Reuse Of Flavour/aroma Hops

[Fatgodzilla]

If you don't want to test this yourself, why are you insisting on getting a definitive scientific answer to your questions? One of the main steps of developing scientific theory is to experiment.

I think it is clear that for the ordinary home brewer who will not be using whole hops that the re-use issue is almost certainly both impractical and unnecessary. That doesn't stop anyone from asking why. The knowledge of "what happens when" is an important learning tool in life. It shouldn't be discarded simply cos someone doesn't know the answer.

I'm not interested in the testing, I'm interested in the why. This research has been done by people far suited to such experiments before and I've spent some time looking for it (without luck, though google probably isn't the best source of information in this case). The point is, I asked a question - what happens when hops are boiled. What is extracted at certain stages of the boil, what is left of the hop at certain stages. This is a home brewing forum and I don't think I it too rude to be asking these questions here. If I want to know about melting butter or washing dirty people, I would probably look elsewhere.

In asking and receiving answers in this thread and the follow up searches I have made, I can say I know a lot more about the processes involved when boiling hops. I have worked out out what went wrong with a previous brew and my hop additions and I have a far better understanding of what will be extracted when I'm boiling hops. So all this banter really has been beneficial to me as I have a far better knowledge of the "how" and anticipated outcomes. But I don't yet know the "why" question. And I probably won't. :lol:

Good Brewing everyone.

 

[troydo]

Why not? You probably could and notice little difference. I won't be trying it (as well as reusing) because I get predictable, repeatable results leaving them in for the whole boil.

If you don't want to test this yourself, why are you insisting on getting a definitive scientific answer to your questions? One of the main steps of developing scientific theory is to experiment.

agreed

 

[Brewer_010]

In asking and receiving answers in this thread and the follow up searches I have made, I can say I know a lot more about the processes involved when boiling hops. I have worked out out what went wrong with a previous brew and my hop additions and I have a far better understanding of what will be extracted when I'm boiling hops.

So could you pls offer us your discovery?

I've been mucking about with additions at differet times/different amounts etc and have yet to determine a 'preferred' method for a particular style of beer (but a method will be decided by the beer style and taste I am trying to achieve)

Still experimenting...will it ever end?

cheers

 

[PostModern]

So, per these answers, we can remove all our hops from the boil after one to five minutes because there will be nothing of any significance left in them.

Have you tried bottle number 5 in the IBU case yet, Ian? The aroma and flavour in that comes solely from a flameout addition (plus a couple flowers in the cube). That's about 3 mins of total exposure to the wort. Flameout > hops in > 30 seconds of mad stirring > 2.5 mins to settle out > rack to cube leaving flowers behind. There's bucketloads of hop flavour in there. From less than 3mins in the wort.

 

[dr K]

Now, first things first. Break down the question properly.

Sayeth Fatgodzilla...who continues to ask "why"

An observer of this thread might be tempted to imagine themselves as a Kindergarten teacher, who after explaing to her class that before crossing the road one should look to the left, look to the right and look to the left again has to deal with little Johnny who just cannot get it through his head why he should look to the left again.."Why Miss...when I have already looked to the left...why Miss"

Sorry to all you seniors out there, this is just for little Johnny.
Hops, whether they are whole, compressed into plugs or pelleted have lots of good things in them, and that is why we look after them Johnny, just like how you look after that nice crisp apple in your lunch box, because even if it was picked six months ago those nice men have kept them as best as they can..just for you Johnny so you can taste it as good as it gets.
The exact second we throw those whole hops, plugs or pellets in the wort they change, first they get wet, and we don't like being wet do we......
I do not have to go on much further do I
"Why" do we not re-use hops...simple there is nothing left of any value to use..Norwegian Blue really.

Sorry...

 

[mfdes]

The whole thing about re-using hops reminds me of my brother asking why I was throwing away the puck of spent espresso coffee and asking why I wasnm't running another coffee through it again

I think the easiest thing to do is to get past the mindset of the last few years when hops were plentiful and prices artificially low because of the stockpile, and start looking at older recipes from the times when hops were by far the most expensive ingredient in beer.

No massive late additions, no hopbursts. I wonder how many people will be crying at the wasted hops a year from now...

Judicious use of a good bittering variety at 60 minutes and a couple of conservative late hop additions do go a long way. In many of my English beers I hop at 60 minutes and then dry hop. No other additions.

A separate note on the hop shortage: It was NOT caused by Indian and Chinese breweries buying up forward contracts at inflated prices. There are several factors involved, and many of them are mostly related to short-sightedness of the major breweries. The area under hops was less than necessary to sustain demand for years, and it has just taken this long to whittle down the stockpile. Currently demand exceeds supply by 12%. Might not seem much, but service the major breweries first (as they do), and the remaining craft and homebrew market is way less than 12%.

MFS.

 

[Brewer_010]

I think the easiest thing to do is to get past the mindset of the last few years when hops were plentiful and prices artificially low because of the stockpile, and start looking at older recipes from the times when hops were by far the most expensive ingredient in beer.

No massive late additions, no hopbursts. I wonder how many people will be crying at the wasted hops a year from now...

Judicious use of a good bittering variety at 60 minutes and a couple of conservative late hop additions do go a long way. In many of my English beers I hop at 60 minutes and then dry hop. No other additions.

I agree. I've made a few beers with quite a lot of hops (around the 120-150g mark for 20L, this is a lot for me), and while a nice flvour is developed I don't believe its twice as good as my 50-70g brews.

Having tried it I don't think I'll use a large amount of hops ordinarily, but save it for certain brews - maybe two or three a year or so. I'm trying to maximise flavour and minimise additions in my brews simply because its easier and less 'wasteful' of my hops.