Using Whole Hops for the first time - Question

[dierythmus]

Hi All,

Intermediate AG brewer here. My friend is letting me harvest a ton of Cascade hops that he has grown on his farm. In the 4 years I've been brewing, I've only used pellets. I've been reading about how to harvest/dry store the hops, but I'm clueless when it comes to creating a recipe/using the whole hops.

I'm thinking about making a Cascade SMaSH, but I don't know how much hops to use and when. Where should I start with this?

 

[johngaltsmotor]

You use whole hops the same as you would pellets. If it's a commercial farm he should be able to tell you the AA% to base the recipe on so you get the total IBU and flavor and aroma punch you're looking for. If not assume they're toward the lower end of the normal range due to being less than commercial quality conditions.

 

[bobeer]

unless you know the AA% of them it's going to be hard to use them as a bittering hop. If you do know the AA% then use them as you normally would pellets. If you don't have a recipe calculator I'd download one, I use beersmith, and start to play with it. I know, with beersmith, you get slightly more IBU's when using pellets vs cone hops from the same amount.

Using whole cone hops, I've found, is a little harder due to how much wort they can absorb. If you're making a stout or something that doesn't have a high ibu then it wont matter all that much but if you're making an IPA, or something with a lot of hops, you can lose up to 1/2 gallon, maybe even more, due to the hops absorbing wort. This is my experience, anyway... Good luck!

 

[dierythmus]

You use whole hops the same as you would pellets. If it's a commercial farm he should be able to tell you the AA% to base the recipe on so you get the total IBU and flavor and aroma punch you're looking for. If not assume they're toward the lower end of the normal range due to being less than commercial quality conditions.

Thanks! He doesn't know the AA. So 1oz of whole hops = 1oz of hop pellets (generally)?

 

[dierythmus]

unless you know the AA% of them it's going to be hard to use them as a bittering hop. If you do know the AA% then use them as you normally would pellets. If you don't have a recipe calculator I'd download one, I use beersmith, and start to play with it. I know, with beersmith, you get slightly more IBU's when using pellets vs cone hops from the same amount.

Using whole cone hops, I've found, is a little harder due to how much wort they can absorb. If you're making a stout or something that doesn't have a high ibu then it wont matter all that much but if you're making an IPA, or something with a lot of hops, you can lose up to 1/2 gallon, maybe even more, due to the hops absorbing wort. This is my experience, anyway... Good luck!

Thanks. I'm looking to make an IPA. So would you recommend using pellets for bittering (since it's more predictable) and use whole hops for the later additions?

 

[johngaltsmotor]

Many people use pellets for their bittering hops so that they know the IBUs they'll generate. I grow a few varieties at home and have used them for bittering before in IPAs and simply know that I won't be able to enter a competition because the IBU value is questionable. I use them in all phases because they're my own home grown. Getting them from a friend I'd probably use these for flavor and aroma and stick to pre-packaged for bittering.
I would avoid using the whole leaf for dry hopping due to how much liquid they can trap in between the leaves of the cones, you can lose a few pints. So for now start with using these whole cones for flavor and aroma.

 

[johngaltsmotor]

Yes, 1oz of whole hops is the same as 1oz of pellets so you can interchange them in the recipe.

 

[bobeer]

Thanks. I'm looking to make an IPA. So would you recommend using pellets for bittering (since it's more predictable) and use whole hops for the later additions?

That's what I would do. Whirlpool the whole cones hops and dry hop with them too. I've found that breaking them up for dry hopping is better than just dumping them in whole but experiment away!