Sorry for the elementary question, but I'm Going to start making lambics in 6-8 months and realized I should start aging my hops. Does it matter what type of hops you use? Using the recipe from Brewing Classic Styles and he does not give any indication on a type. I'm assuming after they've aged, all hop characteristics are pretty much gone, but thought I'd check.
Aged hops
- Thread starter bmiller8
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
You can age your own and speed up the process with heat exposure or you can buy some. Last time I needed some I bought aged hops from Hops Direct. I've since started buying hops at clearance prices and just aging them myself from time to time when they have their "garage" sale. Variety is not real important. I'd say the lower the initial AA the better but I have anything ranging from old pellets of 6-8%aa to leaf at 3-5%aa. I keep them in the crawl space above my garage and they get super funky smelling in due time.
I am in the process of aging about six oz of hop pellets myself.
I had Fuggle and Tettnanger in the freezer in taped up plastic bags for about a year and decided that,as they were down to just about half the original AA % already,why not throw them into a paper bag and put it under the stairs in the 35c heat.
They should be ready quite soon.
The lower your AA% the quicker they will be good to go.
Happy hop aging.
I had Fuggle and Tettnanger in the freezer in taped up plastic bags for about a year and decided that,as they were down to just about half the original AA % already,why not throw them into a paper bag and put it under the stairs in the 35c heat.
They should be ready quite soon.
The lower your AA% the quicker they will be good to go.
Happy hop aging.
If you get some make two beers. Make your lambic and then make a saison like grist and mix fresh and aged hops like in Iris. Then ferment with a lambic culture or better yet bottle yeast out of gueuzes and lambics. Microbial diversity is the path to complexity if you ask me. Sure some of these "lambic" cultures have 12 strains or maybe more but I've fermented them against the pitches I've done from bottles and the bottle pitches are tastier, dry out faster, and have a funkier flavor in my book. Why pay $10 for a culture when you can get some nice bottles, enjoy the beer, then use the yeast/bacteria in their beer to make yours. Its a win win to me.
My plan is to actually make 3 beers with the ultimate goal being a gueuze in 3 years. Probably keep it small (3 1-gallon batches a year) and just build up an inventory that I'll be able to make a gueuze every year, but yes, I plan in doing something different for some of the extras in year 1.
Thanks for the ideas
Thanks for the ideas
well since you plan on doing very small batches you wont need a lot of hops as you want very low ibu's. I ordered the lambic blend from farmhouse brewing supply that I plan on using in a couple of weeks. Already aged and only $3.20 for 4oz. That should cover your needs for a while and you dont have to go through the hassle of doing it yourself.
Coff
Well-Known Member
There is a sale this week at Hops Direct, the aged/debittered hops are $1/lb plus shipping. Can't beat it, I ordered 10lbs for $35
Definitely hard to turn down a deal like this. I "only" went with three pounds.
ChugachBrewing
Well-Known Member
Even if you get more than 1 lb? I found the shipping didn't budge when I went from 10lb to 12lb...
Coff
Well-Known Member
Hence the reason I didnt send you those vials, it was way more than I had expected.
Ahhhhhh,but I got some Coff.
A young member,still at University sent me two vials in the regular post and it only cost $12. I trust regular post for somethings. It wouldn't hurt aged hops to be sent that way, as there is no fear of degradation.
