Brewing with Fresh Hops
When it comes to brewing, which came first — fresh hops or dried? It’s a classic chicken or egg conundrum. But we know this: Somewhere in time, in an unknown location, a brewer plucked fresh hops straight off the bines (not vines — there is a difference) and added them to wort to make beer.
Although there is no documentation that proves either way, one could easily assume that fresh hops might have been used in beer before the now-traditional practice of using dried ones.
It makes sense: We know that hops were relative latecomers to the beer world at a time when a host of different botanicals were utilized in wort to not only produce different flavors, but for medicinal uses as well. The first time someone threw in some hops, which we now know have anti-bacterial properties, the brewer or townspeople might have noticed that particular batch didn’t spoil as quickly as some of the other beers. Along the way, hops were undoubtedly dried alongside other botanicals and herbs to be used in beer, medicine and other cooking needs during the months when the ground lay fallow, and it was probably discovered that the hops retained a lot of their potency, once again keeping beer from spoiling. While this is a scenario derived from current knowledge, it is easy to see how hops would begin to rise as a preferred addition to beer in this historic world of no refrigeration.
Whether it was an unknown nod to the original usage or a break from current tradition, over a decade ago, using fresh — or wet — hops in beer started catching the excitement of hobby and craft brewers. A seasonal beer of the most specific kind, beers made from these hops, freshly removed from the bine, are only available during harvest season. And, because of their fragile nature — if hops aren’t dried shortly after being harvested, they can mildew quite quickly — wet hops go straight into wort as soon as possible. So it makes sense that fresh-hop beers originated in locations where hop yards are nearby.
Excitement escalated over using these wet hops as a way to create new seasonal beers — and celebrate the harvest and the agricultural ties to brewing — and a dozen-plus years later, fresh-hop beers are a highly anticipated harbinger of the harvest and of autumn, bringing with them a fresh, bright taste that only newly harvested hops can impart.
“The consumer has embraced them because it’s something that happens once a year,” said Cam O’Connor, Brewmaster at Deschutes Brewing in Bend, Oregon. “It’s a harvest celebration.”
The good news is, it’s easy for homebrewers to add wet hops to their own brews. And the better news is, thanks to increasing demand, it’s also easier for brewers across the country to get those fresh hops — no matter how far from a hop yard they are.
Sourcing Wet Hops
Unless you grow your own or know a generous person who does, fresh hops are a little troublesome — and sometimes pricey — to come by, but because of increased interest, the options are getting easier.
Mail-order hops: According to Vaughn Stewart, Project Development Manager for Northern Brewer, Hopunion has been doing a wet hop program for at least the past two years that delivers wet hops straight from the farms to your local homebrew shop.
“The wet hops are harvested, packed in boxes, then shipped via air to participating homebrew retailers, where they are doled out to customers. This is a great way to get commercial-quality fresh hops, including highly-sought-after varieties like Citra® and Simcoe®,” he said.
Steve Bader, owner of Bader Beer & Wine Supply in Vancouver, Washington (and author of the recipes at the end of this story), added that this year, Hopunion is expected to once again offer some of the most sought-after aroma hops as wet hops.
“The truly best varieties are your favorite aroma varieties. Amarillo®, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra®, Simcoe® are currently the most commonly used fresh hops, and Amarillo®, Citra® and Simcoe® are the trendiest hops to be using these days,” Bader said.
It was not known at press time which varieties would be available for the Hopunion program this year, but Duke Geren of FH Steinbart Co. homebrew supply shop in Portland, Oregon, adds one thing to keep in mind when sourcing wet hops is to use varieties that are typically used for aroma hops in the more traditional dry-hop forms.
“Fresh hops tend to have more punch in the flavor and aroma department than dry hops. A fresh-hopped beer just seems to pop with those qualities when used in beer. There are certain melon, citrus and grassy characteristics that are just more intense in fresh-hopped beers,” Geren said.
Hit the farm: If you’re close to an area where hops are grown — and those regions are expanding again across the country after being relegated to the Pacific Northwest for decades — one of the best ways to source fresh hops is to actually visit the hop yards of larger farms or a boutique hop farm that specializes in producing local hops for a growing number of breweries.
“For a more local flavor, many homebrewers have been turning to small farms,” said Stewart. “With enough advance legwork, many of these farms are selling small lots of wet hops to homebrewers at harvest time.”
It’s quite an experience to see those lovely green gems being harvested off the bines with the heady aroma of hops surrounding you. But don’t just think you can show up like you would at a farmer’s market and take your pick from the day’s harvest like you would a bunch of cucumbers or a watermelon. Wet hops are most often claimed far in advance. Many farmers have relationships with the neighboring breweries that have already taken up the current year’s harvest. That being said, it never hurts to call ahead of time and see if you can still score some stragglers.
Know a pro brewer: If you are buddies with a local brewer, you might be able to ride the coattails of their wet-hop arrangements and pay them to order a little extra for you. Note: this is only applicable if you are really good friends with the brewer.
Brewing With Wet Hops
According to Cam O’Connor of Deschutes Brewing , the first step in designing a fresh-hop beer is again all about aroma.
“Consider the hop. Think about what the aroma you will get from that hop will be. Do you really want a garlic-stinky socks aroma from your beer? You might. You might not. But know that what you smell in the hop is definitely what you are going to get in the beer,” he said.
Keep in mind that fresh hops act a lot like fresh herbs in cooking. Just like you do with fresh herbs versus dry herbs in cooking, because there is more moisture in fresh hops, you will need to use more of them to achieve the desired results.
“Depending on who you talk to, fresh hops are used at a ratio of five-to-eight to one versus dry hops,” Geren says. “So, for example, where a recipe might call for two ounces of late-addition dry hops, you would instead use 10 to 16 ounces (283 to 454 g) of fresh hops.”
And the “late addition” part is key, according to most of the experts polled for this story.
“Part of this is due to unknown alpha acid levels (in the fresh hops), and part is that it better captures and preserves the delicate flavor and aroma elements that make these hops so special,” Stewart said.
O’Connor warns that using fresh hops early in the boil for bittering can impart an undesirable vegetal quality.
“We’ve played around with using fresh hops for bittering,” he says. “But for Hop Trip, for example, we use (dried) Nugget (hops), I believe, for bittering and all fresh hops for aroma.”
Stewart and Geren recommend adding the hops in the last 10 to 20 minutes of the boil for the maximum amount of aroma retention, but neither say it’s wise to dry-hop beers with wet hops because of the risk of contamination.
“Better still, a ‘hot stand’ or ‘hop stand’ can be conducted, where the heat to the boil kettle is turned off, the fresh hops are added, and the lid is replaced on the kettle,” Stewart said. “The hops stay in the just-below-boiling wort for 30 to 60 minutes. It is believed that this temperature extracts rich volatiles more thoroughly, and may even be used in lieu of dry-hopping.”
That being said, Geren advises to experiment and have fun with those lovely fresh green globes that arrive only once a year.
“Don’t be afraid to color outside the box,” Geren said about taking risks with fresh hops. “There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to homebrewing or using fresh hops. Don’t be afraid to experiment or try something unconventional. You just might stumble upon something extraordinary. “
And one final note: remember to keep good notes when you are brewing with fresh hops, because you won’t be able to tweak your recipe for a whole year until hop harvest comes around again. Also, using a scale to weigh the hops is the best way to record the hop usage. Measuring them by the cup (or other dry measure) is inconsistent depending on the growing season — packed vs fluffy, size of cones changing, etc. Weight, however, is always the same.
Grow Your Own Hops
If you live in the right climate, the best way to source fresh hops is to grow your own. Hops can grow across at least the northern half of the mainland United States, provided there is ample moisture and sunshine and well-drained soil with a lot of compost — and maybe even deeper south with protection from the heat and sun, as well as a solid green thumb.
Hops require a minimum of six to eight hours of sunshine a day; southern-facing areas often are best. The bines can grow as much as a foot a day and can reach higher than 25 feet (~8 m) and weigh more than 20 pounds (9 kg), so plan for a vertical space and a sturdy trellis.
There are several sources for mail-order hop rhizomes.
But even with perfect conditions, don’t expect your rhizomes to produce a lot of hops the first couple of years — so plan your fresh-hop beers accordingly.
“Hops really start to produce after the third year, so don’t expect much out of the first couple of years,” said Jason Webb of Portland U-Brew and Pub. “And don’t worry, either. You can plan to use your few fresh hops with other hops, but you won’t be able to make a fully fresh hop beer the first year, for sure.”
Hops are ready to be picked when they feel slightly papery on the outside but are still springy when squeezed. When torn apart, they should have a lot of yellow-colored resin inside — that’s the lupulin that imparts the flavor and aroma. Time is of the essence, as you don’t want the hops to get past their prime, so make sure you have plenty of friends, homebrew and gloves (the bines have small yet nasty barbs ) ready to join in the picking party. To take full advantage of your harvest, you will want to get your brew kettle going at the same time.
“It can’t get any fresher than the day you round up some friends to pick hops,” Steve Bader of Bader Beer and Wine Supply in Vancouver, Washington said of harvest time. “It is a pretty slow and tedious process, so lots of friends are a good thing to have around.”
Portland U-Brew and Pub Fresh Hop IPA
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG=1.061 FG=1.014
IBU=70 SRM=12.6 ABV=6.2%
Brewers Note: For fresh hops, we estimate the alpha acids to be 1⁄5 of the average acids typically associated with that hop after it is dried. This helps us to better calculate IBUs in a fresh hop beer.
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) light liquid malt extract syrup
1 lb. (0.45 kg) rye malt
2 lbs. 5 ounces (1.05 kg) Victory® malt
5 oz. (0.14 kg) 80 °L crystal malt
9.75 AAU Citra® hop pellets (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids) (60 min.)
15 AAU Citra® fresh hops (6 oz./170 g of approximately 2.5% alpha acids) (15 min.)
12.5 AAU Citra® fresh hops (5 oz./141 g of approximately 2.5% alpha acids) (5 min.)
5 oz. (141 g) Citra® fresh hops (0 min.)
0.75 cup (150 g) corn sugar for bottling
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Safale US-05 dry yeast
Step by Step
Steep the crushed grains in approximately 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water at 150 °F (66 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove the grains from the wort and wash the grains with 2 qts (2 L) hot water. Bring the wort up to a boil, and add 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of the light malt syrup. Add your Citra® hop pellets and boil for 60 minutes. With 15 minutes left in the boil, add the first addition of Citra® fresh hops. Add the remainder of the 5.6 lbs. (2.54 kg) of liquid malt extract for the last 5 minutes of the boil and stir to thoroughly mix into the beer and avoid scorching the malt extract. When you get the malt extract mixed in, add your second addition of Citra® fresh hops and boil for 5 minutes. At the end of your 60-minute boil turn your heat off, and add your last addition of Citra® fresh hops. Steep the fresh hops in the beer for 5 minutes. Now add the wort to 2 gallons (9 L) of cold water in a sanitized fermenter and top up to 5.25 gallons (19.75 L). Cool the wort to 65 °F (18 °C) and add your yeast. Aerate your wort, and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete.
All-Grain Option
Replace the liquid malt extract with 9.5 lbs. (4.31 kg) of 2-row pale malt. Mash at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes, and mash out at 168 °F (75 °C) for an additional 5 minutes, then collect about 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Boil for 30 minutes without any hop additions, then boil 60 minutes with your first additions of Citra® hop pellets. Add the first addition of Citra® fresh hops with 15 minutes left in the boil. Add your second addition of Citra® fresh hops for the last 5 minutes of the boil. Turn off your burner, and now steep your last addition of fresh hops for 5 minutes, then cool your wort, fill your fermenter and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete.
Fresh Hop Black IPA
(Cascadian Dark Ale)
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG=1.064 FG=1.016
IBU=60 SRM=33 ABV=6.3%
This beer is malty, smooth, with strong hop bitterness, and a wonderful fresh hop aroma to round it out. The use of Midnight Wheat (a dark grain without the harsh bitterness of many dark malts) gives this beer a lack of astringency common in dark beers. Then kick the hop aroma up a notch with the fresh hops and you will love this beer!
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) light liquid malt extract syrup
1 lb. (0.45 kg) light dried malt extract
10 oz. (0.28 kg) Special Roast malt
0.5 lb. (0.22 kg) 10 °L crystal malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
0.25 lb. (0.11 kg) wheat malt
6.5 AAU Warrior® hops (0.5 oz./14 g of 13% alpha acids) (60 min.)
8 AAU Cascade Hops (1.0 oz./28 g of 8.0% alpha acids) (60 min.)
1 tsp. Irish moss
8 AAU fresh Cascade Hops (5 oz./141 g of 1.6% alpha acids) (0 min.)
0.75 cup (150 g) corn sugar for bottling
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) WLP001 or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
Step by Step
Steep the crushed grains in approximately 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water at 155 °F (68 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove the grains from the wort. Bring the wort up to a boil, and add 1.0 lbs (0.45 kg) of the light dried malt extract. Now add the Warrior® hops, first addition of Cascade hops, Irish moss and boil for 60 minutes. Add the 6.6 pounds (3 kg) of liquid malt extract for the last 5 minutes of the boil and stir to thoroughly mix the wort and avoid scorching the malt extract to the bottom of your kettle. At the end of your 60-minute boil turn your heat off, and add the fresh Cascade hops. Stir the fresh hops into the beer for 5 minutes. Add the wort to about 2 gallons (7.5 L) of cold water in your sanitized fermenter, and top up to 5.25 (19.75 L) gallons. Cool the wort to 65 °F (18 °C) and add your yeast. Aerate your wort, and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete.
All-Grain Option:
Replace the liquid and dried malt extracts with 11.5 lbs (5.2 kg) of 2-row pale malt. Mash at 155 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes, then mash off at 168 °F (75 °C) for an additional 5 minutes and collect about 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Boil for 30 minutes without any hop additions, then boil 60 minutes with the Warrior® and first addition of Cascade hops and Irish moss. Turn off your burner, and now steep the fresh Cascade hops for 5 minutes. Cool your wort, fill your fermenter and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete. Bottle or keg as usual.
Deschutes Hop Trip Fresh Hop Beer Clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG=1.059 FG=1.017
IBU=42 SRM=14 ABV =5.4%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) light liquid malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.22 kg) light dried malt extract
14 oz. (0.39 kg) Caramunich® 60 °L malt
11 oz. (0.31 kg) Dextrin malt
4 oz. (0.11 kg) Briess Extra Special malt
1 tsp. Irish moss
3.3 AAU Nugget hops (0.25 oz./7 g at 13% alpha acids) (60 min.)
2.6 AAU Centennial hops (0.25 oz./7 g at 10.5% alpha acids) (60 min.)
5.25 AAU Centennial hops (0.5 oz./14 g) at 10.5% alpha acids) (30 min.)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) fresh Crystal hops (steeped 5 min.)
0.75 cup (150 g) corn sugar for bottling
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale), White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) or Windsor dry yeast
Step by Step
Steep the crushed grains in approximately 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water at 150 °F (66 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove the grains from the wort and wash the grains with 2 qts. (2 L) hot water. Bring the wort up to a boil, and add 0.5 lbs (0.22 kg) of the light dried malt extract. Now add your Nugget hops and first addition of Centennial hops and boil these hops for 60 minutes. 30 minutes into the boil, add your second addition of Centennial hops and Irish moss. Add the 6.6 pounds (3 kg) of liquid malt extract for the last 5 minutes of the boil and stir to thoroughly mix in the beer and avoid scorching the malt extract to the bottom of your kettle. At the end of your 60-minute boil turn your heat off, and add your 1 pound (0.45 kg) of fresh hops.
Stir the fresh hops into the beer for 5 minutes. Add the wort to about 2 gallons (9 L) of cold water in your sanitized fermenter, and top up to 5.25 (19.75 L) gallons. Cool the wort to 65 °F (18 °C) and add your yeast. Aerate your beer, and ferment the beer at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete.
All-Grain Option:
Replace the liquid and dried malt extract with 11 lbs. (5 kg) of 2-row pale malt. Mash at 157 °F (69 °C) for 30 minutes, and mash off at 168 °F (75 °C) for an additional 5 minutes, then collect about 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Boil for 30 minutes without any hop additions, then boil 60 minutes with your Nugget and first addition of Centennial hops. Add the second addition of Centennial hops and Irish moss for the last 30 minutes of the boil. Turn off your burner, and now steep your 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of fresh hops for 5 minutes, then cool your wort, fill your fermenter and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete.
