Quality of hops
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SiHoltye
Quality of hops
Pondering how pungent hops in the homebrew supply chain are. Has anyone considered them side by side with pro bales direct from merchants?
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jaroporter
- Drunk as a Skunk
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:12 pm
- Location: Garden of England
Re: Quality of hops
i been privileged enough to intercept hops before they even got to the merchants (straight off the farm), and to my [admittedly untrained, probably numbed through abuse] senses there wasn't any real difference. i guess there's more scope for hops sold through homebrew chains to have been mishandled along the way - especially in transit and repacking - but when handled correctly i've not noticed a difference..
dazzled, doused in gin..
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scuppeteer
- Under the Table
- Posts: 1512
- Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2010 7:32 pm
- Location: Brenchley, Kent (Birthplace of Fuggles... or is it?)
Re: Quality of hops
Hops from HBS are only handled once more than commercial, for packing into handy 100g packs. So you would be very unlucky to have a hop of the same harvest to be any worse condition than if bought direct.
Dave Berry
Can't be arsed to keep changing this bit, so, drinking some beer and wanting to brew many more!
Sir, you are drunk! Yes madam, and you are ugly, but in the morning I shall be sober! - WSC
Can't be arsed to keep changing this bit, so, drinking some beer and wanting to brew many more!
Sir, you are drunk! Yes madam, and you are ugly, but in the morning I shall be sober! - WSC
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roscoe
Re: Quality of hops
Massive variation........
I have some 2012 that are usable but under-whelming,... re-packaged floor sweepings comes to mind.
Whereas, I had a bag of Nelson Sauvin in the drawer, not refrigerated at all, 2010 silver wrapped sealed from Worcester Hop Shop.
... well I wrote that bag off a few years ago and last month at 4 years old I opened her up.
Wow,.... not cheesy, vibrant green, no brown edges and what a blast of aroma.
.. straight in boil kettle for steep in a hop blaster now re-named 'Hop-Hound', pleasant surprise indeed.
I have some 2012 that are usable but under-whelming,... re-packaged floor sweepings comes to mind.
Whereas, I had a bag of Nelson Sauvin in the drawer, not refrigerated at all, 2010 silver wrapped sealed from Worcester Hop Shop.
... well I wrote that bag off a few years ago and last month at 4 years old I opened her up.
Wow,.... not cheesy, vibrant green, no brown edges and what a blast of aroma.
.. straight in boil kettle for steep in a hop blaster now re-named 'Hop-Hound', pleasant surprise indeed.
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Cpt.Frederickson
- Hollow Legs
- Posts: 454
- Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 7:54 pm
- Location: BIAB in the Shed, Maidstone, Kent
Re: Quality of hops
That is awesome. Good to know that I'm not the only one giving things epic doom-laden names.roscoe wrote:a hop blaster now re-named 'Hop-Hound'
The Hand of Doom Brewery and Meadery
Fermenting -
Conditioning - Meads - Raspberry Melomel yeast test, Vanilla Cinnamon Metheglyn, Orange Melomel.
Drinking - Youngs AAA Kit; Leatherwood Traditional Mead, Cyser, Ginger Metheglyn.
Planning - Some kits until I can get back to AG, then a hoppy porter, Jim's ESB, some American Red.
Fermenting -
Conditioning - Meads - Raspberry Melomel yeast test, Vanilla Cinnamon Metheglyn, Orange Melomel.
Drinking - Youngs AAA Kit; Leatherwood Traditional Mead, Cyser, Ginger Metheglyn.
Planning - Some kits until I can get back to AG, then a hoppy porter, Jim's ESB, some American Red.
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fisherman
Re: Quality of hops
I have not much faith in leaf hops very often brown and so many leaves and few cones. I don't think you get much taste from leaves. I now buy as fresh as I can T 90 hop pellets . All nice and green and quite sticky if you rub one. 
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Mr. Dripping
Re: Quality of hops
I'm using more and more pellets these days too.
I more often than not buy from Rob, and I've always found his quality to be very good/excellent. Leaf hops are always going to deteriorate quickly once they are dried and you may get something from the edge of the bale or right from the middle....there's just no way of knowing.
I've gone on to pellets really from a storage point of view, but they do seem to offer better freshness and more consistency.
I more often than not buy from Rob, and I've always found his quality to be very good/excellent. Leaf hops are always going to deteriorate quickly once they are dried and you may get something from the edge of the bale or right from the middle....there's just no way of knowing.
I've gone on to pellets really from a storage point of view, but they do seem to offer better freshness and more consistency.