Hops substitues?

[MightyMouth]

With the current hops shortage I was pondering suitable substitutes. I know beer in England didn't use hops until relatively recently so what was used instead? Is there anything that's easily obtainable which will do a similar job and can replace hops totally? Or Possibly something just for bittering as that's what uses the most hops and use the more expensive hops for aroma and flavouring only.

[mysterio]

If you want to make beer that tastes like beer, hops are the only option i'm afraid. Prices are not going to spiral out of control, you'll still be able to get Goldings and Fuggles as far as I know, it may knock your price per pint up a couple of pence but it's not going to ruin you.

'Gruit' was the combination of herbs used before hops. You can google what herbs this comprised of but it's not stuff you're going to find in your local supermarket But really, it's only useful if you're making some kind of historical curiousity, they wont make something that tastes like beer as we know it.

What some people on the forum are doing are investing in high-alpha hops, whereby only very small amounts are used for bittering. If you want to go down this road just have a look at the hops at your LHBS, they'll be marked with the AA%. Target is an example of a widely grown high alpha British hop. Simply put, if your Goldings are 5% AA and Target are 10% AA, you'll need half the amount of Target for bittering than you will Goldings - this is not to say they will provide the 'same' kind of bitterness though.

For the time being though, I will be sticking with Goldings, Fuggles & Challenger for British ales and seeing if I can bulk buy and share the cost with others on the forum.

[MightyMouth]

Well, I have yet to even do a AG brew so its more a question to get a discussion going which may or may not lead to some ideas. I would think that the bitterness in beer could be obtained from any number of sources and I think there might be something to be said for a beer that doesn't taste like every other beer otherwise there wouldn't be so many recipes. We throw around words like citrusy and plumy when describing beers so using other things to give similar flavours should be possible.

[RabMaxwell]

I have used Heather before but couldn't get much bitterness/flavour out of it you need a lot. I only got something quite nice when i used a combination of Heather & Hops i have since read that Bruce who makes Heather Ale now also uses a combination. I have read you can use Gorse Bushes & (Nettle Beer) even read of brewers using small amounts of cyanide in the victorian times. Well, they used to use spray pure nicotine to kill green fly but couldn't understand why there gardeners kept dying in droves. I think there is quite a few things to use but even with the huge price rises it's still relatively cheep for us it's the Tax on beer that's the real killer for the commercial brewers hopefully we will stay exempt.Also i have started using pellet hops as you get more with less & they store better for longer & you can bulk buy which is a lot cheaper anyway

[Gurgeh]

that Hugh Fungi-Cattlestall sells netle beer at his river cottage place in dorset. mate of mine thought it interesting but only wanted the one...

[bod]

it's the Tax on beer that's the real killer for the commercial brewers hopefully we will stay exempt.

i dont think thats ever going to be an issue, it would be far too difficult for them to keep track of home brewers, in the same way its been too difficult for them to keep track of people producing their own biodiesel, which is why they/we/i don't bother any more!

i have a recipe for nettle beer somehwere. it was, er.... interesting! not unpleasant, but it needed a few hops for bittering i thought. i'll see if i can find it.

[Aleman]

You can also use Bog Myrtle for 'bittering' a beer. I know someone on UK Homebrew did this a few years ago. IIRC The outcome went down the drain

[steve_flack]

If you want to make beer that tastes like beer, hops are the only option i'm afraid.

Too bloody right.

No hops no beer. I ain't making beers with twigs and gruit.

[Rookie]

Time to brew more milds and scottish ales?
I brew a blonde ale that is very lightly bittered and I add lemon zest and rosemary at flameout. I think it's pretty durn good.

[RabMaxwell]

You can also use Bog Myrtle for 'bittering' a beer. I know someone on UK Homebrew did this a few years ago. IIRC The outcome went down the drain

I used Bog Myrtle when i made Heather ale some years ago but i think i used to much it gives a strong medicine flavour. The commercially made Heather ale boys have stopped using it also wonder why (yuk)

[RabMaxwell]

I was talking to the brewer at a local Micro today when i was picking up a few sacks of Marris & he mentioned that he uses ginger root in a few of his beers. He uses 11/2 Lb in 7bbl batch that's about 107g for me & 21g for a 25 Litre brew. He said it wasn't that important if you add to much it's the length of time in the boil last 15 mins 20mins at most. I will need to give this a go i think it would be good in a nice light drinking summer ale. That's two micro brewers i know of who use crushed up fresh ginger root worth a try anyway

[Chappie519]

I think that orange peal has the same chemical build as hops, or at least thats what i was told!

[Vossy1]

I ain't making beers with twigs and gruit.

[BigEd]

With the current hops shortage I was pondering suitable substitutes. I know beer in England didn't use hops until relatively recently so what was used instead? Is there anything that's easily obtainable which will do a similar job and can replace hops totally? Or Possibly something just for bittering as that's what uses the most hops and use the more expensive hops for aroma and flavouring only.

It's not a coincidence that hops are the overwhelming choice of botanical in brewing. Once hops were introduced centuries ago they rapidly replaced other herbs in beer. Hops are going to be more expensive and for the short term you may not always be able to get the exact variety you are looking for, however, you will not get a beer to taste like what we enjoy as beer without hops. Try some gruit or spruce beer and see if it suits you then take it from there.

[Vossy1]

I think the hop shortage will force people to try different hops which may not be such a bad thing