The Great Chinese Hop Buy 2009

[wabster]

Collected my 1kg Cascade and 1kg Saaz from local PO, Penshurst, this morning.

Huge thanks to all involved, especially Graham, the project leader.

On feedback, the placcy bags used were a weak link. Luckily only the cascade broke or I'd have had 2kg of assorted Cascade and Saaz to use

As others have suggested maybe hire a commercial bagger/packager and buy a heavier weight of bags.

On opening the cascade pellets smelled as good as they did at Potters Brewery on a brewery tour some time back. No concerns about appearance and quality from me.

Now to plot a brewing program, but most are headed in small packages to the freezer.

Thanks again to all, Wabster.

 

[dpadden]

Hop packing codes

When your hops arrive, it may be a bit hard to sort out which is which so look carefully at the pack before ripping apart and you should see the following scrawled on the pack:

• Marco Polo MP
• Saaz SZ
• Cascade C
• Cluster CL
• Nugget N

:icon_cheers:

If you should see CZ on a pack, it was probably me, I was obviously daydreaming about Pilsner Urquell and put CZ (Czech Republic) by mistake. :blink:

Any idea what this code means? Looks like C and SZ on the same bag. There are a few lines on the other side of the bag, so not sure if someone tried to cross one out (on the wrong side???)

I ordered Cascade only btw

 

[MarkBastard]

Jesus what bags were used? Did someone steal a roll of bags from the woolies veggie aisles?

 

[Fourstar]

Jesus what bags were used? Did someone steal a roll of bags from the woolies veggie aisles?

:lol: Unfortunatly they where no where near as tuff as those bags mark! :lol:

 

[Bribie G]

well mine was in the mil box this morning. I havent opened it or anything as i was on the way to work.
measuring could be fun as im 99% sure the hops are all having an orgy...ie bags broke. what kind of bags did you use. $2 shop plastic bags would have done the job.

anyways, no sign of Maple's hops turning up at my joint which is a little odd (they were addressed to me). maybe today.

IIRC Maple sent me the standard red and grey satchels not the Express Bags so they'll take a day longer hopefully

Any idea what this code means? Looks like C and SZ on the same bag. There are a few lines on the other side of the bag, so not sure if someone tried to cross one out (on the wrong side???)

I ordered Cascade only btw
View attachment 33685

Aha that's a Cascade. We were running out of bags towards the end and a couple that had been pre-marked SZ were relabelled C and the SZ sort of scribbled out. For sure next year poly bags like Ross uses for grain dispatch plus heat sealers and better pens. Learning as we go.

 

[Beer&Kebab]

My hops just arrived here in Bathurst. A big thanks to Townsville and the boys for the time and effort on this. My 3 x 1 kgs all arrived intact but I do see how those flimsy bags could have easily busted. I haven't got accurate enough scales to offer exact weights. Onions onions onions. That is my 1st impression. I too don't mind sending Chappo some of my MP, C and SZ It is only fair.

 

[real_beer]

Also please weight your samples people, I want AND NEED to know, did you get 1. a little under, 2. exactly, or 3. a little over the kilo mark for each order.

Graham L Sanders

I sent a 5 kg & 3 kg a Aust Post satchel for 6 kg of hops.

I weighed the full bags on a high quality electronic component measuring set of scales (1g increments).

2 Bags weighed 1.010
2 Bags weighed 1.005
1 Bag Cascade weighed 1.008 (from memory)
1 Bag Marco Polo weighed .998 kg

Pulled an empty bag from bin and it weighed 4g.

So pretty dam good in my opinion, I suppose it depends on how many people sent in bags that had to be packed under weight to meet Aust Post requirements. I know if I got 6 kgs next time I'd just send 2 x 3kg satchels and be happy to get a little less hops, 6 kgs sure is a lot of hops!!! :lol:

Cheers :icon_cheers:

 

[staggalee]

Onions onions onions. That is my 1st impression.

Which hop are you referring to?

stagga.

 

[townsville]

OK,

I am fairly confident what happened to Chappo

In all Bulk Buys thter are hiccups, and this time Chappo got the raw prawn. Now as I make these comments this is no relfection on packers, organisors, esp BribieG or Chappo and the packing crew. SHIT HAPPENS.

BUT THIS FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE ORGANISING BULK BUY - So it comes out this way.

For 380kg of hops, being packed into 1 kg bags, well you only need 10 grams out and we can lose 4 kg of hops, they will disappear. The pack will come up short. Chappo in his goodness, left his order to last, and after the pack and distibution, no-one noticed his order went missing. ALL to late after mailing.

How to prevent this, well its easy, and this is my fault as I didn't spell it out. If you cut a bag of grain, or hops, splitter should naturally check it marries. ie a 25 kg bag of grain should yield 25 1 kilo bags of grain in a simple count. Equally the hops, after each 10 kg bag of hops was split, a count should have been done.

Of cousre in the excitment of a big pack, this can be lost in the hetic day of the pack. That I believe is what happened. I dont think we were short changed on weight, as the weigh bill at the airport shows the right amount by weight. (in fact a little more).

LESSION, in any bulk buy, splitters need to do a head count per split.

CHAPPO"S solution

yes guys feel sorry, Chappo missed out. And he shouldn't. I am going to see about compensation in the next Hop Bulk buy for him.

BUT

Guys you all have a bucket load of cheap hops, so I propose.

If any of you can shave a little, 50grams or even 100grams and mail it to him, that would be great

A good Christmas Present, no matter what he says

Graham L Sanders

 

[Steve]

Chappo, PM me your address and I'll send you some cascade, cluster and saaz.
Cheers
Steve

 

[staggalee]

no, no.....he insists he doesn`t want any, leave it at that :lol:

stagga.

 

[dpadden]

IIRC Maple sent me the standard red and grey satchels not the Express Bags so they'll take a day longer hopefully


Aha that's a Cascade. We were running out of bags towards the end and a couple that had been pre-marked SZ were relabelled C and the SZ sort of scribbled out. For sure next year poly bags like Ross uses for grain dispatch plus heat sealers and better pens. Learning as we go.

Thanks Bribie :icon_cheers:

 

[townsville]

To All, I want more feedback

These are where the hops came from

CASCADE, SAAZ, NUGGET from GANSU province,
CLUSTER, MARCO POLO from XINJIANG province

I am getting a sample of Saaz from XINJIANG provence next week.

BUT when looking initially at the hops, do we notice any difference between regions. We will be able to specify where we get out hops from

Craftbrewer

edit - look what I am getting
[10:57:12 AM] I also sent you two small bags of CASCADE from XINJIANG farms together with TWO bags of SAAZ yersterday

Looks like Chappo may get a contribution to the CHAPPO CHRISTMAS HOP FUND

 

[Beer&Kebab]

Which hop are you referring to?

stagga.

Now that I have opened them I would say the main one for the onions is the Marco Polo. The Cascade has it a bit and the Saaz even less. I must say I have never handled this quantity of hops before so the whole aroma thing is overwhelming. I can only imagine what the packers went through. They are probablly starting to get withdrawal systems about now. As others have said, lets judge them on the finished beer.

 

[townsville]

Now that I have opened them I would say the main one for the onions is the Marco Polo.

A check on flavours show sulphur for many can be that Onion flavour, which totally disappears in the boil, and with age. The use sulphur in the drying process.

Yes the proof is in the drinking

Craftbrewer

 

[AndrewQLD]

To All, I want more feedback

These are where the hops came from

CASCADE, SAAZ, NUGGET from GANSU province,
CLUSTER, MARCO POLO from XINJIANG province

I am getting a sample of Saaz from XINJIANG provence next week.

BUT when looking initially at the hops, do we notice any difference between regions. We will be able to specify where we get out hops from

Craftbrewer

edit - look what I am getting
[10:57:12 AM] I also sent you two small bags of CASCADE from XINJIANG farms together with TWO bags of SAAZ yersterday

Looks like Chappo may get a contribution to the CHAPPO CHRISTMAS HOP FUND

One thing I did notice Graham was the Marco Polo were very powdery, the pellets broke apart very easily into a fine powder. The Cluster stayed in pellet form much better, comparing the two it looked like the MP had been shredded a lot finer than the Cluster.
I thought both varieties smelt very nice.

Andrew

 

[brettprevans]

A check on flavours show sulphur for many can be that Onion flavour, which totally disappears in the boil, and with age. The use sulphur in the drying process.

Craftbrewer

can anyone shed a light on whether all hop suppliers/manufacturers use sulfer in making pellets? I hope not. i dont want that shit in my beer. i make my own so i dont have all that crap in my beer. its the same as bloody winemakers who go cheap options and chuck in sulpher to accentuate or make faux-oak flavours. a lot of peopole have asthma issues to do with sulfer. i know my missus does.

bloody sulfer.

 

[townsville]

can anyone shed a light on whether all hop suppliers/manufacturers use sulfer in making pellets? I hope not. i dont want that shit in my beer. i make my own so i dont have all that crap in my beer. its the same as bloody winemakers who go cheap options and chuck in sulpher to accentuate or make faux-oak flavours. a lot of peopole have asthma issues to do with sulfer. i know my missus does.

I am getting from China a detailed explaination how they dry the hops.

Unfortunately as you state, Sulphur is used everywhere in the food industry. Nearly every jar on the supermarket shelf has sulphur thru it at some stage in the process. Sulphur is used in most )if not all) hop grwoing regions. Its quite normal, BUT if you read correctly, they are trying to phase it out.

Craftbrewer

 

[brettprevans]

I am getting from China a detailed explaination how they dry the hops.

Unfortunately as you state, Sulphur is used everywhere in the food industry. Nearly every jar on the supermarket shelf has sulphur thru it at some stage in the process. Sulphur is used in most )if not all) hop grwoing regions. Its quite normal, BUT if you read correctly, they are trying to phase it out.

Craftbrewer

hmm very interesting graham.

i suppose the next question is whether the sulfer be driven out in the boil? thus is not being an issue? DMS is a sulfer comound and is driven off (or mostly driven off in a longer boil).

 

[Beer&Kebab]

One thing I did notice Graham was the Marco Polo were very powdery, the pellets broke apart very easily into a fine powder.
Andrew

I think someone said this is a trait of it being a high alpha hop. I will be interested to hear the results of the MP being dry hopped.