# Skunking Hops Before Brewing



## benno1973 (28/2/10)

Recently I bought some hops, and when they arrived at my front door, I opened the packet and they smelled like burnt rubber. I'm not sure what skunked hops are meant to smell like, but from descriptions on the internet, they smell like skunk or burnt rubber. Is it possible that the hops are already skunked before they have even seen my wort? If so, will it just be the outside of the pellets, and the inside should remain fresh? 

On a related note, I also packed my 3kg of Chinese hops into smaller vacuum sealed bags in my kitchen. Overhead I have a fluorescent light - would this affect the hops and contribute to any skunking? After the first bag I turned the lights off just in case, but not sure if this is necessary...


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## Thirsty Boy (1/3/10)

light might affect them a little - but it wont/shouldn't "skunk" them

Light strike happens to isomerised alpha acids - not just plain alpha acids ... and the alpha acids in your hops don't get isomerised till you boil them.

Very old hops or hops that have been badly stored often develop a "cheesy/stale cheese/blue cheese" smell due to oxidation of their oils - so it could be that.

Do an experiment - take some pellets you know are OK, crush em up and sit em in bright direct sunlight for 30mn or so - then smell them. If they smell the same as your other hops, then it could be that the light is the problem.. but I doubt it is.

Also - its always worth knowing your enemy - put a small amount of beer that has a decent amount of hopping into two glasses. Put them out in the sun, one exposed to the light, the other with a box over it or something. Then after 30ins in the sun, take em inside and have a smell of the difference. That's light strike - believe me, you will be able to tell.


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## benno1973 (1/3/10)

Great, thanks TB.


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## Fourstar (1/3/10)

Thirsty Boy said:


> Very old hops or hops that have been badly stored often develop a "cheesy/stale cheese/blue cheese" smell due to oxidation of their oils - so it could be that.



And you can taste it in the beer too. At a recent comp i judged two beers that had quite an 'interesting' aroma/flavour to them.

One was that of mild cheddar and another that smelt like well aged rib-eye. That strong blue cheese aroma you get from dry aged meat. 

If the hops where not old i'd like to know what gave them those aromas.


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## Stuster (1/3/10)

In the ESB comp last year, I judged one beer that smelled very strongly of blue cheese. I wondered if it had been dry cheesed.  

Quite pleasant in a strange way. :huh:


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## Nick JD (1/3/10)

Stuster said:


> In the ESB comp last year, I judged one beer that smelled very strongly of blue cheese. I wondered if it had been dry cheesed.
> 
> Quite pleasant in a strange way. :huh:



Penicillium infection?


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## Stuster (1/3/10)

Not sure, Nick. Very strong aroma though (not nearly as noticeable in the taste). As I said, nice although I'm not sure how much stilton I'd like to drink.


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## Fourstar (1/3/10)

Stuster said:


> In the ESB comp last year, I judged one beer that smelled very strongly of blue cheese. I wondered if it had been dry cheesed.



Hehe, i think one of mine i judged was an 'old ale'. i think they took the interpretation of the style name literally.


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## praxis178 (1/3/10)

Fourstar said:


> 'old ale'. i think they took the interpretation of the style name literally.



You mean an "old ale" doesn't have to be 18 to get drunk?


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## Nick JD (1/3/10)

Kaiser - maybe you got your neighbour's post from Amsterdam and he got your hops... :blink:


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