Topic: Hops
Understanding Biotransformation
Plus Members OnlyThe word “biotransformation” has gotten a lot of buzz as brewers look to fermentation — and specifically, yeast — to transform the aroma of hops. Learn from Brew Your Own Magazine’s Technical Editor Ashton Lewis what exactly biotransformation is, how it occurs, and how homebrewers can use it to our advantage.
Evaluating Hops
Plus Members OnlyBrew Your Own Magazine’s Technical Editor Ashton Lewis shows you how to properly evaluate hops before you ever add them to your brew.
Hop Stands & Whirlpool Hop Additions
Plus Members OnlyAdding hops right after the boil finishes has become an important technique to pack a big hop aroma in beer. Known as both hop stands and whirlpool hopping, learn the best practices for this hopping technique with Brew Your Own Magazine’s Technical Editor Ashton Lewis.
Dry Hopping
Plus Members OnlyLearn our favorite tips when dry hopping your beers from Brew Your Own Magazine’s Technical Editor Ashton Lewis.
Brewing Beer With Fresh-Picked Hops
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThanks for the fun question! This topic is a great reminder that beer has been brewed way longer than our scientific understanding of raw materials, brewing, and beer. It wasn’t long ago that landrace hops, or hop types indigenous to an area, were the norm. In these days, brewers knew very little about the brewing
Hop Extracts
Digital and Plus Members OnlySubstituting hop pellets with CO2 hop extract increases yields and can produce cleaner, brighter beer while maintaining hop varietal character. Learn more about how hop extract is made and how to use it in your brews.
Dip Hopping
FREEDip hopping — letting hops soak at about 170 °F (77 °C) for an hour — has been shown to boost pleasant hop aromas while suppressing or removing unpleasant off-flavors, like myrcene, and aromas that are derived from fermentation.
The Noble Hops of Germany
FREEBrewers and suppliers will often talk about the “noble hops,” but many folks are not familiar with them. Get some of the details about what makes them noble.
Dry Hops in a Narrow-Neck Carboy
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThere are some problems best solved by changing tools. The easiest way to add and remove hop bags to a carboy is to use the types with large openings. Just guessing that’s not the reply you were seeking! Another approach is to put your hop pellets in an over-sized hop bag to allow plenty of
Fine-Tuning Bitterness Post-Fermentation
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAt times it is helpful to review why some brewing problems are not so easy to fix and discuss how to prevent these problems in the future. Under-hopped beers are an example of a problem that is not so easy to correct after a certain point in the process. You have noted several possible fixes,
Bitterness & The IBU – What’s It All About?
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIn the earlier days of the American India pale ale, bitterness was king. The more Bitterness Units (BU), the better. We didn’t have the hazy-juicys, we had bitter and hoppy, piney, ashy, resinous, maybe dank. Predominant West Coast IPAs began to evolve the palates of every cool craft beer junky into a bitter-beer-ophile. Bitterness addicts
10 New Hops to Brew With
FREEIt still strikes me as a little odd when I see a beer can boldly declaring “hops” as an ingredient. Sure, hops are an ingredient in almost every modern beer, but the