Falconers Flight

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Hey folks, I used some FF last night for the first time and as soon as I opened the package (vac sealed) I got a distinctive parmesan cheese smell. Upon adding it to my boil (Coopers ROTM Westside Pale Ale) according to the recipe, I continuously through the boil got that smell...

Is this common with this hop variety? I wasn't impressed initially but will wait until the beer ferments out and conditions for a while before I make my mind up about it ultimately
 
hmmm, should I make a complaint or just see what it tastes like. I mean I'm not much of a complainer and will happily suck it up if it tastes fine but if it turns to ass... well to be honest I'll probably drink it anyway :)
 
If they're old and smell like cheese, the final beer probably won't be something you'd want to punish yourself with.

Definitely get in touch with the supplier.

You can always do a 'hop tea' and pour some boiling water on them and let them sit for a couple of minutes. Have a smell and a taste then and it will give you an indication of what you should be expecting.
 
When hops get old and sort of "go off" they're meant to start smelling like (parmesan) cheese.
So as Yob said, it sounds like they might be too old.
There's a tiny possibility that your nose/brain is just interpreting the normal FF aroma to be a little parmesan-like, but seems unlikely. (... i have a friend who kept describing my beers as being banana-like. I was like "wtf am i screwing up in my process, etc", only to discover/realize after 12-18 months of this that he seemed to think any fruity aroma was banana, and i'd been testing APA's & Saisons on him. *Double Facepalm*).

Maybe just call the HBS you got them from and mention they smell like parmesan and see what they say.

Just saw Sponge's comment, i'd agree, try a little hop-tea to test the taste of them.
 
I actually got them from Cooper's as part of the current craft brew ROTM so not really a HBS and I used it last night to make the beer thinking that was the normal smell for those hops...

As I said, I might see what the final beer tastes/smells like and if I think I can't tolerate it I'll donate it to my brother in law who has no sense of smell or taste (genetic condition)
 
Ross has new season FF 2014 so I guess that would be the last.
Cheesy hops would no doubt be old and badly stored.

Talking of Ross, I've often bought older hops from CraftBrewer and had no problems but they are well vacuum stored.
 
I would complain. Coopers would look after you for sure if you were unhappy with a product. You would only need to email them or fill out an online contact form.

I got a kentucky burger from KFC that had SFA coleslaw. Complained online and got a credit for an entire replacement meal. They didn't even ask to see a photo as proof.
 
As I said I'll see how it turns out before lodging a complaint. If it turns out delicious it'll be a delicious brew I'll never be able to recreate but I'll be able to tell my grandkids about that brew I did with potentially off Falconers Flight that was amazing
 
Yob said:
As a side,I'm told they aren't making this blend anymore, sad, was a good one
Great and I just put 260g into an IPA and only have about 200g left!
 
there is still some stuff from last year about says BG so not the end of the world yet.. :)

Might be time to stock up though if you are a fan, I personally quite likeed the blend, was great.

Cheers
 
Yob said:
As a side,I'm told they aren't making this blend anymore, sad, was a good one
I was looking to purchase some Citra for an IPA from my LHBS, however they are out of stock, I noticed they do have this one though, however from this post I am wandering if these are likely to now be very old or if they did make a new batch.

Yob, would you know if they ended up making any more?
 
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