Because I don’t sleep well at night, I got to thinking. When did you all start buying in bulk? Both grains and hops? I have a small fridge in my shop that I could store hops in, or do they need to be frozen? Also, I am sure I have to use a special bucket to store them with an air tight seal. Just kinds curious when and which grains you all seem to buy in bulk most.
I quit buying in bulk because of storage issues. I buy three recipes at a time to get the cost into free shipping territory and store them in individual food safe buckets with gamma lids. I store hops in the freezer.
I used to homebrew enough that I bought multiple sacks of Pilsner and Maris Otter. First was a group buy through a homebrew club then a homebrew shop who gave me a discount on sacks that I pre ordered. It was great.
I have also ordered hops in bulk. In both cases you better have a way to seal and store them. The grain must be sealed off from mice in large plastic containers and the hops must be sealed and either purged with co2 or vacuum sealed and stored cold/frozen.
Question on freezing hops. If I vacuum seal and freeze hops, how long will they keep?
I’m still using 2016 Willamette hops that were frozen in their original packaging since I received them in late 2017. The HSI for Willamette is ~38%, so their AA% is now under 3% but they still work well for flavor and aroma additions. These came from Yakima Valley Hops, so I’m confident that they were handled and stored under optimum conditions, which is an important factor.
Once I open the original packaging for use, the remainder is stored in a vacuum sealed Mason jar and generally used within 6 months.
Years is not out of the question.
I had some amarillo stored frozen without vacuum sealing that were still good close to the five year mark.
I usually buy from Hop Heaven a couple pounds at a time and store them vacuum sealed in the freezer. Personally I ignore the part about hops losing alpha acids with age when stored this way.
I buy one sack of base malt from the local Homebrew shop, which lasts about four 10-gallon batches.
Did anybody see the guy from Michigan at HomebrewCon Expo who was selling vacuum sealed frozen fresh hops? He had some three year old hops that smelled fantastic. Blue Lake Hops
I started buying hops in bulk pretty early on. I’d buy one pound for bittering and sometimes flavor/aroma. I would keep a few four ounce packs in the freezer as well. Now that I have some more space I have a few pounds stored plus a slowly growing inventory of home grown hops. I’ve stored hops in ziploc bags in the freezer and used them for years without issues. Granted, I’m not buying the more fragile newer varieties. I don’t know that I would be as keen to store them that way. I am trying to break up the bulk pounds into vacuum sealed bags these days.
I didn’t start buying grain in bulk until just a few years ago when I had the space to store an entire sack. Now I keep unmalted wheat, pils and pale malt in bulk but everything else I tend to buy anywhere from one to five pounds depending on use. I don’t brew with any specialty malts enough to justify buying anything else in bulk. (I brew with a lot of unmalted wheat.)
There is certainly a balance to strike in how you buy ingredients. Buying bulk can save a lot but if you end up throwing out a lot of unused ingredients because they get long in the tooth you may not save much and find yourself less happy with your beers.
The mylar hop bags can be sealed with a flat iron or hair straightener after being purged with Co2. Really convenient.
I would like to buy a vacuum sealer but the “purchasing department” says no. I have tried to sell it as something that can be used for storing and freezing food as well as hops, but that has not been persuasive. The problem is not the cost but the plastic waste generated. I don’t have an answer to that. Purging and resealing may be the answer.
I try to keep the brewing clutter to a minimum. For me, that means no vacuum sealer and a modest amount of hops in the freezer. Also, I’m not that confident in the plastic bags that most vacuum sealers use - I think some oxygen will get in. So I make an order about once per year from Yakima Valley - all 2 oz vacuum sealed foil bags. Once a bag is opened, the remainder becomes bittering hops - not finishing.
I use FoodSaver redeemable bags which at least cuts down on waste. And I use mine much more for food than hops.
i do not brew enough to bother buying in bulk and i tend to jump around between different grains, though am increasingly narrowing it down to more commonly used 3 or 4.
I got some Crystal hops from him back when he first started a couple of years ago. I am still using them. I take the amount I need and re-freeze. They work great. The concern is with shipping. The first package took 10 days to arrive and they were thawing and brownish by then. He replaced them.
Closest LHBS is 5 hours away, so I mail order a lot. Got tired of receiving dried out shitty hops. Now I only buy hops in bulk from Hop Heaven as soon as the crop comes in. What a difference! I buy multiple bags of base malt when I’m near the LHBS and mail order all the specialty grains.
Began purchasing in bulk due to frequency of brewing. For me was more economic to purchase bulk.
Hop Heaven has the best hops I have sever had. hands down.
If plastic waste is her argument, you can vacuum seal in canning jars. Many vacuum sealers have ports that you can connect one of these to: https://smile.amazon.com/UUY-Foodsaver-Wide-Mouth-Regular-Mouth-Accessory/dp/B09T3C5F7W/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=OCOZGSX5D5XB&keywords=vacuum+sealer+jar+attachments+for+mason+jars&qid=1660068575&s=home-garden&sprefix=vacuum+sealer+jar+%2Cgarden%2C156&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSUU2WEQwRlNORVBFJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjczNjI4N1g0Q0s3M05LM1dDJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMDk3MzQxNVhFRlFKVThSRzRTJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
If she decides to bring up cost. there are inexpensive alternatives: https://smile.amazon.com/Regular-Compatible-Machine-Canning-Attachment/dp/B0B174QKV4/ref=sr_1_4?crid=OCOZGSX5D5XB&keywords=vacuum+sealer+jar+attachments+for+mason+jars&qid=1660068667&s=home-garden&sprefix=vacuum+sealer+jar+%2Cgarden%2C156&sr=1-4
definitely, its a big discount and gives you the opportunity to feel more liberal in hopping too. i dont brew a humongous amount, but i will likely get a lb of either a noble hop or EKG to use again. its easily about 40% cheaper per oz than buying single ozes