Hops

I have never made beer. I got some Cascade hops in pellet form. Can I just through them in as is in primary. Do I have to heat them first?

 

I think boiling hops allows the acids in the hops to "isomerize" and allows you to taste the bitterness the hop provides. Dry hopping, - simply adding hops to cold liquid - will bring out the aroma and some of the flavor of the hops but not their bitter character. If you add pellets to your cider just be prepared for those pellets to dissolve and break up. You will want to rack (siphon) your cider off the hops after a few days so you might want to decide whether it will be better to add them to the primary or add them after the active fermentation has slowed and you have racked the cider to a second carboy or container (the secondary). My sense is that a week in the carboy is a long time for dry hopping but the experience of others may be quite different.

 

im not sure why you would want to add hops to a cider but another method you could do is steep them in hot water in a french press. then just push down the metal filter and you have a nice hop tea you could add to the cider instead of just dry hopping.

 

The longer you boil hops, the less flavor and aroma you will get, and the more bitterness will be present. Boiling for upwards of 60 minutes will give almost entirely bitterness (which may be out of place in a cider), around 30 minutes will give flavor and some bitterness, and boiling 15 minutes or less will give mostly hop aroma, and only a little bitterness.

Or you could dry-hop by adding directly to the fermenter for about a week or so. That will give you almost entirely fresh hop aroma. Dry-hopping with pellets will also add some sludge and cloudiness to your cider. Hops have natural anti-bacterial properties, so heating isn't necessary.

 

Thanks for all the input. I think I will put some in hot water, 30 minutes and later add some to the primary for 3-4 days. Should be a happy medium.

 

I used the coffee press, seems to work good.

 

If you want to get an idea how a hop will complement your cider then put some hops and the cider in the press and hold the hops out with the strainer. This will help you understand the dry hopping compatibility of the hops with your cider.

 

IMO the problem of adding water will be that you will be diluting the cider> I am unsure that adding water to apple juice even when flavored with hops is worth the cost of dilution..

 

I use frozen apple juice concentrate to increase the flavor and gravity, so a little water is not a problem.

 

From making graff I can tell you that hop bitterness is very unpleasant in cider. The tart, bitter combo is something that you don't find in many foods for good reason.
Steeping hops in cool water or cider should be fine, but don't boil.

 

I love hopped cider, I boil 3/4 my hops in a liter of apple juice for a half hour and 1/4 for two minutes before straining and adding it to the rest of my juice. It's the cider that disappears the fastest.

 

I enjoy graff, but maybe the residual sugars help balance the hops and the tartness


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