I had a fresh hopped IPA from Breakside that used Simco Hops. I loved the beer. More research required, right?

I looked the beer up, and apparently, they are using some ground-breaking techniques to extract more flavor from the hops. Apparently, they freeze the fresh hops in liquid nitrogen and then shatter them. Any homebrewers out there heard of this?

quote:
Brewers are still figuring out the best methods to extract the subtle fresh flavors from un-dried, un-kilned hops that are available just once a year during the annual hop harvest.

“When you’re given these whole cones, you don’t get a chance to really access those lupulin glands where the acids and resins and oils are all stored, and it’s those things that are the signature components of hop flavor and aroma. So, we were talking about how we could come up with a technique where we could actually expose those glands, and I was talking about grinding the hops or breaking them open. It’s almost that the most gentle thing we can do is just shatter them, and in the moment of saying that I thought of liquid nitrogen.”

LINK

This post was edited on 9/17/14 at 11:06 am

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Posted by BugAC

St. George

Member since Oct 2007

52920 posts

Posted on 9/17/14 at 11:06 am to Jax-Tiger

quote:
When you’re given these whole cones, you don’t get a chance to really access those lupulin glands where the acids and resins and oils are all stored, and it’s those things that are the signature components of hop flavor and aroma. So, we were talking about how we could come up with a technique where we could actually expose those glands, and I was talking about grinding the hops or breaking them open. It’s almost that the most gentle thing we can do is just shatter them, and in the moment of saying that I thought of liquid nitrogen.”

Doesn't making the hops into pellets already do what they are intending to do? I mean, pellets include more alpha acids than the whole cones.

This post was edited on 9/17/14 at 11:07 am

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Posted by Zappas Stache

Utility Muffin Research Kitchen

Member since Apr 2009

38781 posts

Posted on 9/17/14 at 11:17 am to Jax-Tiger

Some may argue one of the attributes of fresh hops is the grassy taste they impart which is what this guy is trying to get rid of. Seems to be he is drying the hop cones with nitrogen like you would normally do over several days. So in effect, he no longer has a "Fresh Hop" beer. But how does it smell....that's all that matters.

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Posted by BottomlandBrew

Member since Aug 2010

27158 posts

Posted on 9/17/14 at 11:43 am to Jax-Tiger

I think this guy is going a little overboard, but whatever makes him happy. If you don't want the grassy taste of fresh hops, then why not buy processed hops? Also, hop grinders and pellet machines are cooled with liquid nitrogen as they create a ton of heat and hops begin degrading when temps go over 100 F.

But yes, more research is required. I wish you the best in your studies.