Vacuumed packed hops - how to??

[Mik]

Hi all,

This is probably a very basic question to most of you, this is my first time using hops (Morris Hanbury fuggles, vacuumed gold pack, 113g), I tried googling answers first but couldn't find any straight up simple answers.

I'm adding it to a St Peters Ruby Red kit, doing so because I wasn't too impressed with the flavour the supplied powdered hops they give when a mate did one of their IPA kits so I thought I'd up the ante. Could go well, could go s**t..!.. Can only give it a try :-)

But, at this point I'm wondering how, and the best time to add hops? Boiling etc etc involved then add? Or straight in the fermenter? Fermenter or keg or both..?..

Thanx heaps in advance
Mik.

 

[RobWalker]

depends what you want. 60 min boil will add bitterness. 30 min will add more flavour, 10 min boil will add aroma, dry hopping will add aroma.

 

[Mik]

Ahh ok, so that pretty much answers the query of how to - so I just open the bag and pop it straight in a pot of water?

Thats some great tips re how long, cheers.

And how much of the 113g pack would I put in? (3kg / 23ltr kit)

 

[craigite]

Each PAC of hops will have a value printed on it for the alpha acids. For example a low bitterness hop might be 4% where a high bitterness hop might be 14%. The higher the %age the less hops you need in the boil to get the same bitterness.
So the amount needed for an IPA for the 60min boil addition could 45g to 25g ish.
The later addition is down to your taste. For example
Fuggle hops at 4.5%aa 40g for 60min boil for bittering
Fuggle hops at 4.5%aa 15g for 15min boil for flavour
Williamette hops at 5.5%aa 30g 5min boil for flavour and aroma
Styrian Golding hops at 3.4%aa 25g 5min boil for flavour and aroma

Next I might add a handfull (50g) after the boil has finished for aroma
I might even dry hop some (10g) for 3 days after fermentation is finished. Both these two hop additions I might use the Williamette and Styrian Golding cos I like their flavour and aroma.

To start with I would try one hop type with three additions, 50% of hops at 60mins, 25% at 15mins and 25% at 5mins.
So if you have a middle of the road hop like Fuggle that would need a total of about 65-70g

Hope this helps :wha:

 

[Mik]

Great, thanx heaps for that, some good useful info in there.

Regarding the boiling -

• Does it matter how much water?

• Do you put a chunk of the hops straight into the water 'naked'?

• Then once boiled (if the above is you just put it straight in the water) do you just add that water, hops n all straight to the wort?

 

[tubby_shaw]

As you are adding the hops to a kit the procedure I would use is;
Take a generous tablespoon of the malt extract from the kit and dissolve it in about a litre of water in a large saucepan, bring this to the boil then add up to 50g of your chosen hops, boil for 10 minutes.
You can then use the strained liquid as part of the hot water needed to make up the kit.
This method will add hop flavour and aroma without changing the bitterness very much :thumb:

 

[Mik]

Awesome, thanx for that, I'll see how I go :thumb: :