nOOB question about hops & Lambics

I've read that you should use aged hops in Lambics because you want the preservative qualities but no hops flavor, aroma or IBUs. Instead of using aged hops can you just use spent leaf hops from a prior brew?

just use normal hops, but hop to a very low IBU

using aged hops isnt as important when making pLambic because you are adding the desired bugs, whereas in traditional lambic making you wanted to limit the unwanted critters and large amounts of hops did this

Ive made many pLambics with run of the mill hops, I do like lower AA ones though, but thats more of personal preference than a technical one

Im planning on doing a spontaneous ferment soon myself, Im just waiting till it cools off a bit, and I will use a very large amount of aged hops, hopefully this will help inhibit the nasty critters that will ruin the beer

The thing is you don't want high alpha acids (around 10IBU's) because it retardes the growth of lactic acid producing bacteria like lactobaccilus and Pediococcus. When you age hops keep them exposed to oxygen and the warmer the ambient temperature the better. Within 6 months they should loose about 25% of their alpha acids. Within 3 years they loose almost all of them. The reason that this is done is because when brewing a lambic, or any sour, you use a large amount of hops for their other properties. A good rule of thumb is 0.8oz per gallon of wort. That's a lot! The two things you want out of the hops are polyphenols and beta acids. As hops age they oxidize which makes beta acids soluable which has antibacterial qualities. In short the hops don't add bitterness but act as a natural preservative. Also, if you choose to age hops get whole hops as they will be more exposed to oxygen. Mort Subite uses pellets but ages them for 5-7 years.

apparently you can slowly bake hops to force age them. In Wild Brews by Jeff Sparrow he says roast at no more than 93 degrees Celcius until they turn light brown. He doesn't specify if they loose all their alpha acids or just some. You might have to make an educated guess if you go this route. I'm guessing 50% for my lambic coming up but yours is as good as mine.

Happy brewing

Pediococcus is not inhibited by ibu's too much. Also, the aged hops maintain a good bit of their bacteriostatic properties. This is why the sourness from lambics is mostly from Pediococcus.

Using aged hops is not necessary if not doing spontaneous fermentation. Just keep the ibu's low as sourness and bitterness are not good bed fellows.

I have not had a problem using low AA English hops around 8 IBUs.

If you think hops will prevent you from making a sour beer, just take a look at Petrus aged pale. It is 25 IBUs. Still sour.

Why are we answering a 3 year old post ...... which has the same question that has probably been answered over a hundred times since then in other posts.

Wow, did not realize it was a necro thread. Got me good.