My neighbor just dropped off about 10oz of hops he grew in his yard. Have no idea what type they are or anything else about them, just that they are hops. I've never brewed with whole leaf hops let alone mystery hops, any recipe suggestions out there for these guys?
Mystery Homegrown Hops
- Thread starter samarrr
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I would consider using them exclusively for the flavor & aroma additions to a beer style you like, so you can get an idea of what their character is like: piney, citrusy, herbal, floral, etc.
If they haven't been dried yet, I would try them out for a few days.
Use a known pellet hop for your bittering addition so that you can control overall bitterness better.
If you use pumps to move your wort around, you may want to bag the hops or use a hop-spider, to keep them out of the pump intakes.
Good luck & have fun! Nice to have a good neighbor like that!
--LexusChris
If they haven't been dried yet, I would try them out for a few days.
Use a known pellet hop for your bittering addition so that you can control overall bitterness better.
If you use pumps to move your wort around, you may want to bag the hops or use a hop-spider, to keep them out of the pump intakes.
Good luck & have fun! Nice to have a good neighbor like that!
--LexusChris
HomeBrewerB
Well-Known Member
LexusChris said:
When drying do you just leave them out? Why not use them fresh I feel like you'd get better resins
There are many articles on hop harvesting & drying around the web. Here is one to check out:
http://www.nonconfermist.com/2009/08/how-to-dry-hops-at-home.html
For a small amount, you can just spread them out on a sieve or screen in a hot area of the house (not in the sunlight) for a few days. If you have a dehumidifier or food dryer, that works really well!
You can use your hops 'wet', without drying them. However, they need to be used quickly as the moisture inside the plant can rapidly spoil. By removing the moisture, you are greatly increasing the storability of your hops.
Additionally, I suspect the flavor can get a bit more 'vegetive' with all that wet plant material in there. This may be just my opinion/fear. However, I am more interested in the lupilin resin inside the plant's flowers, then the vegetative portion of the plant. So, I always dry my hops before using them.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
--LexusChris
http://www.nonconfermist.com/2009/08/how-to-dry-hops-at-home.html
For a small amount, you can just spread them out on a sieve or screen in a hot area of the house (not in the sunlight) for a few days. If you have a dehumidifier or food dryer, that works really well!
You can use your hops 'wet', without drying them. However, they need to be used quickly as the moisture inside the plant can rapidly spoil. By removing the moisture, you are greatly increasing the storability of your hops.
Additionally, I suspect the flavor can get a bit more 'vegetive' with all that wet plant material in there. This may be just my opinion/fear. However, I am more interested in the lupilin resin inside the plant's flowers, then the vegetative portion of the plant. So, I always dry my hops before using them.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
--LexusChris
