Bulk hops. How long will they last?

[tcmonk]

If I were to but hops in bulk, store them in "self sealing" mason jars in the freezer how long will they last? I am starting to buy things in bulk and any feed back on storage of hops and grain would be helpful. Thanks
TONY

[siwelwerd]

You really want to vacuum seal your hops for them to last any length of time.

[BDawg]

A vacuum sealer like one of these works very well.
Properly sealed pellet hops last a LONG time when stored frozen.

[rwcbeerclub]

Fresh aroma hops fade quickly when exposed to air, so a month maybe in a bag in a cool place after having been dried out.

If you follow the above advice and vacuum pack them, a season at least maybe longer. The anti-bacterial properties remain long after the aroma has faded. Certain Belgian beers are specifically brewed with really old hops, a year or long in the tooth, to counter the everything and the kitchen sink approach when using wild yeasts without the aroma or strong bittering.

In my small brewing experience, the bittering fades across a time line of months, though I think it's pretty flat for the first six months if properly stored in the freezer in a sealed bag.

The biggest risk I have encountered is failing to properly dry them out. I have a gallon bag go bad in the freezer in month because of too much residual moisture.

My hop plants seem to have cones ready twice, late August then all the lazy growing vines in October so I haven't really had to store them too long before I use them all up. By spring I am buying hops again until my cones come in.

I do have on bag of hops, from three years go in the freezer. I taste them every now and then. They are still good; a very slight bitter taste, no aroma, quite fragile to touch. I have not tried to brew with them yet.

[thatguy314]

A vacuum sealer like one of these works very well.
Properly sealed pellet hops last a LONG time when stored frozen.

Also if you can get bags like these http://safetycentral.com/myfostba6x81.html they'll last even longer

Let's say you get a pound of hops from hops direct or nikobrew (they're usually slightly over a pound anyways). I find success packing them 2oz at a time. So at $0.35 cents per bag, that adds about $1.75 per oz cost to it (plus the cost of a food-saver). Is getting a foodsaver worth the cost? Probably not, if you're just doing it for hops, unless you use multiple pounds of hops per year. If you do, then it'll pay itself off in a year or 2. if you use it to store meats and fish and other stuff, then yes it's probably worth it, even if you use smaller amounts of hops.

A friend of mine works at a gourmet grocery, so we split some pounds up and sealed it in mylar at his work. It was very economical and the hops have been stored excellently. Far better than my amateur attempts with the reynolds vacuusealer (which only works well sometimes).

[Quin]

I mainly use German magnum hops for bittering and brew a Helles (or variant) about every other batch. A pound of Magnum hops stored in the freezer lasts me about a year. I don't really notice a decrease in bittering over time with this variety.

It will depend on the varieties you use.