My hops have a good deal of lupulin under the bracts, but they only smell if I crush them... should they smell like hops if I stick my nose up close while they are just hanging there?
Hops Smell
- Thread starter strumke
- Start date
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Not really. Even though I 'smell' pretty good, I find you don't really get what they have to offer until they're crushed. Some orgoliptically sensitive folks may be able to pick up some aroma without crushing them but I think the 'rub-n-sniff' technique is how most go about judging aroma.
BradleyBrew
Well-Known Member
do you think I should crush the whole cones before adding them as dry hop additions?
Ask yourself this question, "do you crush the hops you buy before you use them for dry hopping?". If your hops were harvested at the proper time and dried properly, you would use them just like any other hops and allow the aroma compounds to be dissolved by the alcohol in the brew. Have at it!
BradleyBrew
Well-Known Member
sounds good. I just know when you by whole leaf hops they are basically "pulled" apart whole cone hops.
That isn't intentional. It just happens during drying and processing. Whole cone hops are literally just that - the cones are separated from the vines and dried.
BradleyBrew
Well-Known Member
sounds good... i'm going to use 1oz of both Cascade and Chinook about 3 days off the vine tonight to dry hop my harvest ale!
CentralWABrewing
Well-Known Member
You don't need to do any crushing before brewing them. The liquid does a better job at extracting the goodness you're looking for.
