Storing ingredients

[Leon103]

But if a newbie question but how does everyone stores their ingredients?

I am planning a big order so will have enough for a few brews. I keep hops in freezer but never kept any stock of malt and yeast etc before. What do people do?

 

[Niman]

yeast in the fridge

Grains sealed in bags until milled.

 

[DoctorMick]

yeast in the fridge

Grains sealed in bags until milled.

I buy pre milled grains and keep in bags sealed with clips (air squeezed out). If you're going to brew regularly that's fine but my Maris is about 4 months now and my efficiency drops with every brew.

 

[Leon103]

Mine will also be milled. I hope to have mine brewed within a couple of months anyway

 

[ManseMasher]

Our local pound shop sells those bags you can suck the air out with that thing my wife calls a hoover. You can get them big enough to take 25kg of grain. I've got a load of different sizes, and once I've sealed them they fit nicely into the mango chutney barrels I got for free from the local Indian takeaway.

 

[Leon103]

I was thinking vacuum packing them, the wife can't get enough of vacuum packing everything else in the house so wife not my brew ingredients

 

[MyQul]

Our local pound shop sells those bags you can suck the air out with that thing my wife calls a hoover. You can get them big enough to take 25kg of grain. I've got a load of different sizes, and once I've sealed them they fit nicely into the mango chutney barrels I got for free from the local Indian takeaway.

Fantastic idea MM. Not something I would generally need as I have two LHBS I can go to tobuy my grains the week before from but something to have up my sleeve should I need it

 

[YeastFace]

I store hops in the freezer. If they're open I pop them in a zip bag and squeeze as much air out as I can.

I do the same with open bags of grain and these go in a plastic box in the shed.

Yeast in the fridge.

 

[MCJones87]

Yeast goes in the fridge - even if its dried
Hops, if opened I bung in the freezer, if not they are vacuum sealed in the foil packets so they live in the garage
Grain - I recently placed a big order (around 25kg) of a variety of grains - some were milled and some weren't. while waiting for delivery I placed an order for one of these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AF5GVHQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
really useful storage container and while more expensive than a mango chutney barrel from my local Indian, at least it didn't need cleaning.

 

[Leon103]

I suppose sterile Kilner jars will be ok

 

[Leon103]

Is it best to store vacuum packed unopen hops in the freezer. Had a kit from hbc today and the hops are in with grain but I don't want to open the bag to get to the hops

 

[wheazy_joe]

I got one of these kits last week (or maybe the week before, no concept of time). It is quite annoying that everything is packed together. I've not yet burst the pack open, but really should to store the yeast in the fridge. To your question, I wouldn't normally freeze vacuum packed hops, they only go in once they have been opened. Others may do differently of course........

 

[Leon103]

cheers. Forgot about the yeast. I think I will do the kit over the weekend then.

 

[Soton]

Yeast goes in the fridge - even if its dried
Hops, if opened I bung in the freezer, if not they are vacuum sealed in the foil packets so they live in the garage
Grain - I recently placed a big order (around 25kg) of a variety of grains - some were milled and some weren't. while waiting for delivery I placed an order for one of these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AF5GVHQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
really useful storage container and while more expensive than a mango chutney barrel from my local Indian, at least it didn't need cleaning.

I have one of those barrels and they are excellent, even if you are the kind of person to ask around shops to get the free used barrels I would still recommend those barrels as they are new, unused and untainted with spicy food ect

 

[ManseMasher]

+1 for the hops - think about homebrew shops - they have the vacuum packs on display. As rightly said above, soon as you open the packet, what's not used is best kept in the freezer. I thought those kits came with dried yeast by the way? No need to keep dried yeast packets in the fridge I would have thought? Again, every HBS I've been in has them out on display....

 

[Leon103]

Good point MM. I don't have a hbs for over 50 miles so hardly get to go in one.