‘Nuff said?
Well folks, it’s that time of year again, and we seem to like to add fresh hops to our brew kettles to get that fresh hop flavor, and aroma. I’ve made a few observations about using fresh hops that I’d like to share with you! Firstly, use them as soon as you get them. Time is critical, and if you simply can’t use them right away, vacuum seal and shrink them down so as much air is removed as is practical. Then freeze the hops in your freezer until ready to use them (this may result in a decreased boil, but still maintain your countdown to flameout) in your fresh hop beer. Pick a style that showcases fresh hops like Pale Ales, Ambers, or Reds. Even Wheat Beers, and light lagers will do well with fresh hops. I even made an old ale with fresh hops that even the most skeptical of my coworkers admitted turned out well. So without delay, here is a great recipe to make using fresh hops!
Extract:
- 7 lbs. Light LME
- 1 lb. Medium British Crystal Malt
- 1 oz. Goldings Hops (Bitter)
- 1 lb. Fresh hops (more or less suited to taste)
- Whirlfloc tablet or Irish Moss
- ¼ oz. Brewing Salts in the boil.
- Wyeast 1056, WLP001, Imperial Flagship, or Safale US-05 yeast
Instructions:
Heat 2½ gallons of water to 155°F.
Turn off heat, and steep specialty grains for 20~30 minutes.
Add LME, stirring until fully dissolved.
Add water to volume, return to heat, bring to boil for 10 min.
At 20 minutes remaining in the boil, add the fresh hops.
At 15 minutes remaining in the boil, add a Whirfloc tablet.
After boil has finished, turn off heat, then cool wort by placing kettle in an ice bath or use a wort chiller (0 min).
Add mixture to fermenter, removing hops, and bring total volume to 5 gallons using non-distilled bottled water or filtered tap water.
Aerate unfermented wort (shaking works well).
Pitch yeast and ferment at 68° F until completed (about a week).
Allow to age an additional four to six weeks before packaging up as usual.
All Grain:
- 9 lbs. Pale Ale Malt
- 1 lb. Medium British Crystal Malt
- 1 oz. Goldings Hops (Bittering)
- 1 lb. Fresh hops (more or less suited to taste)
- Whirlfloc tablet or Irish Moss
- ¼ oz. Brewing Salts in the mash and in the boil.
- Wyeast 1056, WLP001, Imperial Flagship, or Safale US-05 yeast
Procedure:
Infusion mash at 152°F for 1 hour, using a standard (1.33 qt./lb.) mash. Sparge to 6.5 gallons of wort, and bring to a roiling boil. At 20 minutes remaining, add the fresh hops. At 15 minutes remaining add the Whirlfloc tablet or Irish moss. At 0 minutes (knockout), cool the mixture by placing kettle in an ice bath or using a wort chiller. Add mixture to fermenter, removing hops, and aerate unfermented wort (shaking works well). Pitch yeast and ferment at 68°F. Gravity may vary depending on system efficiency, so adjust accordingly, using malt extract if needed.
Package up as usual; bottled versions should use 100 gms. corn sugar (approx. ¾ cup), or kegged to 15 psig at 38°F, and allow two weeks to come into condition. Serve at 55°~60°F in a Tulip glass or Thistle glass, so share, and enjoy! This beer will continue to evolve and change over the coming months, so make enough to last you through your next brew.