Hops Question

I am brewing the last batch with my Mr. Beer kit. I have been putting together a "real" kit over the past few weeks, so my next batch will be 5 gallons, and hopefully much better :cross:

Anyway, this last batch with the Mr. Beer is the Big Bean Bock. I have stuck with the simple recipes in the past, and have never added hops. I understand when you are doing full boils with extracts that you add the different hops at different points in the boil, and remove all hops at the end of the boil. However, with the Mr. Beer, the directions are ambiguous, and let me to believe that I was supposed to leave the hops in with the fermentation.

Something doesn't seem right about that. But then again, the hops are never put in the wort during a boil, so maybe they are supposed to stay in the fermenter. I'm a little concerned because the closets with the fermenter is really smelling like cascade hops.

Here is a link to the Mr. Beer directions/recipe for this beer:

http://www.mrbeer.com/images/pdf/11000bigbb.pdf

Can anyone tell me if the hops were supposed to stay in the fermenter?

There's no harm in leaving the hops in. The downside is that they add to the sediment at the bottom of your primary.

Thanks so much Denny's!

So even though a strong smell of the cascade hops is coming from the fermenter right now during active fermentation, the hops won't be overpowering in the flavor?

Sounds like you followed the directions. Presumably there were bittering hops used when the malt extract was prepared for you. You added some aroma hops which most would do at the end of the boil and then remove when transferring to the primary. Hops can also be added to the fermentor which is called "dry hopping". All that hop smell in your closet is the reason why many wait for fermentation to cease before adding the dry hops as the vigorous fermentation "blows off" much of what you wanted to add to the beer.

Bottom line - you've made beer.

Thanks, Got Trub...

Basically what he said.

When you get get that kit ready for brewing, or beofre.. feel free to ask away. Pretty friendly folk on this forum, and when they're not.. we tend to beat them with a large mash maddle.

Cascades is commonly used for dry hopping. They are one of the major hops that give Left Coast ales their aroma.

So, you're on the right track.