The Great Chinese Hop Buy 2009

[Bribie G]

I know that Mark has been reluctant to buy a 5k bag, being local and at around $18 that would add six bucks a kilo to the price of the hops, so that's understandable.

One bag got rejected as it was just over the 3k so I boxed it up and it only cost $7.45. However it wasn't express and I'm sure it will arrive fairly speedily as it's Brisbane. However:

I wouldn't want to send stock out to Adelaide or Perth like that. I sent Butters some beer a few months ago and it took 4 days to Adelaide. Plus I can't see a packing crew being interested in making up 120 cardboard boxes, labelling and addressing them and hauling them down to Aus Post next day and stand there while they weigh and price and stamp each carton. The whole exercise would literally take a couple of days.
We are stuck with the Express or Aus Post satchels by the looks of it, but still getting hops for a fifth of the price.

And who knows the next packing day might be on the far far Northside so not so easy for locals to pick up. I'd have to say that Graham's concept of local packing days in Sydney, Adelaide etc is sounding more and more attractive.

 

[MarkBastard]

Just to clarify, my issue wasn't really with cost. I ordered 2kg of hops and could have used a 3kg bag.

 

[townsville]

has anyone got a few pellets and smashed them up in their hands by rubbing them together? thats the touted method to release hop aroma and accurately asses it. (well so BYO mag says).
if andytork has received his today i should be getting mine also. will have a smell etc tonight when i vaccume pack mine

My view on evaluating the hops (if you must before you use them) is NOT to rely on initial smell too much.

Your initial smell should be only a guide as to the freshness, and do they have any aromatics. Dont guage intensity itself. So your looking for good things like nice smell. Your also looking for BAD things, the smell of a cooked rat, mould, insecticides, that indicated something bad

The way to properly pre-mash evaluate any hops is with a hop tea.
1. A small amount of boiled water in a cup, and a couple of hop pellets go in
2. smell the hot aroma, do you get the right smells
3. look at the pellets disolve, do they disolve, what colour are they (should be greenish).
4. quickly cool the hop tea
5. swirl like wine to lift aromas and see what they are like
6. taste the bugger
7. Again how does the sludge look, (no dead rat parts in the sludge)

This is a better guide, which I shall do when I get mine.

Craftbrewer

 

[Bribie G]

When I hopped in the first addition of Saaz last night - I use a hopsock - although the hops were Army Green, when they hit the hot wort and disintegrated they were a very bright green and although not overpoweringly intense the aroma was clean, spicy and definitely fits the bill for the Chinese / San Miguel Pale International Pilsener style. Not a Bohemian canditate for sure, but I'm more than happy so far.

 

[townsville]

Thanks for the early feedback on the hops

Seems early on Saaz is ok, BUT could be better. Early advise is when using Saaz, up the dose from what you usually use in flavour and aroma, and the results will be be ok.

I put this to the China supplier nad this is what they have said - word for word

"[11:44:43 AM] well, thank you very much for your feedback on hops, about SAAZ, we will offer you other one which planted in Xinjiang farms,they will be with better taste and Aroma, because of good feedback from other buyers"

You have to love the Chinese

thats reacting to feedback

Craftbrewer

 

[marksfish]

woo-hoo there here, great job c-b and the packing crew :icon_cheers: .
now to grt brewing.

 

[townsville]

China Loves Me, and Loves you too.

They really want to please all you craftbrewers

They want us to know they can supply quality products

the latest

"[11:54:02 AM] SAAZ hops sample I am arranging to you by courier, I just want to let you know the quality of SAAZ from TWO planting farms is different

and

" I just want to let your friends brewers to know the better SAAZ with NOBLE aroma in China, I do not want to get the info"fit the bill from Chinese"

So you see they are very serious about supplying the best and freshest

They will follow up on feedback to ensure everyone gets the best

Craftbrewer

 

[Ross]

From our comparative aroma testing in the shop (any locals free to come in & trial themselves, as we have it all set up)

Nothing wrong with the intensity of the Chinese Saaz against the European (very similar), they are just nothing like European Saaz, same as Aussie Summer Saaz are nothing like Czech Saaz. That alone is not an issue, you may even prefer the Chinese varient. The bigger potential issue is the musky background aroma that quite honestly doesn't inspire me to put them in any brew. That said, I'm looking forward to trying the beers that Bribie & others are brewing & hopefully they will be a pleasent surprise.

+++

Nice to see the Chinese feedback, but a little surprised they appear to be admitting the aroma/taste of what they sent us is inferior to stock they could have sent us! You'd think they'd be trying to impress with the 1st shipment.

Cheers Ross.

 

[townsville]

Nice to see the Chinese feedback, but a little surprised they appear to be admitting the aroma/taste of what they sent us is inferior to stock they could have sent us! You'd think they'd be trying to impress with the 1st shipment.

You would think so wouldn't you, BUT things get lost in translation accross the globe.

In their efforts to get us the first harvest, ie the freshest hops (so yes trying to impress) they took Saaz from the other region. Seems the fault my be mine, as they consider there are two types of Saaz, mainstream Saaz for normal beers (hence BribieG experience already) and nobel Saaz, (a later region that is harvested later). looks like we got the mainstream Saaz as its first to be harvested. How was I to know they have two different types of Saaz, both quite acceptable.

We may even find incresed aromas from cascade, and other hops harvested from the other region. So its a learning curve for all concerned, and goes well for better and better quality with the hops. Next order I am going to specify hops from a different region, to see what differences there are.

Craftbrewer
Graham L Sanders
Skype "Craftbrewer"
http://radio.craftbrewer.org

 

[BobtheBrewer]

My hops have arrived and look/smell OK to me. Granted my nose is probably not as educated as those with much more experience in this field. Congratulations and thanks to the organisers and packers. The unexpected gold coin donation gratefully acknowledged.
BirkdaleBob

 

[peas_and_corn]

Just received the hops, and I vacuum sealed them and put them in the freezer

 

[townsville]

What is it with you lot,

Dont have jobs to go to, sitting arround all day waiting for hops

Craftbrewer

 

[winkle]

When I hopped in the first addition of Saaz last night - I use a hopsock - although the hops were Army Green, when they hit the hot wort and disintegrated they were a very bright green and although not overpoweringly intense the aroma was clean, spicy and definitely fits the bill for the Chinese / San Miguel Pale International Pilsener style. Not a Bohemian canditate for sure, but I'm more than happy so far.

My use of the Marco Polo was similar, the pellets really disintegrated as soon as they hit the wort, bright green foam inside and outside the hop sock.
Incidently I thought the cascade pellets were the freshest of the varieties I packed - dark green, aromatic and quite resinous. Maybe there was several sources for some varieties?

 

[Bribie G]

Just to clarify, my issue wasn't really with cost. I ordered 2kg of hops and could have used a 3kg bag.

Sorry Mark, not trying to slander you as a tightarse, but you would have to admit postal costs do eat into the value of the deal. The local packing sessions in the future should help a bit if a sensible and orderly method of local pickup can be put in place.

My use of the Marco Polo was similar, the pellets really disintegrated as soon as they hit the wort, bright green foam inside and outside the hop sock.
Incidently I thought the cascade pellets were the freshest of the varieties I packed - dark green, aromatic and quite resinous. Maybe there was several sources for some varieties?

Yes, thanks for reminding me. Most of the Cascade came in the silver sacks like the rest, but one mystery bag was a 20k job, white plastic with green Chinese lettering. As you may remember we couldn't identify them so called them 'the mystery hop' and waited to see which variety ran out first. Sure enough the Cascade ran out first so we then bagged the mystery hop. Right at the end of the bagging someone noticed that right on the bottom of the bag where you would never have thought of looking was a label "CASCADE" :lol: :lol:
So definitely that batch was from another source. Anyone order number 90 and above who ordered Cascade would have got them. Damn should have kept a few pellets of each aside for closer inspection later.

 

[Tim]

My hops just arrived and my secretary just came in and delivered with her hand over her nose!

Top job guys. The $2 was a nice suprise. The packing team should have used it to pay for a feed

 

[planner]

Went home for lunch (office only 5mins from home) First thought was dissapointment at only seeing junk mail in and around the letterbox, but then I smelled them. Seems our postie had decided this package needed to be kept dry and had opened the mail box and jammed the satchel inside away from todays rain. Even through the auspost packaging the cascade was sniffable. My experience with brewing is still minimal, so my feedback is limited, but initial thoughts are that there is more aroma in these BB hops than the LHBS purchases I've made (stored on shelves 50g).

Thanks to Graham, BribieG and all the packers in Brissy. Bottled last night so 1 fermenter empty and ready to go for tonight.

Planner

Edit: just read BribieGs post about different lot of cascade. I was after order 90, maybe being a slacke_rse has paid dividends for once.

 

[brettprevans]

damn it. my missus should have rung by now to abuse me that im getting deliveries and what crap have i bought this time.....no such call as yet. i want my hops!

My hops just arrived and my secretary just came in and delivered with her hand over her nose!

Top job guys. The $2 was a nice suprise. The packing team should have used it to pay for a feed

bahahahaha. i accidently had something deliverd to my work before and it was addressed to Citymorgue2 Brewing etc. I got some really weird looks considering i work for a govt dept head office in the cbd.

 

[KHB]

Got my hops delivered today thanks very much will be making the 100 IBU cascade IPA next week.

Cheers
KHB

 

[QldKev]

Just went home for lunch; none out the front. Went into the house the boys had already got todays post, no hops. Then I thought I'll check out the back on the dryer, the posty leaves most parcels there. Woohoo there they are and even a cash bonus; I could have got another kilo with that. I may have to knock off work early to go home and start vac packing them.

Thanks to all involved in making this happen.

QldKev

 

[MarkBastard]

Not sure if this is O/T but what's the go with home vacuum sealer's? Any recommendations? I looked into one but the actual cost of the bags was very prohibitive (looked like about 80c a bag). Or are they reusable or something?