What does hopping add to a can kit?

[penrithbeerclub]

What do the hops added into a can kit a few days before bottling contribute to the brew in terms of flavour and aroma? (Amature question I know, but we all start somewhere)

 

[penrithbeerclub]

What do the hops added into a can kit a few days before bottling contribute to the brew in terms of flavour and aroma? (Amature question I know, but we all start somewhere)

 

[Phoney]

Exactly that. Flavour and aroma.Throw in 20 - 50 grams and see for yourself.

Maybe start with 20g if you're shy of overly hoppy beers.

 

[slcmorro]

Dry hopping as you're referring to, generally only attributes aroma but can add a bit of flavour.

 

[PeteQ]

A very good start would be to read this from back to front, then read it again...

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

 

[Droopy]

You're a hard man you are,

 

[RelaxedBrewer]

Dry hopping mainly adds hop aroma.

 

[givemeamash]

boiling them adds bitterness, basically beefs up what the tin has

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Depends a bit on the hop variety, Saaz for example would add an undesirable grassiness. (Unless you want your beer to smell like lawn clippings, then go for it).

Others can improve the aroma.

 

[penrithbeerclub]

How to Brew is now downloaded on to the ereader and ready for the daily train ride to the city

 

[thedragon]

Go for it. Depending on which kit you're using, dry hopping with an aroma hop (like cascade) or a dual purpose hop (like Amarillo) will add aroma to your brew. Don't dry hop with a bittering hop (like pride of ringwood).

How much to dry hop? Again it depends on the kit. And on the alpha acid % of the hop.

Dry hopping was the first step towards ag for me. From memory it was a coopers draught kit with 1 kg dry malt extract, dry hopped with 20 or 30 g of cascade 4 days before bottling.

Have a look at the recipe data base and filter on K&K. There will likely be kits and bits recipes in there that will be a good start for you.

 

[RelaxedBrewer]

boiling them adds bitterness, basically beefs up what the tin has

As a general rule the longer you boil the hops the less aroma/ flavour you get and the more bitterness.
First you lose the aroma then the flavour.

 

[Florian]

What do the hops added into a can kit a few days before bottling contribute to the brew in terms of flavour and aroma? (Amature question I know, but we all start somewhere)

The easiest way to go about dry hopping (that's the procedure you described) is to smell the hops you have on hand and then ask yourself if you want that particular aroma in your beer.

If yes, dump in, anywhere from 0.5 gram per litre up to 4 gram per litre or more, depending on the hop used and the intensity you're after.

Hops that don't smell 'delicious' (to your mind and nose) I would not add to your beer.

Dry hopping can also add minimal amounts of flavour and bitterness, but i would disregard that effect as aroma is the absolute stand out here.

As a general rule I'd suggest to not dry hop much longer than 3 days, 24 hours can be more than enough in many cases.

Good luck!

 

[PeteQ]

Reading back over my post it does sound a bit harsh but it certainly wasn't meant to be. I did the same thing when I started out and it answered a lot of questions.

Before dry hopping your brew search AHB to see if anyone has had issues or recommends against using that particular hop. Same goes with bittering and flavour hops as well really.

Happy brewing and good luck!

 

[penrithbeerclub]

So Basically, when my FG is stable i could drop them in for 24-72 hours, then bottle?

PS Not sure how i ended up with 2 identical threads

 

[Alex.Tas]

Yep. But in my limited experience throwing them in earlier and or leaving them in longer wont be a negative

 

[Dunkelbrau]

Doesn't co2 drive off aroma if its still fermenting actively?

 

[mattdean4130]

The short answer to your question; What does adding hops do to your kit, is - AWESOME!

In my experience it takes a boring kit beer and can add (if done right) enough of the right stuff to make it a really good batch. I've done a few that my mates say taste on par with a good commercial craft beer.