Hop-less style?

[Eckythump]

I presume that beer was originally made from just malted grain, without the addition of hops. I'm wondering if there are any styles remaining that don't use any hops?

 

[TyTanium]

Well, there's gruit, but that's replacing hops with other bittering herbs.

Are you talking about malt-only? I.e., everything the same as a normal batch, but no hops?

 

[Revvy]

If you don't have some sort of preserving agent, such as hops, or the ingredients mentioned in gruit, the "beer" will sour quickly. Hops are the most common, primarily because they work the best over any of the other less common ones.

 

[Eckythump]

Are you talking about malt-only? I.e., everything the same as a normal batch, but no hops?

Yeah that's what I was wondering.

 

[Eckythump]

If you don't have some sort of preserving agent, such as hops, or the ingredients mentioned in gruit, the "beer" will sour quickly. Hops are the most common, primarily because they work the best over any of the other less common ones.

Ah, interesting. Is there a minimum amount of hops required to get the "preservation" quality?

 

[Revvy]

Well, think about an american light lager it has only around 8 – 12 IBUs. Barely enough for most folks to detect, yet it doesn't spoil.

 

[TyTanium]

Revvy - how quick is "quickly"? I've wondered the same thing as Ecky but never tried it because I think hops are tasty

 

[Revvy]

Revvy - how quick is "quickly"? I've wondered the same thing as Ecky but never tried it because I think hops are tasty

I don't know. I do know that if you make starters in the summer the starter beer often goes sour in a couple days, that's why some folks add hops. Hate to try that on 5 gallons.

Boiling alone kills off stuff already in the wort, but doesn't protect it from post boil nasties.

 

[spenghali]

http://www.gruitale.com/intro_en.htm

 

[drkaeppel]

http://www.gruitale.com/intro_en.htm

What a great site! Definitely going to give some of those recipes a shot.

 

[tennesseean_87]

What about aged hops for preservation, but low bittering?

 

[DewGun316]

What about aged hops for preservation, but low bittering?

^ This I want to get my wife fringing my brews because she really is on board with me doing this. My only addition to this question would be the aromatic hops could you use those in lower quantities to preserve and calm the bitterness?

 

[Tinga]

my question would be why are you looking for hopless styles? if it is because you dislike hops there are a lot of styles where hops are hardly noticable. styles like lambics and hefes and light lagers.

 

[Revvy]

What about aged hops for preservation, but low bittering?

I think that's why they use them in lambics and stuff....The person to ask would be "oldsock" The Mad Fermentationist.

 

[Zuljin]

I've done several no hop brews. Just brew whatever and leave the hops out. None have spoiled.

My SKS (Some Kind of Stout) was an extract brew with no hops. I drank a year old bottle of it and it was fine. That bottle had been in a box in back of the closet. No light, never opened once bottled and no disturbance.

That horrible swamp water I made from licorice candy didn't have hops. It was terrible for many reasons, but not spoilage from lack of hops.

I'm fairly certain Triple Berry Beer didn't have hops.

No hops in my mead or apfelwein, but neither of those are beer.

Kungaloosh was all fruit juices and light DME. Pretty sure that had 3 pounds of light DME. No hops and no spoilage. 14% abv may have acted as a preservative

I think part of why back in the day hops was used to preserve beer was their lack of storage options. They didn't always have air tight and completely sanitized glass bottles. They didn't have climate controlled houses. Back then, they were storing beer in clay pots and wooden barrels that were shoved in hot hovels and toted around in rickety wagons. They didn't have the same ready access to clean water then either.

I'm not arguing that we don't need hops any more. Just that we don't need them as much.

Trivia bite. Rosemary has been used instead of hops.

 

[tennesseean_87]

It seems to me that something needs to balance sweetness. It can be bitterness or sourness, but usually not both. Can anything else balance that sweetness? High alcohol? Smokiness? Woodiness?

 

[kingwood-kid]

It seems to me that something needs to balance sweetness. It can be bitterness or sourness, but usually not both. Can anything else balance that sweetness? High alcohol? Smokiness? Woodiness?

I brewed a hopless lacto-soured, oaked, smoked porter. I don't really notice the oak, but it's a nice beer.

Enough dark roast to impart a burnt or coffee flavor would offset sweetness. A low FG would leave little remaining sweet taste. Adding fruit would go well with any residual sugars.