Female flower cones from the Humulus Lupulus plant. Used for their flavor, aroma, and bittering qualities. Hops also contribute a preservative/anti-microbial properties to beer.
2
votes
1answer
164 views
When modifying a recipe, should you scale hops based on alpha acids?
I am planning on brewing several versions of an IPA where I keep the grain bill the same, and just change out the hops. I will use a single hop for each batch. The idea is to learn the aroma and ...
1
vote
2answers
281 views
Styles other than steam suited for use of Northern Brewer hops
So I have a one pound bag of northern brewer hops (along with about a half pound left of amarillos). Any suggestions for a recipe or style? I'm typically pretty boring, love to brew APA's, IPA's ...
12
votes
8answers
1k views
How would one go about growing their own hops?
Ignoring the downsides (Hops: buy vs. grow), how would one grow hops in their backyard?
I know that it grows 30 feet tall and that you cut it to the ground in the winter, but how do you get started ...
3
votes
1answer
402 views
How do I account for Late Hop/Whirlpool IBUs?
The equations I've looked at so far don't really account for massive late hopping and whirlpool additions. I really like the flavor and aroma I get from late hopping, but It's been very hard to brew a ...
2
votes
1answer
175 views
Rager Hop Formula Clarification
I'm coding up some personal brewing software, and I'm confused by the explanation of the [Rager Formula][1]
[1]: http://www.realbeer.com/hops/FAQ.htm l
What is meant by the term "boil gravity", Is ...
14
votes
13answers
3k views
What are the most citrusy hops?
Which hops do you guys find are the most citrusy? I'm looking to create a super-citrusy IPA, and have limited experience with most hops.
8
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I learn the distinctive taste of various hops?
There are some very helpful descriptions I've found of people describing the taste of various hops, but I've found that my personal taste can be quite different.
I'd like to be able to isolate the ...
1
vote
3answers
80 views
Old homegrown hops
I have been growing and using my own hops for a couple of years now. after harvesting this year I left them out to dry, they have been drying now for a little to long (about two months) they are all ...
3
votes
1answer
89 views
How do I determine the freshness of malt & hops?
In a lot of recipes I have read, there is an emphasis on the freshness of the malt and hops. If I am buying online or in my homebrew store, how do I determine the freshness of what I am buying?
Are ...
1
vote
3answers
254 views
What accounts for the cheesy/sweaty flavor of hops and are there ways to minimize it?
A friend of mine likes bitter beers but shies away from strongly hopped beers because he's very sensitive to the cheesy or sweaty flavor that hops can give.
I've noticed this flavor in a few ...
10
votes
2answers
624 views
Storage of hops pellets
I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on how to store one's hops pellets after having opened the sealed package (... in case one is not using the whole lot at once of course). Also, if you have ...
4
votes
3answers
123 views
Finding good hop stockists
Im having a lot of trouble buying the hops I want (specifically Horizon)
How do you find good hop stockists? Im from the uk.
3
votes
2answers
70 views
Picking hops very late
I had a bunch of hops growing about 3 hours away from me (at parent's house, which has much more land). I went up one weekend, and they looked almost ready, then I went up a month later and they were ...
12
votes
2answers
927 views
Sanitation & Dry Hopping
Is there any risk of wort infection by not sanitizing hops before dry hopping?
4
votes
1answer
176 views
HopRocket (hopback) questions: “captive” wort and effect at beginning vs. end of run
Brewed a double IPA last Sunday and used a HopRocket as a hopback for the first time (standard setup: kettle -> HopRocket -> counterflow chiller -> fermenter using gravity feed.) Overall very pleased ...
3
votes
1answer
148 views
Are my aged hops ready?
I've got about 3oz of cascade hops that spent 2 years in the freezer before I decided around January 2011 to take them out, put them in a paper bag, and let them sit at room temperature to age so I ...
9
votes
1answer
2k views
Hop burst technique & bitterness calculation
A friend asked me the other day what the "hop burst" technique was and how to calculate the amount of hops required in a recipe. I made some vague statements about late addition of hops and left it at ...
5
votes
3answers
177 views
Where did the hops go?
A few weeks ago, I pulled some of an IPA I was making and force carbonated it so my friend and I could try some. While it was not the bitterest I have tasted, it was definitely an IPA. I bottled the ...
5
votes
3answers
138 views
Splitting whole hops in half
When using whole, wet hops (or maybe even dried for that matter), is there any disadvantage to splitting the cones in half? Is there any data available to support splitting them in the first place, ...
4
votes
1answer
227 views
What can be used to keep aphids off of hops without ruining the taste of beer?
I planted my first rhizome this year to try my hand at hop growing. To my surprise the plant flourished and was ready to yield at least a half pound of hops. To my great sadness I awoke this morning ...
1
vote
2answers
372 views
dry-hopping what hops to use?
I am currently brewing a english pale ale and about to transfer from primary to secondary fermentor. I want to dry hop but dont know what people think would be the best hops to use. Any ideas or ...
6
votes
4answers
810 views
Why would someone use Cascade for bittering over Amarillo?
Apparently, Cascade is commonly used for bittering, and I'm not sure I understand why someone would choose that over the very similar Amarillo, which I think is less common for bittering.
Cascade has ...
3
votes
3answers
459 views
I forgot to add my extract until the end!
So, I was brewing distracted, which I will never do again, did everything right...except I didn't remember to add the big jug of liquid malt extract to the wort, or hopped water in my case! You would ...
6
votes
2answers
115 views
Amounts of various oils in hops.
I have a beautiful chart that shows the level of various hop oils in different hops, as well as their typical alpha acid percentages. Where can I find the raw data that would go into a chart like ...
8
votes
4answers
441 views
How can I compare hop flavours quickly?
I want to try and acquaint myself with different hop flavours and brewing a few batches of beer can be quite time consuming (and wasteful if the results are no good).
How can I quickly (in say, a ...
2
votes
3answers
431 views
Has anyone brewed hop-free beer?
I just tried a beer called Reverend James and it tasted really weird. Full-bodied and slightly spicy but I could detect absolutely no hop characteristics in it at all.
Now, it could be that my ...
6
votes
1answer
517 views
When to harvest wild hops?
Hi there fellow brewmasters! I have recently moved to all-grain brewing after two years of brewing with hopped extracts. The results are pretty good, and the whole process is a lot of fun, but I am ...
2
votes
3answers
229 views
Does beer contain cannabinols?
Fellow brewmasters! I have a curious question for you. A friend of mine tried to convince me that the beer high is not entirely caused by alcohol. In particular, his theory is that since hops and ...
2
votes
1answer
194 views
What are the hops varieties Sticklebract & Galena?
A homebrew shop has just opened up near me (hooray!). Browsing their wares I saw two hops varieties unknown to me: Sticklebract (I think this is the correct name) and Galena. They seem to have been ...
7
votes
5answers
451 views
What hops provide the guava-like taste of some IPAs?
IPAs like Bear Republic's Racer 5 and Coronado Brewing Company's Islander IPA have a distinct guava-like scent and flavor character. Is there a particular variety of hops that produces this, or is it ...
11
votes
4answers
1k views
Is a long boil with extract necessary?
I'm making a late hopped extract beer later tonight. (Jamil's Evil Twin as posted http://www.mrmalty.com/late_hopping.htm) He suggests at 90 minute boil with the first hop addition coming 20 minutes ...
7
votes
4answers
872 views
Performing a hop boil seperate from the wort boil.
I'm curious to try some single-hop style beers and would like to do several varieties in one brew day. My ideal situation would be to make a five gallon batch of an unhopped pale ale as the base and ...
7
votes
1answer
879 views
When using whole hops, do you need a larger amount than you would hop pellets to achieve the same bitterness?
I have read that whole hops impart less bitterness than pellet hops by weight. I have used pellet hops for all of my brews thus far. I have a recipe that I am happy with, and I want to switch to ...
6
votes
4answers
975 views
IPA recipe left very sweet, little bitterness or aroma
Very new brewer here, and I recently tried a generic IPA recipe doled out by my LHBS, and it ended up very sweet with little bitterness or hop aroma. The recipe is here:
...
7
votes
2answers
519 views
Ever made a “hop tea” to balance an overly malty beer?
I brewed a golden ale that was severely under hopped. I called my LBHS and the told me to make a hop tea to add to the keg:
1 gallon of water
1 tbsp malt extract
2 oz fresh hops
boil for 60 minutes
...
9
votes
2answers
462 views
Does keeping a beer cold significantly preserve fresh hop aroma?
I'm double dry hopping my Rye India Pale Ale, doing half with simply double the dry hops, and half one addition, remove, adding the other half to see if anyone within drinking distance can distinguish ...
3
votes
3answers
262 views
Question about Alt/ Kolsch hopping and yeast
I really enjoy German Alts as a favorite purchase brew, and as I live in Florida with the lowest ambient temp 72 deg F under Air cond., I can't possibly lager without inconvenence. I have a question ...
5
votes
5answers
900 views
Effect of boil size on IBUs
I have the following recipe on beercalculus:
http://hopville.com/recipe/551364/belgian-pale-ale-recipes/wedding-belgian-ipa-2011-03-06-version
beercalculus (along with most IBU calculators), ask for ...
7
votes
4answers
709 views
should hoppy beers be aged?
Do hoppy beers not need to be aged? About how long does it take a hoppy beer to get to its maturation point?
Thanks,
Chris
2
votes
1answer
472 views
What's the flavor profile of Bravo hops?
Have you used Bravo hops? What kind of bitterness/aroma do they confer?
5
votes
2answers
227 views
How do I propagate my hops?
I have a couple plants going, but I am ready to get more of the same varieties going in the future.
How do I go about getting more plants from the same plants I already have?
Can I take a cutting?
Can ...
1
vote
1answer
139 views
3
votes
1answer
660 views
Weed Aroma/Flavor?
I have noticed in some beers, (nugget nectar, dbl. trouble, founders harvest and sublimely self-rightous ale in particular) an aroma/flavor of marijuana. I think Columbus/Tomohawk hops have somthing ...
3
votes
1answer
318 views
Quantifying the level of hoppiness in a beer
Does anyone know of some sort of measurement for the hoppiness of a beer? Late hop additions don't add much to the bitterness (IBUs) but they can add tons of hop flavor. Is there some way to ...
5
votes
1answer
187 views
Estimating Alpha Acids of Home Grown Hops
For the homebrewer that grows and harvests his/her own hops; how best can one approximate the alpha acids in the hops they have?
Is it worth it or should brewers stick to using home grown hops for ...
-5
votes
4answers
227 views
4
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the ideal climate for growing hops?
I would like to start growing my own hops and want to know what the ideal climate is. I've read that hops will grow in most areas of North America, but there must be places where they grow better ...
4
votes
2answers
589 views
Riwaka Hops: Where to get 'em
Anyone know where to obtain some Riwaka hops in bulk? I'm itching to try them, but internet searches are coming up dry for me.
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Why is my IPA not hoppy enough?
I am about to start my second attempt at making an IPA. My first did not turn out anything like an IPA. It was much darker than I expected (I may have burnt it a little) and did not really have the ...
3
votes
1answer
148 views
Help with Hop Analysis
I'll try this again. If you grow your own hops, would you pay to have them analyzed? If you have had your hops analyzed, did the analysis help you in subsequent brewing? Was it worth the cost (e.g. ...
