Hop Grinding - Experimental Evidence?

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Omahawk

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Odell’s Rupture is a really nice aromatic and flavorful beer, and it got me wondering if the benefits of grinding hops are real or a gimmick. I’ve searched the forums and seen lots of discussion about hop grinding, with a few various opinions on whether it really does or doesn’t provide more hop flavor. I haven’t seen any real experiences, experiments or side-by-sides about hop grinding and the difference it might make.

Anyone got links or done side-by-side comparisons themselves? I read through several threads here and checked out Brulosophy’s experiments and didn’t see anything.
 
Gimmick alert. Most beer is made with pellet (ground) hops.

If anything, I've heard that whole hops provide better flavor, they're just a lot harder to handle.

In my opinion, the best flavor comes from hops that are not dried at all (or ground).
 
Gimmick alert. Most beer is made with pellet (ground) hops.

If anything, I've heard that whole hops provide better flavor, they're just a lot harder to handle.

In my opinion, the best flavor comes from hops that are not dried at all (or ground).

True. I use pellets 95% of the time. I meant whole hops vs. ground whole hops (ground at time of addition)

I’ve seen references for 2-3 years of this being done. Just no side-by-side taste tests of the results.

Here is the marketing Odell uses for their “fresh ground hops” beer.

https://www.odellbrewing.com/rupture-fresh-grind-ale/
 
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No experience or experiments with fresh ground hops here.
But just thinking about it, compare the taste and aroma of fresh cracked pepper to those dust shakers that have bee sitting at a Waffle House booth for a few years.
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese vs the saw dust in plastic jars.
Fresh herbs vs their dried flake cousins.
Doesn’t seem like a total gimmick.
 
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