Hop extracts

[Rafaj Ondrej]

Hey guys, about a year ago I got me Bert’s Beer Baster from 33 books (https://www.33books.com/products/berts-beer-baster) and it is amazing, always had it in my jacket when my mates dragged me to place I knew will have some crappy beers ... you can even make Fosters “drinkable”..

Anyways, after my daughter was born, the 4 tinctures sat on a shelf for almost a year and just discovered they are pretty much empty. It was close to £100!!! with all the taxes to get them over from the US so won’t be doing that again but was hoping some of you would know how to distill/extract your own.

under my review of the product they claim the solution is alcohol based so assume it’s not an essential oil ... does anyone have any experience with this product or similar? Have you tried to make it at all?

thanks for any pointers or ides :)

 

[Richie_asg1]

Distillation of plant extracts was quite common in Victorian times, and most of the time ethanol was used as the solvent.

I would try looking at Soxhlet extractors, and the method used for plant oils as a start. They basically hold onto the very volatile oils, but allow the lower fractions and steam to vent off. What you are left with is the volatiles in ethanol. I think this would be the most suitable.

Some more robust plant oils withstand steam extraction. For lavender they basically stick a tonne in a giant pressure cooker and cool the result, ending in a layer of lavender oil and several gallons of lavender water.

There is also a cold method of extraction where the plants are steeped in a small quantity of solvent - even wax, and the solvent is kept between batches of fresh ingredients. With that method you end up with a high concentration of the oils in the solvent - like a stewed cup of tea.

 

[foxy]

Hey guys, about a year ago I got me Bert’s Beer Baster from 33 books (https://www.33books.com/products/berts-beer-baster) and it is amazing, always had it in my jacket when my mates dragged me to place I knew will have some crappy beers ... you can even make Fosters “drinkable”..

Anyways, after my daughter was born, the 4 tinctures sat on a shelf for almost a year and just discovered they are pretty much empty. It was close to £100!!! with all the taxes to get them over from the US so won’t be doing that again but was hoping some of you would know how to distill/extract your own.

under my review of the product they claim the solution is alcohol based so assume it’s not an essential oil ... does anyone have any experience with this product or similar? Have you tried to make it at all?

thanks for any pointers or ides :)

I have never made hop oil, just oil from a very distant cousin.
What you need is some alcohol like Polish Spirit, get your hop flowers, not sure about pellets but it could work with them. Dunk your flowers into the alcohol for about 10 mins, strain off, only use enough alcohol to cover the flowers. What you need now is a baby bottle warmer, and an aquarium pump, put the alcohol with the extracted oils into a bottle, place bottle into bottle warmer set on high, the aquarium pump some silicone tube on the out let to bubble air through the bottle with your mixture in. (Do it outdoors) the alcohol will evaporate leaving you with the hop oil.
Personally I wouldn't be bothered.

 

[An Ankoù]

Is this the same as isomerised hop extract? If so most homebrew suppliers sell it for a reasonable price.

 

[Hoppy]

Most hop oils are steam distilled. They are usually diluted in food grade propylene glycol, and sometimes 5% ethanol (to prevent separation and increase shelf life).
These are used for aroma, isomerised hop extract is for bitterness.

Hope that helps

 

[pms67]

I made a beer with Citra extract oil once, I accidentally rubbed my eye and licked my finger when adding it, think Vickes vapour, but Citra
Never again