How Long before I can brew with my hops??

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Hi All,
Harvested my hops last week, been in the loft drying for 7 days... Can I brew with them this weekend or do I need to leave them longer??

Anyone know the approx AA of Prima Donna? :wha:

John

 

[Aleman]

You don't actually have to let them dry . . . green hops can give a powerful bittering and aroma contribution to beer . . . of course they can also be grassy, but there are an awful lot of green hopped beers appearing on the market now. . . . . Personally use them when you like . . . if they were completely dry then they would weigh about 20% of what they did wet . . . if they are more than this you can compensate for the excessive moisture if you want.

I'd be happy using them as is

Prima Donna is another name for First Gold which have a range of alphas between 6-10% . . . I'd guess on the low side to start with

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Thanks Tony,
Might try a 92% pearl malt, 8% Torrified wheat brew trying for 45 IBU's.....

What do you think :hmm:

John

 

[jamesb]

I did one with green hops last weekend - see the brewdays bit. I would have used 4 times the weight of dried hops, but mine had dried out a bit so I used 2.5 times. I averaged the AA out from previous batches but as I got the hops from Farams i'd trust that method. Home grown would be harder.

I think Aleman might have been overly generous with the 6-10%. The last few batches I've seen have been more like 5%, so as he said aim for the lower end.

Just give it a go, nothing to lose except a couple of quids worth of grain.

don't fancy 8% torrified wheat myself, i'd go for 5% max. Good luck with it anyway :thumb:

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Hi James,
8%, will this cause a problem?

John

 

[Vossy1]

8%, will this cause a problem?

5% is general perceived wisdom thoguh up to 10% is used....it's up to you....only one way to find out what you like....get brewing

 

[jamesb]

Hi James,
8%, will this cause a problem?

John

It's mainly a question of personal taste. It can give a flavour that can be quite distracting. I quite like the flavour but at higher quantites it can really put me off.

 

[Aleman]

Must admit that I like low levels of torriefied wheat . . . around 0% or lower :lol: . . . Nasty breakfast cereal like taste . . . swap it for wheat malt or flaked wheat, exactly the same result without teh nasty taste.