Green Hops

[lunshbox]

I was lucky enough to reserve a pound each of green Amarillo and Cascade hops. Has anyone had any experience in brewing a green hop beer? I plan on doing two 6-gallon batches, one for each hop. What are yalls thoughts on the best way to showcase these beautiful green hops?

 

[Reno_eNVy]

As opposed to what color hops?

Make a continuously-hopped IPA Dogfish Head style using the two mixed together. Maybe an addition every 2 minutes or so.

 

[lunshbox]

Reno, you think I should stick with one 6-gallon batch and pack them all in there? I thought about reserving at least 8 ounces for dry hopping.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Whoa whoa whoa, all of it? No, that's not what I was implying. That would be ridiculous for a 6 gallon batch, and that's from a guy who has brewed a 5-gallon batch with a pound of 6.9% Cascades.

Get a trial for BeerSmith or get the free, open-source Brew Target to figure out how much you need/want.


And please, I must know.... what do you mean by "green hops"?

 

[lunshbox]

Oh, I should have been more clear about that. Fresh hops, less than 24 hours off of the vine. From what i understand there is a 5:1 ratio for fresh hops vs kiln dried hops. I have never used fresh hops before as there isn't much opportunity in North Carolina.

 

[SouthBay]

i've heard its 2-3:1, wet:fresh. Make a Union Jack clone, but sub the Amarillo for the Centennial. I've done that wet, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Ah, gotcha. Wet hops

And from what I've gathered it's 4:1 wet to dry ratio seeing as you usually lose 75% of the mass after drying.

 

[lunshbox]

sounds great.I'll be posting back here all about it once I get everything figure out.

 

[EllisTX]

On a recent Brew Strong they discussed wet hops. The popular opinion is to reserve them for knockout and dry hopping. They said the point of using wet hops is to get delicate aromas and flavors that are usually driven off during drying and processing. Take an hour and have a listen. http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/892

 

[vscout]

Ah, gotcha. Wet hops

And from what I've gathered it's 4:1 wet to dry ratio seeing as you usually lose 75% of the mass after drying.

Interesting. I thought it was much less than that.

 

[RobertRGeorge]

There's an interesting video posted elsewhere on this site that shows Sierra Nevada adding wet hops to the boiler for their "Harvest" ale. Check it out. Maybe Google is your friend.

 

[david_42]

Anyway, the best way to show off the unique characteristics of fresh hops is post-fermentation. Anything in the boil will drive off the lightest oils, but you could stick 8 oz in the fermenter. You can freeze fresh hops and add them later without losing anything.

 

[lunshbox]

On a recent Brew Strong they discussed wet hops. The popular opinion is to reserve them for knockout and dry hopping. They said the point of using wet hops is to get delicate aromas and flavors that are usually driven off during drying and processing. Take an hour and have a listen. http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/892

Thanks a bunch for this EllisTX. I will be giving this a listen tomorrow.

 

[lunshbox]

OK. Here is what I came up with for the recipe. Any critiques or suggestions are welcome.


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 8.46 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.76 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.062 SG
Estimated Color: 12.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 60.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 85.1 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10 lbs Pale Ale Malt 2-Row (Briess) (3.5 SRM) Grain 1 76.2 %
1 lbs Caramel Munich 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.6 %
1 lbs Victory Malt (biscuit) (Briess) (28.0 SR Grain 3 7.6 %
8.0 oz Caramel Malt - 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.8 %
8.0 oz Caramel Malt - 30L (Briess) (30.0 SRM) Grain 5 3.8 %
2.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.0 %
2.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 26.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 8 9.9 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 9 -
8.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 23.7 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 11 -
8.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 12 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 13 lbs 2.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 19.61 qt of water at 157.3 F 148.0 F 75 min
Mash Out Add 10.50 qt of water at 209.9 F 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 3.30 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:

 

[SouthBay]

i'd tweak it a bit:

12# pale
1/2# caramel 60
(maybe 1/2# victory, if you're set on including victory. Otherwise, skip it and let the hops shine)

1oz dry cascade @ 15, 10, 5, and 0 = 3 oz wet @ 15, 10, 5, and 0.
Remaining hops to desired bitterness @ 60.

Dryhop 4 oz for 10 days, 4 more oz for 3 days (ie, add them after the 1st week).

***

simplicity really is key with an IPA, especially with wet hops. Too much malt activity, particularly from crystal malts, masks the nuanced addition that wet hops grant.

oh, and you're going to lose a TON of wort to hops. be forewarned.

 

[lunshbox]

Thank you very much for the suggestions. I am not set on victory. I use it in my standard IPA and it works nicely but my standard doesn't use wet hops ;-) . Should I increase the boil volume on this?