Dried or fresh hops?

[lacto]

Hello brewers all,

Here is a general knowledge question for you.

First, is dried or fresh hops used in brewing? If either can be used then what is the difference in the end product?

I have a feeling that there are different types of hops to give different tastes, so knowing what the hop variety might be could be important. I ask this because there are hops growing in my garden and I am wondering if I can use them - if so, how?

Any ideas?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Commercial dried hop pellets are probably the most used. They come with AA% data. This data allows you to dial in your preferred bitterness, roughly.

Fresh hops from the backyard, you'll have to use much more by weight than if you use pellets. Your fresh hops have a lot of water in them.

Your backyard hops don't have a AA% data. In addition to the variance by strain, it's a year-by-year thing that changes depending on weather, nutrition, etc.

Given that, you may not want to use it for early bittering additions. Late flavor or aroma additions are more resilient to AA% swings without throwing your bitterness too high or low. Dry hopping might be the best place for freshly harvested leaf hops.

 

[Jim R]

I don't know much about commercial leaf hops but I used them once in an IPA recipe and the hop debris was a real nuisance. I was plugging up my transfer hoses, siphon hoses, etc.. I have never used anything but hop pellets after that experience.

 

[Yooper]

There are dried hops (leaf hops or whole hops), pellet hops (dried in a pellet form) and fresh hops (used quickly in the fall).

Most will use pellet hops for dependability and ease of use, but you can buy whole dried hops as well. They are basically interchangeable but you will need about 10% more whole hops vs pellet for the same contribution due to the vegetal matter in them.

Fresh hops use about 6 time the amount of dried, in the fall when they are harvested. Many people love them, and I happen to grow about 8 varieties of them myself, but they leave too much vegetal matter in the wort for me so I rarely use them.

 

[Saunassa]

When I brew up my harvest ale using my own hops I usually figure 6 ounce fresh = 1 ounce dry. I always use an ounce of pellet at 60 so I know I have bittering. Then 15 ounces fresh at 30 and another 10-15 @15. I use a biab and set recirculation to be directed through it.