What to do with leftover hops?

Question

Rather than tell you what hops I have leftover from my last brew, I'd like to know... are there any online resources that can suggest recipes based on what I have, similar to Cocktail Builder?

My LHBS sells hops in 2oz packages, which will last a while with 1G brews. Of course, the obvious answer is "brew the same beer again!", but that's not as exciting. :) In theory, I should be brewing often enough to go through my freezer stash, but even so, I'd like to be able to figure out what to do with that package I found at the back...

Answer 1

The best way is to build your own recipes. With the AA%, amount, time, and pre-boil gravity of wort you can create a recipe with the right IBU levels. The easiest way to do this is using software. Beer Smith is what I use - there is also a Beer Smith mobile app for iOS and Android. Other (free) applications and web apps are available. In my opinion, hops are the easiest way to change up recipes on your own... the same malt bill from online sources or books can make a very different beer with different hops.

If all you want to do is calculate IBUs, try Brewer's Friend or other web based tools. Brewer's Friend will also calcualte full recipes.

If you're looking to keep track of what stores of ingredients you have, Beer Smith may be your best bet - it can do this, and will calculate the cost of your recipe. I don't use this feature, though, and don't know which other tools that will do this.

For much more information on the subject of designing recipes, turn to homebrew books like Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels.