Stinky Idaho 7 hops?

[moreb33rplz]

I just opened up a lb of Idaho 7 hops from 2019 crop, and it doesn't smell like any other hop I've ever used. It might be the garlic/onion, maybe old socks? Does not smell like hop goodness.

I've never had this before, is this a Idaho 7 thing or a general hops gone bad thing?

 

[SlanginDueces]

Definitely not anything I have experienced with Idaho 7 and I use it frequently. Where did you get it?

 

[Qhrumphf]

I've never had a beer using Idaho 7 that DIDN'T smell like armpit and onions. I hate that hop.

 

[dmtaylor]

I've never had a beer using Idaho 7 that DIDN'T smell like armpit and onions. I hate that hop.

Ditto.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I left it out for a couple hours to see if it changed, seemed pretty consistent bad smelling. Ended up using it as about 25% of my whirlpool, we'll see how it goes.

Kind of a bummer to have a giant pile of stinky hops.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Some people seem to really like it (though I'm not sure why). So don't count it out.

 

[Dgallo]

I left it out for a couple hours to see if it changed, seemed pretty consistent bad smelling. Ended up using it as about 25% of my whirlpool, we'll see how it goes.

Kind of a bummer to have a giant pile of stinky hops.

I love Idaho 7 hotside. Nice earthy, dank, an herbal notes. Pairs really well with citra

 

[IslandLizard]

Where did you get it?

Yes please, let us know. ^

I haven't used Idaho 7 yet, but had NEIPAs that featured it, they were wonderful, and dank.

 

[Qhrumphf]

and dank.

That word either gets used as "smells like a dispensary" or "smells like allium harvest". I'm fine with the former. But in the latter case, I could see "sweaty armpit" being a denotative "dank", but not a positive descriptor.

As some seem more prone to perceiving this character than others, I wonder if it's not a hereditary/physiological type thing.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I don't want to name the place i got the hops from, odds are the hops are in great condition and I'm just not a fan. That said, it's one of the main websites everyone talks about here.

It definitely didn't smell like weed. I also had mosaic, galaxy, and columbus out on the table at the same time. the columbus (from the same hop seller) smelled a little similar to the idaho 7, but the mosaic and galaxy were way different - bright and fruity.

Guess I'll see what happens in 3'ish weeks when I taste the beer.

 

[mrcastellino]

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you got the hops from Yakima Valley Hops.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Columbus certainly falls into the "dank" grouping. Though even in the bad lots the onion isn't too pronounced in the pellets and barely if at all carries to the beer (and in good lots its straight weedy diesely earthy goodness and a touch of grapefruit).

Mosaic, Citra, and Galaxy have been lot dependent (and farm depenedent) in my experience (Citra more reliable than Mosaic more reliable than Galaxy). Some are straight fruit, some you can smell the onion/garlic/shallot/BO from pellet through to finished beer. And when they're bad you can smell it right away.

I've never personally used Idaho 7. It may be like Columbus, and what you smell in the pellets may not entirely what you get in the beer.

But as said, every single beer (commercial or homebrew) I've had using them has been onion/garlic/BO. So I have been in zero rush to brew with them.

 

[SlanginDueces]

In my experience good quality Idaho 7 is pretty tropical with citrus. What I love about it is that there are also earthy/pine undertones which makes a complex beer.

Again I’d say your hops were probably treated badly at some point in the chain and aged prematurely. I’m always of the mindset that if I don’t like the way it smells, don’t put it in the beer!

 

[mrcastellino]

There is a rumor that Idaho 7 is nothing more than Chinook grown in Idaho.

I ended up trying it for the first time after Scott Janish from Sapwood Cellars ranted and raved about it. This is what he had to say:

“Don't tell anyone, but Idaho 7 is one of the greatest hot-side hops I've ever used. I don't know the science yet (maybe thiols or hop-derived esters), but the amount of tropical hop saturated flavor pre-dry hopping is unreal compared to other varieties.”

When I used it hotside for a hazy IPA I did not get onion coming through on the flavor. In the future, for questionable hops you might want to try the dry hop BMC technique to see what might be in store for you before subjecting a whole batch. After doing it with our homebrew club, it proved to be a real eye opener on how varietal or name wasnt nearly as important in comparison to the overall quality of the hop.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

LOL. It is a hop that I have not used but want to try it at some point. I guess one person's "armpit and onion" is another's "dank and earthy".

 

[moreb33rplz]

nuked

 

[ba-brewer]

A week or two back I ran across an article that said leaving the hops exposed to oxygen for a few days before use would get rid of the onion/garlic smell/flavor. I wish I booked marked the page but didn't, I am thinking it was hopstiener article but could not find it.

I always get onion from my backyard Columbus hops but it does not seem to make through to the finished beer. One year I let my cascade and chinook hops get a bit riper than normal and they also got an onion smell and with those the smell seemed to make it to the beer. I now try to error on the side of picking too early than too late.