[trapae]

 I know this topic has been talked about a lot, but just wanted some new perspectives.
If I vacuum seal pellet Hops and freeze them and the vacuum seal stays tight, how long would most of you say they stay fresh and usable. I have some year old hops that have been stored as above and want to use them this week. Is a year too long, should I just buy new hops?

[Bob357]

Not a problem. A couple of years is OK if they were properly handled and stored before they were vacuum sealed and frozen. I have used hops that were frozen in their original oxygen free packaging for 3 or 4 years without issue.

[Steve Ruch]

I had some amarillo that was still good at the five year mark.

[yso191]

I would say that it depends on what you want to use them for.  If for flavor and aroma (oils), go with your nose.  If for alpha acids... I wouldn't without finding out what the HSI (Hop Storage Index) is and doing the calculation to see what is still there in terms of bittering ability.  Different varieties lose AA at varying rates.  Some are shockingly quick.

[mabrungard]

Don't worry, I've used hops that are 4 or more years old that were stored in resealed metallized mylar and kept in the freezer. I think the hop storage index goes out the door when the storage temperature is below zero F.

[KellerBrauer]

I have also used hops that were several years old with no issue or loss of flavor or aroma.  I think vacuum packed and frozen should preserve them very well.

[denny]

I agree with Steve....it depends.  I'vrr used years old resealed hops a lot.  Sometimes they're better than others.  I think it general it works out, but you need to decide on a case by case basis.

[yso191]

Here is a link that does a good job detailing the dynamic.  A handy chart by variety is a little past halfway.

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/storing_hops_properly

Personally I have enough OCD and can afford it, so every Fall I throw out any unused hops from the previous year.  I'm not making beer for profit, I want the best beer possible.  If that means spending an additional $10-20 on a 5 gallon batch, I do it.  But that's me.

[Visor]

  Is your freezer frost-free or manual defrost, upright or chest? The "shelf life" of anything stored in an upright frost-free freezer is only a fraction of that of stuff stored in a manual defrost chest freezer. The defrost cycle is not conducive to long term storage, even if the manufacturers vehemently deny that it has any effect. Chest freezers have an inherent advantage over uprights with regards to long term effects of storage because there is much less exchange of warm ambient air with the cold air in the freezer each time the door is opened, open the door on an upright and cold air immediately starts spilling out on the floor and is replaced by warm air. Continual thawing and refreezing of the freezer's contents, whether from the defrost cycle or air change from opening the door is the major cause of degradation of a freezer's contents.

[trapae]

I use FoodSaver bags, not Mylar.  Any tips on sealing Mylar with FoodSaver vacusealer.  I found online some people just use a FoodSaver stripe at the sealing end of the Mylar?

[mabrungard]

Mylar is a heat-sealable plastic film. No problems resealing the bag.

[Robert]

Just did a quick search on Amazon.   You can get Mylar vacuum storage bags and oxygen absorbing packets in various sizes and quantities.   Pretty cool idea.  I've always used regular FoodSaver bags, might consider switching.

[BrewBama]

Here’s a source: https://shop.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/1-Quart-5MIL-Zipper-Mylar-Bags-Pack-of-25-500QZ-25.htm

Lisa is a certified Kansas City Barbecue judge and the owner of Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. She posts coupons on the BBQ forums each month. You might call her for a price cut.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Robert]

So the down side of Mylar is you need to spend a grand or three on a chamber vacuum sealing machine to use them.  Aside from light protection, and let me say it's usually pretty dark in my freezer,  how much if any improvement in oxygen exclusion do they offer over regular FoodSaver bags?  How significant would it be in terms of storage life for our hops?

[mabrungard]

To my knowledge, Foodsaver bags have little, if any, oxygen barrier. The metalized mylar has very high oxygen impermeability. I seal mylar bags with a standard impulse sealer and I don't vacuum. I just squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible prior to sealing.