can i use fresh hops instead of dried

[Margowicz]

Hi all sorry to bother you but I was looking a little advice.

I am trying to do a India export beer but I noticed that it calls for 2.8 oz of bramling cross hops dry, for the last 15 minutes. I do not have dry but i do have a kilo of fresh hops.

I was wondering if I can use this instead of the dry hops, if so is there a conversion rate. As I know dry is stronger than fresh so would i use 2.8oz x 3 = 8.4 oz of fresh?

That's the herbs conversatiotowe use in a kitchen 1x dried to 3x fresh.

1 tsp dried herbs becomes 3 tsp fresh

 

[simon12]

Off the top of my head I think its more like 10x but am sure someone will confirm soon enough.

 

[terrym]

https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/aT3gKzHUc5/And my notes from drying my own Prima Donna hops in 2018 was that I got 75-80% weight reduction.

 

[Dorst]

Fresh hops or wet hops need to be used in the same 24 hours as they were picked. But I do know some companies sell wet hops that are canned. How did you get kilos? It's too early for hops to grow in such quantities unless you are in a really warm climate.

The biggest issue with fresh hops that are harvested in your garden is that it's difficult to estimate their Alpha Acid content. I would advise to use them only as late hop additions, or hop stand hops. They are less bitter, but give off more of this grassy flavour when compared to dried hops. I think a 5 times ratio is about right - but I've seen 7 and 10 times as well floating around. The later you add them - the less important this becomes.

Use any hop for a small bitter hop dosage and go big on the fresh hop late addition would be my recommendation. I used 500 grams in my last fresh hop brew. Oh, and drink the beer fresh! The fresh hop character will fade a bit faster than other beers.

 

[Edison]

Yup. What @Dorst said!

 

[Margowicz]

@Dorst I bought them from Brook House hops which they were vacuum packed they come in 1000g bags or 1 kg bags

 

[simon12]

@Dorst I bought them from Brook House hops which they were vacuum packed they come in 1000g bags or 1 kg bags

I'm pretty sure there dried, if you did buy fresh hops in September/October 2019 they won't be any good now.

 

[Margowicz]

I bought them a month ago, is there anyway to tell if they alright? Like I know with spices as long as they smell good they are good to use

 

[Cwrw666]

Just been to their website - pretty sure that's dried leaf hops. Seem a good price - 1Kg goldings for £14

 

[Dorst]

I believe you have bought whole cone hops - as this is how they are typically sold (vacuum packs).

The hops on the lefts are whole cone hops / on the right you see hop pellets:

vs fresh hops also known as wet hops:

As you can see the fresh hops are more springy / are bright green / have a lot more moisture in them / you need a whole lot more of these get the same bitterness / aromas. Also they are not sold in vacuum packs but are freshly picked or sold in cans (and are quite rare to find).

So assuming you have whole cone hops and not fresh hops: Whole cone hops have about 10 percent less extraction efficiency when compared to hop pellets. So just up the weight with 10 percent.

 

[Margowicz]

Yes this is what I purchased, didn't know there was a difference in freah and whole cones and nice info thanks a million lesson learnt for the day

Last question where in the UK or Ireland can I get frsh hops

 

[Dorst]

Yes this is what I purchased, didn't know there was a difference in freah and whole cones and nice info thanks a million lesson learnt for the day

Last question where in the UK or Ireland can I get frsh hops

No worries - this is what the forum is for ;-)

This is an example of a company in the Netherlands that is selling fresh / wet hops in a can (Hollands hophuis). You can send them a message if they sell in the UK / Ireland or ship from the Netherlands. Their website address is Hollands Hophuis

Mind you that it's quite dear at 24,95 euro (about 22 GBP) for 300 grams. But I'm sure that there are alternatives out there.

A cheaper option is to see if there are wild hops around, or if someone in the neighbourhood is growing some hops you can pick. Less reliable but more fun!

 

[Margowicz]

Thats great to know, I'll be looking for seeds now to plants them wild for the following year.

I am Sorry for this but that wasn't the last question this is though lol

Using these cones instead of dried hops. Add 10% then multiply that by 5? To get the same rate as dried?

Or can I force dry these in a dehydrator.

I'll use these with an extra 10% for the 'frssh hops addition'

 

[An Ankoù]

Yes this is what I purchased, didn't know there was a difference in freah and whole cones and nice info thanks a million lesson learnt for the day

Last question where in the UK or Ireland can I get frsh hops

Hi Margowicz,
My first question is, why would you want fresh hops?
My answer would be find out whether there are any hop growers near where you live and ask them if you can buy half a kilo or so in September / October when, they're ready. In the meantime, start looking for hop plant suppliers and get some rhizomes to plant and grow your own in the new year.
I have 3 bines, a Centennial, a Cascade and a Challenger. I brew 25 or 30 litres of beer, bitter with dried hops of known alpha acid content and then chuck half the crop of one variety in at -10 minutes and the other half at flamout. I do this for each variety. I wouldn't dream of faffing around trying to dry them and getting the alpha acid content analysed.

 

[terrym]

Thats great to know, I'll be looking for seeds now to plants them wild for the following year.

You grow hops from certified rhizomes, which should produce female flowers (male flowers are no good for brewing).
In the UK these become available late autumn /winter to plant out. Even then it takes 3 years for a plant based on a rhizome to come to its full potential for producing hops.

 

[Margowicz]

I found some on ebay, I'm sure I'll get other ones else where but that was a general search for them.