Hops question: Anyone use green hops?

TwoHeadsBrewing · 04-22-2008, 04:14 PM

Not sure if this has been asked here before; search yielded nothing on the subject. I'm wondering if anyone has used green hops in their beer, and what effect it has on the finished product. Sierra Nevada makes an IPA-style brew that's only on tap locally, and they use the green hops. It's a tasty beverage, and I'd like to do something like it when my hops start producing. So I have a few questions:

1. Do you need to add less/more green hops than dried hops to get the same IBUs?
2. Is there and disadvantage to using green hops?
3. Does the flavor change significantly compared to dried hops?
4. How do you get the IBU for your particular hop harvest?

Thanks!

**the_bird** · 04-22-2008, 04:20 PM

There have been lots of discussion about fresh-hopped ales (that's the term you're looking for). Basically, you use a greater weight of hops since they aren't dried (the number of cones is essentially the same); I've heard estimates of 4x-6x the weight when using wet hops. From all accounts (and my experience with fresh-hopped ales is minimal) it's a different flavor, not necessarily better or worse; lots of people use the "grassy" descriptor.

But, look around, there are lots of threads on this topic (mostly from around harvest time; you can only make these once a year!)

clemson55 · 04-22-2008, 04:21 PM

I have had that SN I believe where the hops are picked and brewed with the same day, its pretty good as I recall. I'll answer the questions the best I can someone who knows better can chime in though.
1. I would say technically its more hops because they weigh more if they arent dried however its really the same amount of hops since they should have the same AA assuming they are picked at the right time.
2. I dont know if there are any advantages/disadvantages but I would say there might be some more/different taste because of the moisture in the hops.
3. See 2
4. I think you mean AA, you would have to send your hops to get tested.

TwoHeadsBrewing · 04-22-2008, 04:22 PM

Ah...fresh-hopped. Did a search and got some hits, thanks!

JustDave · 04-22-2008, 04:24 PM

I seem to remember a recent episode of the Brewing Network where they talked about this in great length ....

I just checked Itunes, looks like it's the 10/21/07 show.

k1v1116 · 04-22-2008, 04:32 PM

I made a fresh hopped IPA last year, its hard to describe the difference since i didnt split the batch and do one half with fresh hops and the other dried to compare. but I was very happy with the flavor, I only added the fresh hops in the secondary I dont really see the point to using them for bittering. I actually used home grown Chinook hops normally used for bittering and they seemed to add a herbal almost smokey character to the beer which everyone loved. You should look up the characteristics for the variety your going to use and maybe make a tea with a few of them to see what kind of flavor they might impart.

Danek · 04-22-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwoHeadsBrewing

4. How do you get the IBU for your particular hop harvest?

To get it exactly you'd need to send a sample off to a lab to get tested, which is probably too much of a PITA for most people. But "The Homebrewer's Garden" book suggests that home-grown hops tend to be at the top end of the estimated scale. They suggest that for estimating quantities to add to a recipe, take the highest estimated AA rating for that variety of hop, and that will be a decent rule of thumb.

GeorgeH · 04-23-2008, 12:37 AM

I popped in this thread to find out what other colors hops came in. Imagine my disappointment when I found out "green" meant that they hadn't been dried.

There goes my idea for a purple-hopped Purple Haze clone.