# Moccona Jars - Grain And Hops



## zagadka (17/9/09)

G'day All,

I'm starting out doing partials soon for the first time, so I'm going to have small quantities (say < 500g) of different cracked speciality grain and hops on hand. I'd like to be able to buy 2-3 even 4 brews ahead. I have a pile of these jars I've been saving. I've got a couple of other bigger containers for base malts.





Has anyone tried using Moccona Jars to store hops and/or small quantities of speciality grains? - Is the seal good enough? Perhaps adding a piece of foil or glad wrap under the lid will do the trick?


Cheers


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## Adamt (17/9/09)

You're better off storing the hops not only in an airtight container, but an air-free container. Specialty grains would be fine in there.


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## buttersd70 (17/9/09)

As adam said, OK for the grains. For the hops, vac seal if you have one; if not, then put them in a ziplock, and push out as much air as you can. Then store the hops in the freezer, and the jars of grain in the cupboard.


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## canon1ball (17/9/09)

Store the hops in the freezer if you can. 
Grain should keep in the jars till next use.
c1b


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## BOG (17/9/09)

I use Maccona Jars for storage. Work fine.

Be warned however that If you use them for storage in the freezer for hops (hops in ziplock then in jar) that you'll need to penn the jar as soon as you take it from the freezer.
The humidy freezes on the jar seals it closed.

Bugger to get open. Need a screwdriver.

Other than that, they are fine.


BOG


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## zagadka (17/9/09)

BOG said:


> I use Maccona Jars for storage. Work fine.



Do you use them unmodified - or do you add foil/gladwrap?


Cheers for the replies everyone.


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## seravitae (17/9/09)

I'm not so sure about freezing hops. Routinely plant cells are ruptured by freeze-thaw processes, whereby freezing the water in the cell causes the cell to increase size and burst, leading to fatty acids splurging out. I'm not sure how this would affect taste.

I'm also unsure if it's the morphology of forming ice crystals that causes cell rupture or whether it's the density but it is routinely used in cell biology to destroy the cells.


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## Beer&Kebab (17/9/09)

TimD said:


> Do you use them unmodified - or do you add foil/gladwrap?
> 
> 
> Cheers for the replies everyone.



I use them unmodified for small amounts of specialty grain. Great little containers IMO. They have the added bonus that mice can't eat through glass.


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## buttersd70 (17/9/09)

sera said:


> I'm not so sure about freezing hops. Routinely plant cells are ruptured by freeze-thaw processes, whereby freezing the water in the cell causes the cell to increase size and burst, leading to fatty acids splurging out. I'm not sure how this would affect taste.
> 
> I'm also unsure if it's the morphology of forming ice crystals that causes cell rupture or whether it's the density but it is routinely used in cell biology to destroy the cells.


found this in an article:added bold for emphasis.



> For optimum preservation of hops' valued qualities, they should be stored as cold as possible (30 to -5 degrees F, *or -1 to -21 degrees C*) and away from air. The compression of hops into bales, pellets, and plugs helps protect all but the surface layers from air. Even so, air penetrates and causes some oxidation. Cold temperatures slow the oxidation process. Because some hop varieties don't store as well as others, at some point in the season hop brokers take all remaining unsold bales of poor-storing hops and turn them into pellets. Not only do pellets keep out a lot of oxygen, their compact form allows them to be easily vacuum packed to further slow the deterioration.



article is here.

When it comes to hops, I tend to think that Mark Garetz knows what he's talking about.....
same temperature ranges quoted in this article here


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## Nick JD (20/9/09)

sera said:


> I'm not so sure about freezing hops. Routinely plant cells are ruptured by freeze-thaw processes, whereby freezing the water in the cell causes the cell to increase size and burst, leading to fatty acids splurging out. I'm not sure how this would affect taste.
> 
> I'm also unsure if it's the morphology of forming ice crystals that causes cell rupture or whether it's the density but it is routinely used in cell biology to destroy the cells.



How much water is in a dried hop?


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