Topic: Hops
Dip Hopping vs. Coolpooling
Learn more about two hopping techniques that maximize hop expression, yet differ in procedure, timing, and how they work.
Hopping for Bitterness
The majority of a beer’s hop character comes from late- or post-boil hop additions, but that doesn’t mean the bittering addition at the start of the boil should be overlooked.
How long hops can be stored
This question has two very different answers depending on the source of the hops. Let’s start with pelletized hops sold to commercial breweries. These hops begin their journey at the farm, where
Advanced Dry Hopping Tips, Techniques, & Traps
Dry hopping is the practice of adding hops to beer at the tail end or post-fermentation. However, there is a lot more to it than that. There are many factors including time, temperature, quality, and quantity of hops that play pivotal roles in what you’ll get out of dry hopping.
New Hops to Brew With
Hop breeders have been busy introducing brewers to new releases featuring aromas and flavors designed for specific beer styles. If you’ve blinked over the past couple of years, there’s a good chance you missed a few. Let’s look closer at some of the coolest new hop varieties.
The Effects of Aged Hops on Beer Quality
Post-harvest processing and packaging of hops has changed dramatically over the years to significantly reduce the effects of oxygen and temperature on hop acid degradation during storage; however, it still takes many months to process a lot of the hops on the market. We do not fully understand the changes that these hops undergo, yet we do know that hop variety seems to play a role in how hops age and that storage conditions will affect how quickly hops change. Interestingly, data tells us that moderately aged hops can positively impact beer aroma.
Unlocking the Causes of Haze
Researchers at Omega Yeast have recently discovered a number of factors that contribute to hazy beer. Whether you want a stable haze in New England IPAs or a crystal clear Kölsch, it will help to learn how yeast, dry hopping, and hop selection play a role in both.
Explaining Hop Utilization
The term “boil efficiency” typically refers to “hop utilization” and relates hop alpha acids added to wort to iso-alpha acids in beer. I will use the standard term “hop utilization” in this
Why do some batches exhibit hop creep?
Let me start this answer off with a brief review of hop creep. This term refers to dry hopped fermentations that slowly ferment to a lower final gravity than they would without
Hop Creep, Hop Utilization, and a Different Approach to Beer Judging
Hop creep isn’t new, so why are we hearing so much more about it in recent years? Brewing scientists now believe it has to do with a push from brewers for hops to be kilned at lower temperatures to preserve aromatics. The Wizard also gets geeky about hop utilization and shares a different approach to beer competitions.
Can LED Light Skunk Beer?
Before I jump into this great question, I want to confess that I am feeling a bit skunky for being a bit behind on this column because I have been traveling too
Hops: Beer Ingredient Workshop with Mitch Steele
Join the Brewmaster of New Realm Brewing and author of the book IPA, Mitch Steele as he explores when and how to add hops to create awesome hop-forward beers. You’ll learn timing and
