19 replies to this topic

[Jimvy]

Anyone else unhappy with the leaf hops coming out of hops direct lately? I got a pound of Amarillo leaf that really has a lot of brown cones....definitely doesn't taste the same as a dry hop....not what you'd expect from Amarillo.

[djinkc]

I bought a pound of Amarillo from them last month (I assume those were '08). A few brown spots but nothing I would consider bad. They smelled great - nothing brewed with them has made it to the tap yet.........

[al_bob]

Anyone else unhappy with the leaf hops coming out of hops direct lately? I got a pound of Amarillo leaf that really has a lot of brown cones....definitely doesn't taste the same as a dry hop....not what you'd expect from Amarillo.

I'm assuming it's the 2009 crop? I noticed a while back that Freshops was much more expensive than Hops Direct, and I wondered why. I haven't bought any yet this year.

[Jimvy]

I'm assuming it's the 2009 crop? I noticed a while back that Freshops was much more expensive than Hops Direct, and I wondered why. I haven't bought any yet this year.

Mine were 08', so I am assuming they just didn't hold up as well as in years past. I've got some 09' on order, so we'll see how those look.

[Big Nake]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but are you guys anti-pellet? I only ask because my pellets seem to hold up nicely in the freezer and I just seem to like the flavor I get with the pellets over the leaf hops. The leaf hops contribute a sort of "dirty socks" aroma and flavor to my beers and they certainly don't hold up as well. I realize the pellets turn to dust in the brewpot which could cause a concern depending on your equipment. Just curious about why people choose leaf/whole over pellet.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but are you guys anti-pellet? I only ask because my pellets seem to hold up nicely in the freezer and I just seem to like the flavor I get with the pellets over the leaf hops. The leaf hops contribute a sort of "dirty socks" aroma and flavor to my beers and they certainly don't hold up as well. I realize the pellets turn to dust in the brewpot which could cause a concern depending on your equipment. Just curious about why people choose leaf/whole over pellet.

I have some whole leaf EKG from HD - never again. They take up a lot of storage space, don't have as strong of an aroma as the pellets, and make a bigger mess when dividing up or measuring out for a batch. The only non-pellet hops I'll be dealing with from now on are the ones I grow myself.

[HVB]

Just used some '08 Magnums from HD. They seemed to be good, no brown cones in there, I will have to take a look at the other hops I have from them.Ken, I am an equal opportunity hop user. I have a fair amount of whole leaf just because that is what I could get at the time. In my system both whole leaf and pellets work about equal. Although I would much rather pellets for dry hopping.

[Jimvy]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but are you guys anti-pellet? I only ask because my pellets seem to hold up nicely in the freezer and I just seem to like the flavor I get with the pellets over the leaf hops. The leaf hops contribute a sort of "dirty socks" aroma and flavor to my beers and they certainly don't hold up as well. I realize the pellets turn to dust in the brewpot which could cause a concern depending on your equipment. Just curious about why people choose leaf/whole over pellet.

My general practice has been to use pellets in the boil and leaf as my dry hop, but honestly, I'm going to try pellets in the batch of APA I did yesterday and see how it goes with my setup. If it works as well or better, I'm happy to switch permanently.

[al_bob]

The dirty sock flavor or aroma could be due to hops that weren't stored real great and or older hops. They get a nasty cheesy smell once they get old. I had a bunch go bad recently because I was between places and my hops were in storage with no refrigeration.I like whole hops because of their filtering effect with my equipment but after losing as much as I did, I'm about ready to go to pellets just for the storage factor. But, there's just something about using fresh whole hops...

[pete maz]

Anyone else unhappy with the leaf hops coming out of hops direct lately? I got a pound of Amarillo leaf that really has a lot of brown cones....definitely doesn't taste the same as a dry hop....not what you'd expect from Amarillo.

Yep, mine looked the same way. They're 2008 vintage, and have lots of brown cones. Haven't used them in any brews yet, so I can't comment. They smelled great when I vacuum-packed them, for what that's worth.

[Howie]

Years ago I got some really bad EKG hops from HopsDirect. They replaced them, but the replacements were bad as well. They replaced them again with US Goldings, which were in very good shape.I generally use Freshops these days.I prefer leaf hops. The pellets tend to clog up the drain on my kettle, and the leaf hops provide a nice filter bed in the boil that catches a lot of break material. No hop gunk in the trub, either.

[Big Nake]

Maybe it's because I will buy hops and then possibly store them for months or maybe even a year before I use them. I don't do this intentionally... I just see hops that I like that are available and pick them up. With pellets, it rarely seems to matter because the hops look vibrant & green when I open them and the smell wonderful. If I do this with leaf hops (which I have), they just aren't the same flavor & aroma-wise. I could see some fantastic beers being made with ultra-fresh whole/leaf hops, but I think for my system & schedule, pellets just work better for me.

[Jimmy James]

FWIW I just got several pounds of pellets from hopsdirect a couple weeks ago and they look great. I used to buy whole hops from freshhops but have since gone away from brewing with whole hops as they are less convenient in my system and I don't like the way the glands tend to fall out of the cones and accumulate in the bottom of the bag. Ken, I never got any weird off flavors or aromas from whole hops, but then again I keep them in the freezer and they never were around very long before I used them.

[japh]

Maybe it's because I will buy hops and then possibly store them for months or maybe even a year before I use them. I don't do this intentionally... I just see hops that I like that are available and pick them up. With pellets, it rarely seems to matter because the hops look vibrant & green when I open them and the smell wonderful. If I do this with leaf hops (which I have), they just aren't the same flavor & aroma-wise. I could see some fantastic beers being made with ultra-fresh whole/leaf hops, but I think for my system & schedule, pellets just work better for me.

I've kept whole leaf hops in the freezer for over a year with no off-flavors like others are suggesting.

[Howie]

I've kept whole leaf hops in the freezer for over a year with no off-flavors like others are suggesting.

+1. I even kept some Goldings in the freezer for over a year without vacuum sealing them. Used them in an ordinary bitter. Scored 40+ points and took the blue ribbon.

[TimE]

Maybe it's because I will buy hops and then possibly store them for months or maybe even a year before I use them. I don't do this intentionally... I just see hops that I like that are available and pick them up. With pellets, it rarely seems to matter because the hops look vibrant & green when I open them and the smell wonderful. If I do this with leaf hops (which I have), they just aren't the same flavor & aroma-wise. I could see some fantastic beers being made with ultra-fresh whole/leaf hops, but I think for my system & schedule, pellets just work better for me.

Doing a little grave digging here to revive this guy. Ken, can you describe your system and how you use pellet hops. Like some others have said I have a huge problem with cloggind when I use pellet hops in my boil kettle. ThanksTim

[Hentai]

Anyone else unhappy with the leaf hops coming out of hops direct lately? I got a pound of Amarillo leaf that really has a lot of brown cones....definitely doesn't taste the same as a dry hop....not what you'd expect from Amarillo.

My order just came last week. I had a pound of Amarillo as well but they all just went to my bros. house's freezer. I will check this weekend.

[Jimmy James]

Doing a little grave digging here to revive this guy. Ken, can you describe your system and how you use pellet hops. Like some others have said I have a huge problem with cloggind when I use pellet hops in my boil kettle. ThanksTim

Can't speak for Ken but after whirlpool I just run off into the fermenter with no screen. If any pellet hop material gets through it ends up in the trub. I've not found any difference in the beer whether some hop material from the boil comes through or not.

[boo boo]

I have some whole leaf EKG from HD - never again. They take up a lot of storage space, don't have as strong of an aroma as the pellets, and make a bigger mess when dividing up or measuring out for a batch. The only non-pellet hops I'll be dealing with from now on are the ones I grow myself.

I have to agree. I did a APA this past New Years Day that was fantastic, but the 2 I did later using whole leaf were lacking in that " in your face " taste like say a SNPA. So I'm mashing in now and am going to use all pellet hops to see for sure if that was the difference.