Boiling Hops with DME or corn sugar for bottle conditioning

I want to add hop flavor-not bitterness-just before bottling. I could dry hop, but I wanted to try something different.

I usually carbonate with corn sugar, but I was thinking I could make a small batch of hop flavored wort to mix in at bottling.

Thoughts?

When you say hop flavored wort do you mean water, corn sugar and hops? The longer you boil hops, the more bitterness. I'd dry hop.

If you want hop flavour then you need to boil it for some time don't you. I thought that dry hopping was all about aroma.

jb721 said:

When you say hop flavored wort do you mean water, corn sugar and hops? The longer you boil hops, the more bitterness. I'd dry hop.

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I mean water + corn sugar or dme + hops. I'm more interested in aroma and flavor, not bitterness. Dry hopping is plan A.

Sounds like an expedient way to bypass dry hopping. I like it.

I imagine if you boil the hops in the priming sugar too long you'll mute the up-front flavors you're seeking. I'd recommend 3-5 minutes, tops.

One other complication: if you boil the hops in the sugar solution, the hops will absorb quite a bit, thus throwing off your calculation for bottle priming.

Perhaps make a separate hop tea and add in the bottling bucket along with your priming sugar?

BeerEagle said:

If you want hop flavour then you need to boil it for some time don't you. I thought that dry hopping was all about aroma.

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It has a HUGE effect on taste as well. The flavors and aromas that are extracted at cold temperatures in beer differ from those extracted at boiling in wort.

How about a 5 minute, continuously hopped solution of priming sugar? Drop in a few pellets every 30 seconds for 5 minutes.

Don't forget that you'll lose a bunch of liquid to the hops. Maybe you'll want to separate the hops out before adding the priming sugar, just to make sure the batch gets the right amount before bottling.

I think another thing that would end up happening if you're putting DME as well is increased sediment because you're giving the yeast even more food to munch on besides the corn sugar. Still, if you want to give it a try I say go for it. I'd be curious how the result comes out. Maybe prime a couple bottles regular with just sugar so you have a basis for comparison. Obviously you'll have more hop flavor in the one but still... Experimentation is fun. I rarely follow a recipe exactly. Post results. Cheers!

ArcaneXor said:

It has a HUGE effect on taste as well. The flavors and aromas that are extracted at cold temperatures in beer differ from those extracted at boiling in wort.

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I'm using Northern Brewer Hops AA 9.4%. What flavors would you expect from boiling vs dry hopping @60°?

I would recommend one of two paths:
1) Dry hop--First choice; no drawbacks, gives you good hop flavor/aroma. Should be exactly what you're looking for.
2) Hop tea--Second choice; heating hops will invariably add bitterness (albeit not much, as the boil shortens) and it sounds like you want the flavor, not bitterness.

Given that you want to do something new, I'd still opt for choice 2 over priming hops. Hop extraction is limited by two major factors in brewing: overall volume and concentration of the wort. A priming solution is, by nature, a fairly concentrated sugar solution. This sugar will limit the potency of the hops you use when compared to a standard hop tea. When I prepare a priming solution, I typically try to use as little liquid as possible, such that my overall volume is minimally impacted. The combined aspect of small volume plus high concentration could reduce the amount of "hop" you get from your strategy.

I don't know how significant the difference would be, but I think you'd be happier with the "tea" method if you really want to change things up. That said, I still think dryhopping would be best .

Thanks for the input.

Here's the plan: Boil one pint of water (to sterilize) cool to 170 then pour over 1 oz Northern Brewer pellet hops in a french press. Steep for ?mins. Pour off hop flavored water, add corn sugar. Pour into bottling bucket, rack on top and bottle as usual.

I don't think a "mini wort" would be the best solution because I don't want to add any more bitterness and I want to try to bypass the time needed for proper dry hopping.

I'll post again when it's finished. I just brewed Friday, so it will be a few weeks.

I resorted to dry hopping for 2 weeks. I just freed up a carboy, so I'll rack it to secondary and swamp cooler it for a while before bottling. . .smells really good now. I'll sneak a taste when I rack it.

i think its a great idea. i would do it a muslin bag so i could remove the hops easily.
i think a longer boil to add bitterness would be perfect if you found out a brew needs more bitterness at bottling time rather wait for dry hopping.

And so it waited in primary until last week. I racked to the bottling bucket for a couple days, then finally bottled on Saturday (July 30). It tastes great! Now the [im]patient waiting for it to carb.

then what happened???

The hop tea process seems like a great way to adjust on bottling day. I had this idea...prep priming solution as usual...but with minimal water. meanwhile boil a cup (or 2) of water, french press with hops for like 1 minute (almost like a flame out addition) then throw it all in the bottling bucket (do the math on sugar vs. total priming volume if you must).
I made hop infused vodka and saved the hops for a subsequent boil for bittering. The only drawback was it seemed a little imprecise...but then a half ounce of partially spent low alpha hops didn't seem like much of a factor. BTW, the hop vodka was interesting but no substitute for proper hopping...IMHO.

theDunagans said:

And so it waited in primary until last week. I racked to the bottling bucket for a couple days, then finally bottled on Saturday (July 30). It tastes great! Now the [im]patient waiting for it to carb.

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Wait you kept it in the bottle bucket a couple of days? I'd be afraid of infection since there is just a little plastic valve that IMO on my vessel isn't as air tight as I'd prefer. But it's cool that it work out for you. cheers!

I tried this priming sugar hop tea addition yesterday to my ipa, but I didn't think of how much water (and sugar) those hops pellets sneak away. I was all worried, but then I noticed I had also not taken into account how much water I'd lost in the fermenter to dry hops when I made my calculation for priming sugar. Here's hoping the 2 errors balance themselves out. Oh well, it's a learning adventure. Just hopping I get some carbonation but no bottle bombs.

Brewsday said:

then what happened???

The hop tea process seems like a great way to adjust on bottling day. I had this idea...prep priming solution as usual...but with minimal water. meanwhile boil a cup (or 2) of water, french press with hops for like 1 minute (almost like a flame out addition) then throw it all in the bottling bucket (do the math on sugar vs. total priming volume if you must).
I made hop infused vodka and saved the hops for a subsequent boil for bittering. The only drawback was it seemed a little imprecise...but then a half ounce of partially spent low alpha hops didn't seem like much of a factor. BTW, the hop vodka was interesting but no substitute for proper hopping...IMHO.

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I've used a similar process for quite awhile to great effect: the amount of fresh hop flavor & aroma I can extract with 160-170 F water and French Press/coffee filter into my bottling bucket adjusts flaws in the current beer, and re-wetting with vodka for 15-30 min and straining and mixing with a little of the extra priming solution makes THE BEST 'Hop-Vodka and Tonics'
Fixing beers:
2oz pellets and 350ml 160-170F water 15 min>strain>coffee filter x2
re-wet if desired/needed
then 350ml vodka 15 min>strain
----or---
Stand-alone Hop Vodka:
1/2 oz pellets and 350ml vodka 15 min>strain
re-wet with 150ml water + 1tbsp sugar 15 min>strain
mix>coffee filter x2

note, the lower temps help to inhibit extraction of bitterness

I love this form . Just when I think I have a new idea I check this form and find a thread about it .

I was thinking of the hop tea idea for an IPA . Adding my sugar to the tea . I was going to go with an oz. of Columbus for about 5 min. I have already dry hopped 2 oz. Cascade and 1 oz. Columbus @ 3 days per oz.

Cheers