long can keep dry Yeast? 1) in the fridge 2) in the freezer. 3) opened packages.

3. Graines. 1) un milled 2) milled..... in both scenarios they will be in a bucket.

4. Last, but not least is LME. does anyone keep this on hand, and if so how long would it be good for.( this one I have not done a search on, just thought of it)


I know I’m asking a lot, I’m trying to figure out my options and equipment that I will be needing.

 

[MaxStout]

These are just ballpark figures I'm going by, so YMMV. You're going to get a variety of answers here from different brewers.

1. Probably 6 months in ziplocs, maybe up to 2 years if vacuum-sealed. And in the freezer the whole time.
2. 1 year beyond use-by date if it's in the fridge the whole time. Opened packages--use within a few days. I've never frozen yeast, though some people do.
3. Unmilled--a year or so. Milled, a few months. In airtight containers.
4. I don't use LME, but keep some DME around for starters. For LME, about 6 months in a sealed container. DME can last a couple years, especially if kept in the fridge.

 

[Redpappy]

I figured I would get different answers. In all, I think it will help me figure out what all equipment I need and my limitations will be. Originally I was thinking of having small fridge (dorm fridge size) but I am having second thoughts on that.

 

[Juno_Malone]

From my experience:

1. Ziploc, I'd say 3-6 months. Vacuum sealed, up to two years maybe? Pellets keep longer than leaf. I always go with the smell test - open up the hops a day or two before brewing and give them a whiff. If I'm getting cheesy notes, I'll toss 'em and swing by the HBS to pick up fresher ones. I've only run in to a cheesy smell after about 1.5 years in the freezer (vac sealed), but it's very possible that they were already a year old when I purchased them.

2. Dry yeast in the fridge, probably up to the best before date if not a little past. Frozen, I'd say up to a year past the best before date, but you'll want to rehydrate older yeast in warm (~80F) water prior to pitching just to give it a leg up. I freeze all of my dry yeast packets.

3. Milled, probably best to use them within a month or two if you are keeping them cool, air-tight, and away from light. Unmilled, vacuum sealed, probably a year or two.

4. LME is probably fine in the fridge for several months. DME has a better shelf life (I've completely moved away from LME, and really only keep DME on hand for making starters) - probably a year or two. I just keep mine in the cupboard, not sure whether refrigeration would help (moisture + DME is bad, so I'd be worried about condensation forming inside the bag in the fridge. But I've never tried it.)

 

[Calder]

1. Ziplock in freezer, maybe a year. Remember the HSI is the amount of acids lost when left at 70 F for 6 months opened. Ziplock in freezer is much better. Vacuumed in freezer - many years. Some places will sell you 3 year old hops, so they should be good for a few years. I have quite a few that are 5 years old, and are still good.

2. Dry yeast in the fridge will lose ~4% per year. You do the math. The 'use by' date is if it is stored at room temp, so it will last way past the use by date in the fridge. I'd say 10 years for fridge.

3. It depends on the grains. Smoked grains lose their 'smokiness' relatively quickly. 6 months will show a difference. Milled grains, I would recommend no longer than a year. Whole grains will last several years, but their diastatic power will start to drop after about 18 months.

4. LME - Sealed. In plastic containers, could last 5 years, but will darken over time. Store cooled (I keep mine in the fridge) to minimize change. Recommend using within a couple of years. In tins, I would recommend using within a year. It seems to take on some 'twang' from the metal container. Unsealed - keep cool, and use ASAP.

It is said that LME gets less fermentable over time, but that is not my experience. I gave up brewing for 7 years and had about 10 lbs of light LME that I kept over that time. It was an opened 33 lb container and did have a layer of vodka on top, and was kept at basement temp (not cool, but also not hot).

My first brew when I started back used that old LME. The light LME had turned really dark, but fermented out well, didn't seem to have an attenuation problem. Beer was Ok, but I don't think I would ever use LME in that state again.

 

[bpgreen]

1. I buy in bulk (1 lb) and grow my own (haven't had to buy any for a while). I usually split bulk hops into 4 oz packages, vacuum seal and freeze them. If I use less than 4 oz, I vacuum seal what's left and refreeze. I've got some that are several years old. I vacuum seal and freeze my homegrown hops in 1 oz packages.

I haven't had any go cheesy on me since I've been vacuum sealing and freezing. I did have one batch get that way, and the smell is unmistakeable.

2. I freeze all dry yeast as soon as I get it. I've got some Nottingham yeast that I bought for a ridiculous price about 5 years ago. The best-by date is 01-2014, but I brewed a batch a couple of weeks ago and got 83% attenuation using a single pack in a 5 gallon batch. I was distracted and forgot to rehydrate the yeast, but it still did its job.

3. I get most of my grains unmilled. I'll buy a kit with milled grains every once in a while, and usually try to brew that as soon as I have time and an empty fermenter and keg. My LHBS lets me buy grains by the bag and use them as I need them, so I never really store them for long.

4. As others have noted, DME stores better than LME. LME doesn't spoil, but, as previously pointed out, it will darken over time. @Calder didn't see a loss in fermentability, but I bought some canned LME that definitely lost fermentability over time.

My LHBS sells LME in bulk. It's really fresh when they sell it, which makes a difference. Years ago, I asked them about storage, and I think they said that it would be good for 3-6 months at room temperature (if I remember correctly, they said that it should be 6 months, but the barrel might have been in the store for 3 months; more recently, they seem to go through a barrel in a week or two), roughly double that refrigerated, and almost indefinitely refrigerated. If you store it at room temperature, it can develop mold on the surface (not where I live, because the humidity is too low). To prevent that, many people pour a layer of vodka on top. Any booze will work; it's just used to protect the LME from the air.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

1. Hops, how long can you store them in the freezer, with them being kept in a zip lock bag. And how long in a vacuumed sealed bag? I have read that you can keep them for a year + in vacuum sealed bag.

There's quite a bit of research on this kind of thing - but it does depend hugely on variety - the half-life of alpha in Cascade is about 5 months (in air at 68F) but for Nugget it's about 2 years. The other compounds decline at different rates, but broadly they will be similar to the alpha acids.

The big enemies of hops are oxygen, light and temperature. As above, in air at room temperature you might typically lose 60-70% of the alpha in a year. Vacuum pack or store them cold and that goes down to about 20%, vacuum pack AND cold gets that down to about 10%. The big thing is getting them down to fridge temperature, there is some benefit to freezing but it's not that great over the fridge. Since I'm limited on freezer space, I keep unopened bags in the fridge and 1-2 open bags in the freezer, which is also an encouragement to keep using up the open bags before opening new ones!

So it's up to you - it depends a bit on what kind of inventory you intend to keep. If you're doing a lot of different styles with complex hop bills, then you'll probably want more freezer space. If you only brew lambics then all you will be using are old hops, the more aged the better and you won't want any cold storage at all. Being organised and disciplined with purchasing makes a big difference - I have a pretty good idea of what my next 4 brews or so are going to be, and I'm trying to cut back on my habit of buying stuff when I see it just because I fancy it - I've only got maybe 3 bags of hops that I don't have a specific plan for right now, and even that's too much.

 

[SouthPhillyBr3w3r]

1) I haven't tested the limits of hop storage, but i keep mine vac-sealed in the freezer. I have never held onto a pound for more than a few months before it has been used up. I know that the volatile oils will oxidize and degrade, and alpha acids degrade with time. That being said, I have heard that exposing hops to air the night before using them to dry-hop a beer will oxidize the volatile oils, thus making them semi-polar and increasing the solubility dramatically. I haven't tried this, but I heard an episode of BeerSmith Podcast (#152 w/ Stan Hieronymus) where they discuss hop-oils and this comes up.

2) I usually use liquid yeast, and I mix the slurry with 30% glycerin 70% distilled water in a 1:2 ratio before freezing it in centrifuge vials and storing it in my freezer, inside a cooler with ice-packs. I have thawed and re-animated vials of yeast after months of storage by building them back up in starters.

3) I haven't bought bulk grain yet, but I plan on buying a 50 lb sack of 2-Row soon. I keep my grains un-milled until the night before brew day (I have a barley crusher). I have heard that un-milled grain will keep 6+ months in a closed bucket/bin. Milled grain goes stale after a week or so.

4) I don't usually use LME, but I know that some smaller LHBS will keep cans on the shelf indefinitely until it sells. As long as it doesn't get too hot, it is usually fine (store at 55-70'F). I use DME for yeast starters, and I treat its storage like I would treat brown sugar. Keep it closed and dry. It will clump in humidity, and become very sticky. It can get moldy after it is wet and sticky.

In short, it seems best practices are to keep hops vac'd and frozen, grains whole and dry, dry yeast cold and sealed, liquid yeast frozen in glycol, and liquid extract sealed and away from temp extremes.

 

[chezhed]

I have heard that exposing hops to air the night before using them to dry-hop a beer will oxidize the volatile oils, thus making them semi-polar and increasing the solubility dramatically.

Hey thanks for that! I recently brewed a recipe several times and meticulously duplicated everything I could imagine and but still was missing as strong a hop aroma as the first batch.....I think you answered the question! I am reasonably sure that I got the dry hop out for that batch the previous evening and I know I did not on the others....never thought that would make a difference. BINGO!!! THANK YOU!


I too have stored pellet hops frozen, vacuum sealed and in brown paper bags for several years with little loss of flavor. I have done leaf for 2 years.

I have used dry yeast kept in a refrigerator for a year past its "best by" date. But once opened, throw it out....it won't survive 24 hours unless you can vacuum seal it and refrigerate it and even then, not much more that 24 hours according to manufacturers.

Bulk grain in bags from some sources arrives with "best by dates" and for example, I have some Weyerman that arrived and the date is 2 years from my receipt.....so it had to come from Germany to a distributor and then to me....so obviously over 2 years is acceptable for raw grain. I too concur with 6 months in an airtight container..

Shelf life of LME depends upon manufacturer....Briess in plastic and sealed has a longer life than Munton in can.....although I have only noticed the color change as previously mentioned in using them way past the date...Briess as much as 18 months.

So not much difference than others....just err on the side of caution.

 

[SouthPhillyBr3w3r]

Glad

Hey thanks for that! I recently brewed a recipe several times and meticulously duplicated everything I could imagine and but still was missing as strong a hop aroma as the first batch.....I think you answered the question! I am reasonably sure that I got the dry hop out for that batch the previous evening and I know I did not on the others....never thought that would make a difference. BINGO!!! THANK YOU!


I too have stored pellet hops frozen, vacuum sealed and in brown paper bags for several years with little loss of flavor. I have done leaf for 2 years.

I have used dry yeast kept in a refrigerator for a year past its "best by" date. But once opened, throw it out....it won't survive 24 hours unless you can vacuum seal it and refrigerate it and even then, not much more that 24 hours according to manufacturers.

Bulk grain in bags from some sources arrives with "best by dates" and for example, I have some Weyerman that arrived and the date is 2 years from my receipt.....so it had to come from Germany to a distributor and then to me....so obviously over 2 years is acceptable for raw grain. I too concur with 6 months in an airtight container..

Shelf life of LME depends upon manufacturer....Briess in plastic and sealed has a longer life than Munton in can.....although I have only noticed the color change as previously mentioned in using them way past the date...Briess as much as 18 months.

So not much difference than others....just err on the side of caution.

Glad I could help!