hop drying in a smoker?

[Natethebrewer]

I may. Be digging up some old info here.
With my willamette plant coming up I am already looking forward to harvest.
I wanted to know if I can dry the hops over a cold smoke? To perhaps alter their character.

 

[GVH_Dan]

How cold is the "cold smoke?"

 

[lgilmore]

I would think you could. What flavor of smoke are you thinking of using?

 

[GVH_Dan]

You would definitely "alter" the flavor but I don't think you would like it.

Anytime you use heat to dry your hops, you run into the situation of pushing out oils, aromas and other volitiles. Some of these you want to get rid of but most you want to keep. If you pass 140F, you start loosing alpha acids, bittering compounds.

If you are looking for a smoky flavor to your beer, look for other methods. Think about the actual mass of hops you are adding to your beer...a few ounces...vs. the pounds of malt you add. A little smoke in your hops probably won't be noticed in your beer.