Boadicea hops

[dennisking]

Got a pack of these hops in transit from Rob. As I'm brewing this weekend I'm thinking of using them. I've only read of them being used as a bittering hop but just wondering if anyone has used them as an aroma hop as well. If so it could be a single hop brew this weekend.

 

[brewtim]

Interested also, I've got a pack in the freezer

:

 

[joe1002]

It's been done, have a look at this from Jim's http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=35490

 

[joe1002]

And a commercial one: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/buntingford-single-hop-boadicea/84311/

 

[zgoda]

I did. Very nice aroma & flavour, typical British, bit resiny, flowery, hay but not grassy, very pleasant. But it's much less intense than Goldings, you need to put much more, like 2 - 3 times to get similar aroma intensity.

Bitterness is very clean, elegant and short.

 

[borischarlton]

Previous harvests have not been a patch on this one, I couldn't believe the difference when we packed it. It had a spicy, peppery aroma not often found in a British hop to this extent. I am sure you wont be disappointed.

Rob

 

[zgoda]

It was 2012 harvest, T90 pellets in my case.

 

[clibit]

Maltmiller website shows 2012 hops....?

 

[borischarlton]

Yes, it's the 2012 harvest whole hops I was speaking of

Rob

 

[Pinchy]

These are used in Adnams Spindrift.

And also Marstons Revisionist Lager. Love this drink! It's dry hopped with Boadicea: http://www.revisionistbeers.co.uk/our-beers

 

[Tean Buns]

I have recently done the Festival Suffolk Strong Ale ... it comes with Boadicea hops to dry hop with. Boy are they strong, at least they are in my brew, they have given the beer a very strong wormwood like bitterness, it is not quite as strong as wormwood but it is overpowering. :hmm:

 

[dennisking]

Previous harvests have not been a patch on this one, I couldn't believe the difference when we packed it. It had a spicy, peppery aroma not often found in a British hop to this extent. I am sure you wont be disappointed.

Rob

It was the write up on your site that twisted my arm Rob. Been on the radar for a few years. Looks like a single hop brew it is then.

 

[Good Ed]

These are used in Adnams Spindrift.

Adnams use them in a lot of their beers, good luck with it Dennis :thumb:

 

[Hoppy]

Hi All

Boadicea is a great aroma hop, as Bob says more intense than most UK hops.

For me 2011 crop was very intense with many of my brewing customers generally preferring it to 2012. I purchase from numerous UK growers, from whom I pick my bales from their stock.

I must admit there is going to be some variance in aroma, there has been 20,000kg (397 Zentners) of it produced this year.

Regards

Hoppy

 

[clibit]

When will all the 2013 hops be available to us homebrewer types?

 

[dennisking]

When will all the 2013 hops be available to us homebrewer types?

Normally when the big brewers have all they need.

 

[clibit]

When's that? :wha:

 

[Hoppy]

Clibit

Merchants and brewers tend to have all processing done by the end of April. That is leaf vac packs and pellets. The lines run in parallel so no priorities really, small or large.

The merchants probably have a little priority, as they have more packaging to do and get in early. Big brewers don't want theirs as they generally carry more stock. They also order in bales, which have free storage on farms until about now. so their processing begins around now. The merchants will have started theirs as soon as the alpha analysis is done (end Sep UK, mid Sep US, mid Oct Germany).


It is more down to your supplier, how much previous crop they have in before they go onto crop 13.

regards

Hoppy

 

[clibit]

Thanks Hoppy. Stick around, you seem very useful! Why does it take til April? They don't seem in a hurry to sell the stuff. How long does drying take?

 

[Hoppy]

Hi Clibit

Hops are dried within a few hours a picking from 90% water to around 10%. Anything above this they can spontaneously combust. They did in the US around 2007 wiping out a large proportion of stock!

They pack into 60kg rectangular bales or pockets , the large cylindrical sacks of around 90kg. these stay on farm, have analysis taken (mentioned above). The merchants then receive weight notes, bale numbers, alpha and grade.
Grades are Choicest (pay premium) Grades 1 and 2. Only seen Grade 1 this and last year.

Merchants then get hops processed into the requisite sizes/product for customers.

The reason it takes that long? Well in the UK alone 25,000 Zentners were produced, that's 1.25 million Kgs of hops to get processed, and we don't have too many processors in the UK.

Regards

Hoppy