Hops; freeze, thaw, refreeze?

[stevander74]

Is it safe to repeatedly refreeze hops?
Freezing being the best way to store them, do you then need to thaw them to get the amount needed for a brew and then refreeze the rest to keep them fresh?
With frozen foodstuffs it always says do not refreeze once thawed so i thought it was best to check.

 

[Runwell-Steve]

As hops are dried prior to packaging I'm not sure you are technically freezing them, I think you are just storing them in a cold place.

You can split them up as soon as you remove them from the freezer anyway so no need to thaw or refreeze so it doesn't matter really.

I think the more important thing is keeping them airtight as much as possible.

 

[jamesb]

Frozen foodstuffs are not meant to be repeatatively defrosted/warmed because of bacteria growth. Hops are fine. There's next to no moisture in them and they're naturally antibacterial.

 

[keith1664]

I just take what I need out of the packet then check it back in the freezer. The hops are dried anyway so it's not as if it's an icy block you need to chip at!

 

[phettebs]

Steve, do you buy them in bulk? If so, you may want to pick up a vacuum sealer, separate them into usable weights for a typical brew, seal them up, and then chuck them in the freezer. That way you can grab a bag or two at a time without messing with the whole lot.

 

[stevander74]

Cheers for all the advice guys thats cleared that one up.
Barry, i buy in ready vac-packed 100g.

 

[phettebs]

Sounds like you are set then Steve! When I end up not using all of the hops in a single bag, I just roll it back up tight with rubber bands and throw it back into the freezer.