challenger hops experiment

[NegFerret]

Ahoy,

I'm experimenting with real ingredients at the moment, and will shortly be "brewing" a mild with added hops. I want to see how the flavour of the beer will be affected by adding these.

The mild in question is a cheap geordie kit, targetted especially for it's perceived blandness. I have no experience with this kit, but as it's a mild I expect it to be pretty unintrusive on the taste buds.

I'm going to be separating the batch into two, then adding the challenger hops to one batch.

I have 100g of vacuum packed hops.

I was planning on boiling up the wort. I have read conflicting things about this, but understand it's not advised as it could kill the hop profile, which obviously doesn't bother me. I'm still not sure if this is a good decision, but it seems practicle.

I then want to add the hops to the boil for 30 mins (I understand boiling them for at least 20 mins is necessary to make the "good stuff" soluble?).

I was then going to add the other 50g in a bag in the FV, I understand this to be dry hopping?

My question is; will this be too much hops for a 20 litre batch, and is my plan the best way to go about it?

I'd love to get a nice beer out of this :)

 

[Good Ed]

Hi Neg, I don't know much about kits, but I'm not sure if this is a good way to experiment. Most milds have bitterness of 20-25 IBU's and the malt flavour of the beer is to the fore. Hops have different bittering strengths measured in Alpha Acid content or AA %, you can use the calculators on this forum to work out weight of hops to give bittering measured in IBU's.

Challenger would be typically 7-8% AA, so you don't need much to produce bitterness. However they are usually boiled for 90mins, so is you are boiling them for less you won't get so much bitterness. By all means experiment, but not with the amount you are proposing. As regards dry hopping with Challenger, I wouldn't bother, if you want to try this I would use Goldings.

Don't mean to confuse you.

If you want to try experimenting with kits, have you considered Hamstead Brew Centre, Design a Brew kits, you can then put together their recipes or make up your own http://www.hamstead-brewing-centre.co.uk/itmidx19.htm

Have a think about it, good luck :

 

[robsan77]

i think 30mins boiling would give you the bitterness. Everything else I agree with

 

[NegFerret]

Whoa, thanks very much guys! I've had a look at that calculator and I see what you mean, I might have ended up with over 200 IBU...mental

I'll still push on with the challenger hops, as I already have them. I'll use a much smaller amount though, and see what happens.

Cheers!

 

[robsan77]

dry hopping wont give you any bitterness, only aroma and flavour.

 

[NegFerret]

The aroma and flavour would be good for one batch, then i'll try and bring the bitternes into another.

I suppose I can just stick the hops I don't use into the freezer?

 

[robsan77]

yeah wrap them up good and get the air out, seal up, and put them in a tuppaware box for freezing :thumb: