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Hops: bittering, flavoring and finishing
Hop Alpha, Oils, Pellets, Plugs, Leaf?
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Hops: bittering, flavoring and finishing
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Bittering hops are higher in alpha acids and are added at the beginning
of the boil - usually around 60 minutes.
Hop aroma is achieved by adding hops near the end of the wort boil - usually
less than 10 minutes. If the hops are added early in the boil, most of the aroma will be lost in the steam.
The aroma hops are lower in alpha acids. If they are added during conditioning, it is called "dry hopping."
Finishing or Flavoring hops are added very late in the process. If fresh hops
are added to the boil it is called late kettle hopping, late addition hopping, or finish hopping. The
finishing quality comes from the oil content in the hops, not from the alpha acids. You can add finishing hops
at any point in the boil - the best way to learn is to experiment. Add a hop at different times, different hops
at different times, etc. When hops are used for boil times less than 10-15 minutes, steeped, or dry hopped,
alpha acid content can be ignored.
Remember to keep good records of your Finishing and Aroma hop additions.
That way you can repeat an effect that you like.
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Hop Alpha, Oils, Pellets, Plugs, Leaf?
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Hops give beer flavor and aroma, act as a preservative, and help in
head retention. There are basically two types of hops. The aroma hops are typified by low alpha acids,
higher levels of beta acids, and an oil profile associated with good aroma. These hops would generally
be used as a finishing or conditioning hop. Bitter hops have a much higher level of alpha acids than
beta acids. These are generally used in the boiling process to extract bitterness. There are some
varieties considered dual-purpose, such as Perle, Cluster and Northern Brewer that can be used in
both parts of the process. The alpha acids content varies widely amongst hop varieties from levels
of 3-4% w/w in aromatic type hops to levels of 13-14% in the bitter hops.
There are a number of ways to use hops in the brewing process.
Whole hops (or Leaf) are the natural hop cones that have been dried and baled. It can be argued
that this form is the most inconsistent, bulky, poorest storage, and inefficient way to brew of all product
forms. Still a number of the world's brewers use the whole hop claiming they prefer the all-natural product.
Hop pellets are basically whole hops that have been ground through a hammer mill and then pressed
together through a pellet die. The ground hops are kept together as a compressed pellet by the hops natural
resins. No additives have been put into the pellets. This product is then put into a vacuum foil package.
The major advantages are less storage space, better consistency, protection against aging and oxidation,
and enhanced utilization. The disadvantage is that the crushing of the cones changes the behavior of the
hops to some extent that can result in different beer flavor.
Hop Plugs are whole-flower (Leaf) hops pressed into ½ oz. (14 gm.) plugs and packed in oxygen
barrier bags. The major advantages are less storage space, better consistency, and protection against
aging and oxidation.
When substituting whole hops in a recipe specifying pellet hops, use 15%
more by weight (assuming the alpha acid content is the same in the pellet and whole hops). When
substituting hop plugs for pellet hops in a recipe, use 10% more by weight.
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