Vacuum Sealer Degassing

Introduction:

I just want to start by saying this vacuum sealer is not designed for degassing mead, wine, or beer. It’s intended purpose is to seal bags. This product worked so well I am using it. And for a price of $20, with vacuum sealing bags, clips, charging cable, and so on, this item is a 10/10. The only down side is some times the battery dies and I have to use a second device. But again, this item was not designed for this purpose but for the price, I am a happy camper.

Hardware:

• Vacuum Sealer

Review:

Vacuum sealing is a common technique used in home brewing to remove excess CO2 from beer, wine, and mead to improve its flavor, aroma, and overall quality. One of the most effective ways to do this is by using a vacuum sealer. In this review, I will be evaluating the efficacy of using a vacuum sealer to degas my home brew.

First, it's important to understand why removing air from brew is important. Air contains oxygen, which can react with the beer's hops and malt, leading to oxidation. Oxidation can cause your home brew to taste stale and flat, and can reduce its shelf life. A vacuum sealer can help remove excess gas, minimizing the amount of bad gases (extracting CO2 and oxygen) that comes into contact with it.

This hand vacuum sealer has a lot of suction and fits over the hole of a standard one gallon fermenter. It also works on the drilled 1/2” holes as well. The 5 gallon carboys are still up in the air. Overall this device did the job and battery life was only and issue when I was doing multiple jugs. So I did end up buying two, so I could always have one on the charger. The other minor issue is the fit. I did have to monkey around with the vacuum cup to get it to fit on the carboy just right so it could make a seal. Again, I am not detracting any points from this because this use case is not what this device was designed for in the first place. I am just lucky to have found it!

If you are a frugal brewer like me, this guy is a low cost option.

If you end using this let me know how your experience went. And if you liked these type of techy devices for home brewing let me know. I am looking at testing other vacuum sealers that come with hosing and caps that will fit on most standard fermenters.