Using My Home Grown Hops

[Lecterfan]

The way I see it is that Lecterfan is saying that the flavour/aroma of homegrown hops appears to have degraded but as yet he has not noticed this in commercial hops he has used?

^That. :icon_cheers:




I just re-used this thread so that we can continue to add to a body of knowledge in an easily google-searched thread title, rather than start again.

 

[drsmurto]

Dredging this up so I can use the title of the thread without starting a whole new one.

I made an AIPA that had a huge amount of homegrown hops chucked in at flameout (literally about 300gms), it's been in the bottle about 5 weeks and I've been enjoying it for the last 3 weeks or so (as it carbed nice and quickly).

The aroma was fantastic and it has been my pride and joy over the last few weekends with friends etc., but I opened one last night and a lot of the fruitiness (the flowers were cascade and chinook) had significantly dissipated and left behind some slightly vegetal flavours - not unpleasant, but not as nice as what it was.

I bottled a second AIPA a week after this one - in the firs few tastings I preferred the homegrown hop beer so much more, but now the other one (a citra, NS and centential combo) is starting to improve while the other is dropping off.

Having said that, the flowers were from my first year of growing hops and may have all been picked a bit too early...

Has anyone experienced anything similar with homegrown flowers (I have never used commercial flowers)?

Thanks.

I'd say it is quite possible you picked them too early.

I've tasted a few beers people have brewed with homegrown hops that really lacked the hop flavour/aroma you would expect. Picking them at the right time is tricky the first time, you'll get better at it.

I pick mine when they feel and sound papery when you squeeze them but before they start to go brown.

If you pick them early the amount of lupilin will be less which could well be why your aroma is fading quickly.

 

[Lecterfan]

I'd say it is quite possible you picked them too early.

I've tasted a few beers people have brewed with homegrown hops that really lacked the hop flavour/aroma you would expect. Picking them at the right time is tricky the first time, you'll get better at it.

I pick mine when they feel and sound papery when you squeeze them but before they start to go brown.

If you pick them early the amount of lupilin will be less which could well be why your aroma is fading quickly.

Thanks for that - it is something I suspected as I did two or three harvests and the results have been inconsistent between brews. It is a pity as it was a fantastic drop for the first few weeks (and tasting from the fermenter), and now it is still an ok beer but just a bit...'something'.

Thanks again.