HOP FORMS AND USES

Hey, I’m going to write about hops again!  Yay! Awesome, if you like hops. I love them. In fact, I consume them weekly and use them for making beer 1-2 times a month.

So you can say, hops and I have a pretty serious relationship. Luckily, I spend more time with my spouse then hops, so there are no jealousy issues between us.

On a more serious note, I am going to discuss the hop forms and uses in this essay / blog post thingy. I hope you learn a thing or two.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/bminusshow/hops.mp3

FORMS

There are essentially multiple forms of hops. There are the most raw format called the whole cones. Sierra Nevada brewery uses a lot of whole hop cones in their recipes.  Basically, the cone is harvested and preserved in its natural state, dried out then preserved with sealing and freezing the cones until ready for use.

Another form is the hop pellet. The hop pellet looks like an enlarged mouse shit with flatter ends and a different color. They are small pellets that are processed after harvesting. They are chopped up, treated and then put into a machine where the pellets are made and processed. They are like 1/5 an inch long.

Lupulin powder is one of the latest crazes in brewing popularity.

It is essentially the powder of the hop flower. Don’t ask me how they make it, I imagine they dry out the hop cone and shake it around or something.

They are very popular for IPA’s, but they tend to degrade in flavor quicker over time, so it is ideal to utilize the powder in addition to a pellet or whole cone hop.

Lastly, there is hop extract. It is basically a liquid concentrated form of hops. It is making my mouth water thinking of the smell. It probably tastes horrible. I haven’t messed around with it yet, I prefer vegetation over oils, but who knows maybe I will dabble with it.

It certainly should have an easier residual clean up factor from brew day, because us brewers know that hops can create a mess; especially in a plate chiller.

 

ACIDS

Hops are measured by acidity. The higher the alpha acid, the more bittering purpose the hop will have. They usually range from 5-15% acidity, but go higher or lower.  The acid amounts vary by breed, location and year of the crop.

 

PURPOSES

Certain hops are used for bittering and aroma purposes. Some are even dual or all-purpose as they act as both bittering and aroma hops. Make sure you check before using.

 

BREEDS

There are a shit ton of different hop species. Many countries come out with existing varieties of hops. They all range in flavor, size, color, acidity and temperament. Many hops come from the US, the UK, Germany and there has been a surge in popularity with hops from New Zealand.

Some hops are susceptible to disease when growing on your own, but the pro hop farmers have this locked in.

 

BREWING (GENERIC BEGINNER BREWING STUFF)

So how are hops used in brewing? Well, hops do a few things for beer. Let me first say that hops are 1 of the 4 essential ingredients for beer production (yeast, hops, grain and water).

You will add hops either in the boil for any given time up to the end of fermentation.  So, you should read my post on mashing or brewing if you don’t know the process of making beer. But after the mash, you should boil the water for around 60 minutes.

The longer you boil your hops, the more bitterness you will get from them. The later you add hops, the more aromas and less acidity you will extract from the hops.

Many brewers add hops at the “flameout” or when the heat is turned off and they will whirlpool the hops before cooling the wort down.

You can also add hops after the boil and in the conditioning phase. The conditioning phase occurs after fermentation, and fermentation is after the boil and cools down pha...