I bet this has been asked a 1000 times before...

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Rincon

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....but

How long can i keep open packets of hops and grain for?

To be honest, I dont have a lot of grain left but enough to go toward another brew but it would be a shame to waste the hops - Im sure I read somewhere hobs can be frozen?

Thanks!
 
Hops can be frozen, and probably should be. Wrap them up as tightly as possible, if you have a vacuum packer use it, if not a good Tupperware is useful to keep the oxygen away. Grains again, oxygen is the enemy. Base malts I wrap the bag up tightly and tape it and store in a plastic storage box with a clip on lid. Roasted or colour malts where you aren’t expecting any enzymes anyway you can be a bit more casual with.
 
Hops in the freezer, in a container, should keep a few months at least, grain if cold stored and uncrushed should last a year, I guess. Keep it dry and cool, like tea and rice and stuff.
There's a uk seller that sells hops by the 25 gram teabags, http://www.brewsmarter.co.uk/bb-target-1191-p.asp sells them too, can't find my original link ugh. Maybe more convenient?
 
I buy AG Kits kits every 6 months, with crushed grain stored in a sealed FV.
I don't notice any drop in efficiency or quality of beer with my final brew of 6 month old grain.
 
If we are talking pellets (they keep better than flowers) and you haven't got a sealer a zip lock bag is fine, use a drinking straw inserted into the bag, suck out the air seal and freeze.
 
If we are talking pellets (they keep better than flowers) and you haven't got a sealer a zip lock bag is fine, use a drinking straw inserted into the bag, suck out the air seal and freeze.

I’ve never used pellets, don’t know why, habit I guess
 
Hops can be frozen, and probably should be. Wrap them up as tightly as possible, if you have a vacuum packer use it, if not a good Tupperware is useful to keep the oxygen away. Grains again, oxygen is the enemy. Base malts I wrap the bag up tightly and tape it and store in a plastic storage box with a clip on lid. Roasted or colour malts where you aren’t expecting any enzymes anyway you can be a bit more casual with.
Like what that geezer said:thumb:
 
I brew so rarely that I'm really good at storage!


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this is my problem, between finding the time and then I have to clear space and get all my kit down from the loft, its just easier to go to the local haha
 
I bought masses of leaf hops dirt cheap over a year ago. The opened ones I've put in the freezer, the others, which are already vacuum packed, I've put in one of this 'hoover out' vacuum bags. Double vacuumed so to speak. This pack is then stored in a big air tight drum, with my grains.
 
I would say:
Bittering hops: won't loose much of their bittering abilities if the packet is just resealed.
Aroma hops: will lose their smell much more quickly so as others say, freeze them. Personally I don't bother.
Speciality grains: you're only using small amounts so any deterioration will only have a small effect on the wort.
Pale malts: whole grains will keep fine for months. Crushed grains will deteriorate noticeably very quickly. Like, if you buy a 25kg bag, the first brew will be the best, the last one will be noticeably worse and that's just in a couple of months. (unless it's already stale when you buy it of course.)
 
My biggest concern is people who freeze thier hops, thinking that this is a good practice.
Its never been proven, that this is beneficial
JMHO
I think it's pretty much been proven that freezing any organic matter inhibits deterioration. The only issue is what happens at defrost. Doesn't appear from the anecdotal evidence that it has a negative effect.

Oh...and it has been proven. Yeah forgot that.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...Y4ChAWCDgwBQ&usg=AOvVaw2sZtC5M6GgAvHejs2iMewt

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I think it's pretty much been proven that freezing any organic matter inhibits deterioration. The only issue is what happens at defrost. Doesn't appear from the anecdotal evidence that it has a negative effect.

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I've used hops which have been properly sealed and then frozen for over a year. There may be differences that a mass spectrometer or some such can detect, but my nose and tongue certainly can't.
 
I don't notice a problem with base malt staling. I buy 25kg of precrushed Muntons malt from a local brewery, they are pretty fresh stock as a result and come with a best before date of a year from package date. Tends to take me 6-8 months to use it up, and I keep it nice and dry in an airtight container.

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