MMP126
Lotsa Dude's Thumbs On Here...
Hey everyone.
Wanted to start a thread to talk about hop quality amongst homebrew suppliers, and what everyone is seeing, and from where. I think the mind hive method here would be beneficial to us all, and sharing this info would help us make better beer as homebrewers.
As homebrewers, we are typically not able to get the cream of the crop when it comes to hops. In all seriousness, we are probably near the bottom of the list to major hop suppliers. Not to say we cant get some amazing lots, but its a roll of the dice each time we spend $25 for a pound of hops.
I have been working to make a world class NEIPA for years now, but seem to stumble when it comes to hops. I have made amazing beers, and I have made some really bad beers. With that, I have had amazing bags, and some really terrible bags. I think mostly all aspects (grain bills, water chemistry, pH, cold side practices, yeast, fermentation, etc.) have all been mostly figured out. I think the only outlier left is the quality of hops that are available to us. And I think that this can make or break a batch of IPA.
I've seen many comments like " 2021 Galaxy smells like feet and cheese and dirt" and "2022 Galaxy smells amazing!!!!". And this pretty much goes for all varieties of hops. And its a really killer when this happens.
Seeing as these beers (IPAs, NEIPAs) feature hops on the center stage, it may be beneficial to share our experiences with suppliers, varieties, and crop years as a single thread, so we can share what is good, and what may ruin a batch for us.
Let me know what you think.
Wanted to start a thread to talk about hop quality amongst homebrew suppliers, and what everyone is seeing, and from where. I think the mind hive method here would be beneficial to us all, and sharing this info would help us make better beer as homebrewers.
As homebrewers, we are typically not able to get the cream of the crop when it comes to hops. In all seriousness, we are probably near the bottom of the list to major hop suppliers. Not to say we cant get some amazing lots, but its a roll of the dice each time we spend $25 for a pound of hops.
I have been working to make a world class NEIPA for years now, but seem to stumble when it comes to hops. I have made amazing beers, and I have made some really bad beers. With that, I have had amazing bags, and some really terrible bags. I think mostly all aspects (grain bills, water chemistry, pH, cold side practices, yeast, fermentation, etc.) have all been mostly figured out. I think the only outlier left is the quality of hops that are available to us. And I think that this can make or break a batch of IPA.
I've seen many comments like " 2021 Galaxy smells like feet and cheese and dirt" and "2022 Galaxy smells amazing!!!!". And this pretty much goes for all varieties of hops. And its a really killer when this happens.
Seeing as these beers (IPAs, NEIPAs) feature hops on the center stage, it may be beneficial to share our experiences with suppliers, varieties, and crop years as a single thread, so we can share what is good, and what may ruin a batch for us.
Let me know what you think.