So I just received some freshly picked Chinook hops from my good friend a couple of days ago and now I am preparing to brew for him an ALL Chinook IPA this sunday. I have a good recipe ready to go, but my concern is using homegrown hops for the bittering of the boil. I know I dont know the AA% so i used the average for that style of hop. Using beer smith i came out with 81 IBUs. is this an OK assumption to assume when calculating hop additions? Also will I get any off flavors like "freshly mowed grass" if i use 100% homegrown? The hop cones came from a plant in its third year of growing. Also I have been drying them on a window screen the past couple of days.
Using 100% homegrown hops
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stpug
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I've always aimed for the lowest alpha in the alpha acid range, and frequently my tongue still says I'm coming up short on those brews in terms of IBUs. This is one of the instances I think it's good to set your sights low 
Grassiness is a definite possibility in a fresh hop ale, especially if the amount of hops are significant; BUT, to me, it's par for the course. I expect a little grassiness from fresh hop ales and that's what I usually get. I'm okay with it. If you want to reduce the amount of grassiness then you can dry them for a day or two prior to brewing. The drying process allows some of the natural juices (not lupulin) in the cone leaves to evaporate which serves to reduce the grassiness. Since you're already drying them, you should be set.
Grassiness is a definite possibility in a fresh hop ale, especially if the amount of hops are significant; BUT, to me, it's par for the course. I expect a little grassiness from fresh hop ales and that's what I usually get. I'm okay with it. If you want to reduce the amount of grassiness then you can dry them for a day or two prior to brewing. The drying process allows some of the natural juices (not lupulin) in the cone leaves to evaporate which serves to reduce the grassiness. Since you're already drying them, you should be set.
michiganhomebrewer
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There is definetely a fresh, grassy aroma and flavor to wet hops. I don't think there is anyway around it if you are using all fresh, wet hops. The grassy characters are essential oils that are usually burned off during the kilning process. It's all a matter of preference. I really like the wet hop, grassy characters of wet hops. But if you don't I would try drying them first. Especially if you are using Chinook.
Hamaki
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Wet hops, fresh from the bine, contain a lot of moisture. I typically hear that using 5 or 6 times the weight gives similar results to kiln dried hops which are in the vicinity of 10% moisture content. Since you've been drying these that ratio will be lower. If you'd weighed them initially and weigh them at the time of use you can estimate what the ratio should be. Assuming they're not kiln dried you'll still likely want 2 or 3 times the weight called for in a recipe using dried hops.
I brewed a beer with homegrown Chinook hops last year. Picked them about 3 hours before they went in the boil. I bittered with something I knew the AA of. I added 5 ounces of Chinook at 10 minutes, 5 ounces at 5 minutes and 5 ounces at knockout.
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rwing7486
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So to sum up I should probably set my AA% for the hops in beer smith to the lowest for the Chinook hop and then plan to overshoot my bitterness by the ratio percentage based on how much moisture I was able to evaporate out of the hop. I did weight the hops before i started to dry them and they have been drying in my basement on a scree, with a fan blowing on them since Wednesday. I have also rotated the cones every night before i went to bed.
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rwing7486
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I've always aimed for the lowest alpha in the alpha acid range, and frequently my tongue still says I'm coming up short on those brews in terms of IBUs. This is one of the instances I think it's good to set your sights low
Grassiness is a definite possibility in a fresh hop ale, especially if the amount of hops are significant; BUT, to me, it's par for the course. I expect a little grassiness from fresh hop ales and that's what I usually get. I'm okay with it. If you want to reduce the amount of grassiness then you can dry them for a day or two prior to brewing. The drying process allows some of the natural juices (not lupulin) in the cone leaves to evaporate which serves to reduce the grassiness. Since you're already drying them, you should be set.
Since I am using homegrown for bittering this is what I have for my hop addition. Right now beersmith says 105.8 using leaf hops at 13%AA. Dont know if this is too much for hops that will have been drying for 4 full days prior to using.
Recipe Specifications
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Boil Size: 7.74 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.24 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.85 gal
Estimated OG: 1.069 SG
Estimated Color: 6.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 105.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 85.7 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 83.3 %
1 lbs Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 2 7.4 %
12.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.6 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.7 %
1.75 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 63.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 6 22.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 13.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 8 7.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 10 -
2.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
stpug
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However right or wrong it is, BeerLegends says that Chinook range from 12-14% AA. With that in mind, I would adjust all of your hop additions to 12% in Beersmith. Also in Beersmith, make sure you've selected 'Leaf' as the Form of hop (as opposed to pellets). Leaf gives a 10% less contribution of IBUs as compared to pellets, in beersmith by default. Both of these changes would account for a significant reduction in calculated IBUs. See where this puts you.
I would probably roll with what you have in the recipe right now. When the 20minute mark comes up during the boil, pull a spoonful and sample it. If you taste major bitterness then move your late hop additions down (0, 3, 7, 12); if not, then add them as you have noted in your recipe.
It's a "fresh" brew. It's about showcasing the homegrown Chinook hops you've received. IMO, it's okay if you end up a little too much or too little on the hop front - that's part of the fun in fresh hop ales IMHO. BTW, I've got a fresh hop ale planned for SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!! The only difference is that I'll use a known hop pellet AA as my bittering addition.
I would probably roll with what you have in the recipe right now. When the 20minute mark comes up during the boil, pull a spoonful and sample it. If you taste major bitterness then move your late hop additions down (0, 3, 7, 12); if not, then add them as you have noted in your recipe.
It's a "fresh" brew. It's about showcasing the homegrown Chinook hops you've received. IMO, it's okay if you end up a little too much or too little on the hop front - that's part of the fun in fresh hop ales IMHO. BTW, I've got a fresh hop ale planned for SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!! The only difference is that I'll use a known hop pellet AA as my bittering addition.
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rwing7486
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Correct I used the average %AA but will move it down to 12 as that sounds like a good idea. I also selected "Leaf" in the hop profile so that my IBU would be adjusted accordingly. I might lower my target range a little bit down to about 90, but still havent decided yet. I am very excited to brew my first beer with homegrown hops. just hope it turns out well
Hamaki
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This. Gets your AAs where you want/need them. Flavor & aroma from your fresh hops without regard to alpha acids.
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rwing7486
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I know it does, but i want to use 100% homegrown hops instead of just using the freshly grown hops for aroma. And again I have been drying the crap out of them in my basement with a dehumidifier along with a fan recirculating the air and myself turning the cones daily. They should be nice and dry come brew day on Sunday.
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