Come on Hops, Walk with me. Talk with me.

So I had this idea last night. I've been wanting to get to know hops on a more personal level. I'm thinking I can go to the LHBS and get just a couple hop pellets from 5 or so different varieties and make a small hop tea for each one. Then cool them and sit down with pen and paper and take some notes on what I taste with each different hop.

Will this give me a good look on what to expect from each hop?

Do I just let them steep for 15 minutes or so?

um, yuk. might be useful for aroma. have fun drinking your tea!

fermentation has a profound affect on the flavor of hops in your beer. ever tasted your wort before you pitch? taste anything like what you'll be drinking after 2 months? also, i've never been to a HBS that has open bags of pellet hops just laying around. let us know how it turns out. post your notes.

Blech!

I have plenty of hops on hand but no desire to try that. Good luck.

Our Homebrew club has done that.

Get a neutral beer and spoon in the hop tea.

That can help give you an idea.

I have made a hop tea before, it was interesting.

But, here is a good resource: Brookston Beer Bulletin » Blog Archive » Hunt’s Hop Tea

olllllo said:

Our Homebrew club has done that.

Get a neutral beer and spoon in the hop tea.

That can help give you an idea.

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That's a good idea. I think the best thing I have on hand is Orfy's Mild.