How Do I Use Hop Extract

[Brewtus]

I bought some 'Brewcraft hop extract' from a HSB and the expert was not in the shop at the time.

I was thinking it is for bittering and I should be able to do the following

Boil 3kg of liquid malt extract with about 6 liters of water
Add flavour hops
boil for ten min
Add aroma hops
boil for another five min
Flame out, add xxx hop extract
add 300gm of dextrose (optional)
Pour into fermenter and add chilled water to 23l
Cool to pitching temp
pitch yeast
etc. etc. etc.

This is short boil extract brewing. Has anyone done this type before?
Am I kidding myself and got the wrong stuff?

Please advise me.

 

[Brewtus]

Bump

Anyone?

 

[solidghost]

Bump

Anyone?

Is this hop extract in liquid form?

 

[peas_and_corn]

Are you talking about this sort of product? If so, I add it into the bottling bucket/keg.

 

[Brewtus]

Is this hop extract in liquid form?

Yes they are liquid. Brewcraft in a 30ml bottle.

It seems water based, not oil.

 

[Brewtus]

Are you talking about this sort of product? If so, I add it into the bottling bucket/keg.

How much for what effect?

 

[solidghost]

Got it from the craftbrew site. Pretty interesting.

Special properties of Liquid Hops:
Light stable
- All Liquid Hops are free of hop alpha acids and can be used with any packaging type.
Fully soluble
- Liquid Hop utilization is 100% because it is fully soluble in brewed beverages.
Easy handling
- Provided as a standardized solution for direct dosing into bright beer.
Natural
- Liquid Hops are 100% derived from hops by physical processes.
Product development
- Liquid Hops give the opportunity to differentiate existing products or to create new ones.
Packaging:
The standard package size of Liquid hops is 5ml. Larger package units are available on request.
Storage and shelf life:
Liquid hops are stable in unopened containers for at least 12 months. After this time you may need to increase the dosage to reach the same desired effect. They are unaffected by pasteurisation and remain stable and unchanged over the life of the beer. Store at 0-20 C (32-68 F).

 

[Brewtus]

Got it from the craftbrew site. Pretty interesting.

Special properties of Liquid Hops:

- All Liquid Hops are free of hop alpha acids and can be used with any packaging type.

From what I understand this means it is not for bittering.

This seems to kill my theory of using it to save gas and time with a short boil and move upto extract brewing from Kits & Bits.

Should I try hop oil? Where can I buy it?

 

[Bribie G]

Back in the early 80s hop extract was popular with home brewers because it was a convenient product in the days when it was hard to get hop flowers or hop pellets. There was even a beer kit at the time called "Brewcan" which was weird because it consisted of a pack of LDME with dex and a little tube of hop extract and came in a tough plastic bag not a can. :unsure:

The hop extract used to be about the colour of toffee and IMO was more for bittering.

Hardly anyone used to do AG in those days and most extract brewers used almost exactly the method you described in your original post. I used to get some really good results, especially with darker brews where I used some crystal malt. Suggest using a combination of hop flowers and hop pellets (loose not teabag) and strain the resulting wort through the hop bed so you don't get too much 'sludge' from the pellets and use a fairly bitter pellet such as cluster for bittering purposes.

Edit: from memory I just used a stockpot type boiler and about 4 litres of water for 30 mins, then 'sparged' the hop bed in the metal colander strainer with just an electric jug of boiling water. Back then, malt extract was fairly cheap and you could make an extract brew for around half the price of the kit brews of the day.

Nowadays malt extract seems to have crept up in price to the point where there's no longer any economic reason to use it, just 'craft' reasons.

Second Edit: B)

Also harking back to prehistoric times.. here in Queensland there used to be a HB company called 'Sundowner' who packet their kits in 'paint cans' where you prised the lid off and they contained malt extract, some glucose syrup and a dose of hop pellets. The 'extra bitter' contained 2 doses of hop pellets :lol: You boiled the contents with your sugar and water for about 20 mins, and I tell you it was heaps better than the rather ordinary 'Brigalow' kits of the time that used just hop extract. Sundowner was based at Beenleigh. Morgans is at Beenleigh. Coincidence? I wonder if there's a connection at all? Maybe some older Queensland brewers might know the story.

 

[Brewtus]

I still have not got an email from the brew shop in Wonoona. Has anyone got an idea how much to use and what it the effect?