Hop question

[WillieRivers]

[FONT=&quot]Picked up an American Cream Ale Recipe and noticed that Delfacos gave me German Tettnanger hops instead of U.S. Hallertauer hops for the bittering. Will using these hops change up the finished product?

Thanks
Bill
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[Biermann]

Depends on the AA content for the bittering-- Tettnang is different than Hallertau, but it will still probably yield a decent product.

 

[Drunkensatyr]

If used for bittering, I seriously doubt you will be able to tell a difference, just adjust for AA%

 

[WillieRivers]

What do you mean "just adjust for AA%" Still new to brewing. Thanks for the help.

Bill

 

[Evan!]

What do you mean "just adjust for AA%" Still new to brewing. Thanks for the help.

Bill

Different hop varieties have different alpha acid percentages. The higher the AA%, the more bittering potential it has. So, on the really high end, you have something like Summit, which is around 18% AA. Hops with higher AA are often used for bittering rather than flavor/aroma. Lower-end hops can be used for both, though there are certainly exceptions to this very general rule.

For your purposes, what this means is that if the Tettnanger has a different AA value than the Hallertauer, you'll have to adjust your hop amounts or boil time in order to keep your IBU's (bitterness) the same.

ProMash's entries show that US Hallertauer is around 4%, whereas German Tett is around 4.5%...but this is merely estimates. What does the bag say? It should list the AA% on the hop packaging.

With a difference like that, you're really not going to have to worry about it. You might end up with a few more IBU's, but you'll never notice the difference.

 

[D2T]

Different hops have different AA%'s, and that even varies slightly from harvest to harvest..It should be labeled on your hop bag somewhere.

So, let's say this (just pulling numbers out of the air):

Tettnang: 5.5AA% (A1)
Hallertauer: 8.4AA% (A2)
You want an equivalent amount of Tettnang (V1)
Your recipe calls for 2oz Hallertauer (V2)

AA% to amount is inversely proportional (the higher the AA% the less hops we need), so:

A1/A2 = V2/V1

5.5/8.4 = 2/V1

Solve for V1:

V1 = 3.05oz(approximately)



edit: found a formula post online that might be easier to understand than my explanation

                 Original Oil Content
New Hop Qty  = ------------------------ x Original Hop Qty
                   New Oil Content

 

[WillieRivers]

Thanks for the Help...Back to brewing..

Bill