The Great Chinese Hop Buy 2009

[Ross]

Would it be worth considering flowers Graham? Im sure I read here that you had a suspicion that they werent to clued up on the drying pelletizing part of the process (or did I dream that?). That might explain the differences in moisture content of the pellets between the different types? Just a thought.
Cheers
Steve

Steve,

1) There's not even the faintest chance of bringing in flowers - quarrentine restrictions prohibit.

2) It's not the process of drying for pelletising it's the drying process full stop. The flowers in all likelyhood would be equally (if not more so, as no crap is removed) dry & musty.

+++

Lets hope they still turn out to be good value for money, but I'm guessing the feedback will be far from conclusive knowing how 10 different brewers will have 10 different opinions B)

Cheers Ross

 

[Steve]

flowers thru customs...... :unsure: it wont happen easily. T90/pellets are allowable but flowers are a differant ball game. it might be easier with an importers licence. not sure though.

Sorry.....totally forgot.....carry on.

 

[Fourstar]

flowers thru customs...... :unsure: it wont happen easily. T90/pellets are allowable but flowers are a differant ball game. it might be easier with an importers licence. not sure though.

AFAIK they need to be treated in some way and i believe customs will heat treat them.... bye bye volatiles. I dont know what happens with plugs and flowers from europe. I believe there are no import restrictions on NZ flowers and plugs.

 

[Paul H]

Lets hope they still turn out to be good value for money, but I'm guessing the feedback will be far from conclusive knowing how 10 different brewers will have 10 different opinions B)

Cheers Ross

I believe you are incorrect, 10 brewers would have 15 different opinions

Cheers

Paul

 

[brettprevans]

I believe there are no import restrictions on NZ flowers and plugs.

so its just like NZ people. no restriction on bringing them in either! :lol:

 

[T.D.]

{my measly 90 g. should be here at 7 am tomorrow}

stagga.

Hope for your sake they don't blow your mind, you could have bought 10 times the quantity for just another $5 in the bulk buy...

 

[warrenlw63]

Bah Humbug!! B)

Warren -

 

[staggalee]

Hope for your sake they don't blow your mind, you could have bought 10 times the quantity for just another $5 in the bulk buy...

If only I had of known about it.

stagga.

 

[T.D.]

Bah Humbug!! B)

Warren -

:lol:

 

[Darren]

A month or so ago, a brewer approached me to look at some hops that reportedly came from a well known HB supplier up north.

They were Cascade, brown, crumbled and smelled like week-old socks.

I suspect that the batch from China will be far better quality than what was supplied to an "unsuspecting" homebrewer here in Adelaide.

cheers

Darren

 

[bradsbrew]

A month or so ago, a brewer approached me to look at some hops that reportedly came from a well known HB supplier up north.

They were Cascade, brown, crumbled and smelled like week-old socks.

I suspect that the batch from China will be far better quality than what was supplied to an "unsuspecting" homebrewer here in Adelaide.

cheers

Darren

North of adelaide why did he buy hops from Cloncurry?? Or was it Camooweal??

 

[browndog]

First off, big thanks to G.S. and all the QLD boys for their packing efforts, I really appreciate it. My hops were waiting for me when I got home today, 1kg MP and 1kg Cascade. The MP looked fresh and smelled fresh, the Cascade on the other hand looked dry, faded and had bugger all aroma. I compared it to half a bag of 08 crop I have had in the freezer for 3 months and the one in the freezer won out. I'll be very surprised if it shines in a beer. Don't get me wrong, there is no sour grapes here, just an observation, I hope I prove myself wrong. Didn't get any onion/garlic out of the MP.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Bribie G]

I'm currently doing an all Chinese Saaz international lager, coming up to the boil now. I suppose at the end of the day if the Chinese hop can be used as a base hop for bittering and most of the flavour, then maybe a plug or some pellets of Euro Saaz should round out the rest of the flavour and aroma - the Chinese stuff is still going to do good service as a workhorse at minimal cost.

 

[arogers]

did the saaz fall in the same category as the reports on the cascade? ie is it reasonably fresh or not?

 

[starkesbier]

A big parcel of hops was waiting for me when i got home today. . Big thanks to GLS and all the packing helpers. Now I just have to brew something. Pity my fermentor is full . Oh well there is always the cube

 

[Bribie G]

It's hard to say. Most of us are used to hops out of the silver shrink wrap out of the freezer, and after you have been handling kilos and kilos of pellets at cool but not frozen temperatures you become a bit dulled to them. I just hopped in the first 50g of Saaz into my Chinese Pale Pilsener and they smelled hoppy enough to me.
Also the car STILL stinks of hops, have had all the windows down all day. Plenty of aroma in there :lol:

 

[Leigh]

Sounds like you stole all our aroma BBG

 

[Effect]

A month or so ago, a brewer approached me to look at some hops that reportedly came from a well known HB supplier up north.

They were Cascade, brown, crumbled and smelled like week-old socks.

I suspect that the batch from China will be far better quality than what was supplied to an "unsuspecting" homebrewer here in Adelaide.

cheers

Darren

I wouldn't touch the hops that come from brewcraft...they leave em in the the shop window...no wonder they would be brown, crumbled and smelly...

 

[LRB]

I wouldn't touch the hops that come from brewcraft...they leave em in the the shop window...no wonder they would be brown, crumbled and smelly...

The Chinese hops might be brown and smelly too: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...uman-waste.html

 

[Ross]

did the saaz fall in the same category as the reports on the cascade? ie is it reasonably fresh or not?

From an aroma point of view all our staff voted the Saaz worse than the Cascade.

cheers Ross