236 replies to this topic

[MolBasser]

I would guess that I would be able to tell you if a beer was dry hopped with pellets or cones to very high degree of accuracy.

 

Pellets are very distinctive.

 

MolBasser

[denny]

I would guess that I would be able to tell you if a beer was dry hopped with pellets or cones to very high degree of accuracy. Pellets are very distinctive. MolBasser

Wish I was in a position to take you up on that. So, what's the giveaway you look for?

[MolBasser]

It is pretty hard to describe in writing.  It just tastes and smells "pellety" or "extracty".

 

I'm not the only one either.  If a pellet beer is sampled at the table, numbers of us will pipe up with "this is made with pellets, right?"

 

Dry hopping is more difficult than the boil/bittering hops.  We can all pick those out instantly.

 

MolBasser

[Genesee Ted]

It is pretty hard to describe in writing.  It just tastes and smells "pellety" or "extracty".

 

I'm not the only one either.  If a pellet beer is sampled at the table, numbers of us will pipe up with "this is made with pellets, right?"

 

Dry hopping is more difficult than the boil/bittering hops.  We can all pick those out instantly.

 

MolBasser

This ability comes from some serious sensory study, right?  I don't think I could personally do that with my current level of training.  Or maybe I could in a triangle test, I don't know, haven't tried it.  It would definitely be a cool experiment.  Split the wort between two boils and do one with pellets, one with cones.  

 

Is SN the only brewery to use all cones in the US? 

[zymot]

If pellets are a bad wY to dry hop, theRogue and a lot of other breweries are doing it wrong. I dunno about all this dogma...use pellets, don't use pellets....don't dry hop fr long, long dry hop times are OK. I have to say that I generally dry hop for months in the leg and don't notice anything wrong with it. I use pellets or whole hops, whichever are freshest. I say, don't make rules....try a technique and see what happens. Pay attention to your materials and procedures. Make no assumptions.

The fact that Stone uses pellets and they do not have a problem does not invalidate my observation. It might a combination of using pellets plus something I do that Stone does not do that causes the problem I observed. Could be there is something different about the hop pellets I use that causes the problem I observed. Could be I fail to do something that Stone does that causes the problem I observed.one possible explanation is I do not keg. I bottle condition. That is not the same process as Stone. commercial brewies and Denny`s kegs.I am very open to the possibility that it is all in my head. I knew which beer was hopped with pellets an which used whole hops. The beers were consumed at different times. Never underestimate the placebo affect.Certainly nothing scientific about my "testing procedure." Nothing but my observation. I thought I wrapped in enough qualifiers to clearly present it as such. I also acknowledged other brewers use pellets without the affect I observed.

[denny]

This ability comes from some serious sensory study, right?  I don't think I could personally do that with my current level of training.  Or maybe I could in a triangle test, I don't know, haven't tried it.  It would definitely be a cool experiment.  Split the wort between two boils and do one with pellets, one with cones.  

 

 

Dude, this experiment is going in the book!  Thanks for the idea!

[denny]

I am very open to the possibility that it is all in my head. I knew which beer was hopped with pellets an which used whole hops. The beers were consumed at different times. Never underestimate the placebo affect.

 

Yeah, this is a biggy!

 

1450 is good for about any American style.  I like it in porter and Am. brown, too.

Edited by denny, 26 July 2013 - 08:52 AM.

[Mya]

Dude, this experiment is going in the book!  Thanks for the idea!

I wonder if you could get pellets and whole from the same bale? 

[neddles]

It is pretty hard to describe in writing. It just tastes and smells "pellety" or "extracty".I'm not the only one either. If a pellet beer is sampled at the table, numbers of us will pipe up with "this is made with pellets, right?"Dry hopping is more difficult than the boil/bittering hops. We can all pick those out instantly.MolBasser

Can you pick out pellet boil/bittering from extract bittering?How are you guys sure it is from pellets and not some other part of the process?

Edited by ettels4, 26 July 2013 - 09:17 AM.

[MtnBrewer]

I wonder if you could get pellets and whole from the same bale?

I think you'd be lucky to get them from the same crop.

[denny]

I wonder if you could get pellets and whole from the same bale? 

 

I doubt it, but I'm guessing!

[Mya]

I doubt it, but I'm guessing!

 never know 'til you ask one of your many connections 

[zymot]

You might get one of the hop vendors to help you out. Take a pile of hops and send them through the pellet making machine. Set aside a sample of the whole hops put in bags and send out the samples. Get feedback. It is their life's work. I bet they would be interested in the results.

[denny]

 never know 'til you ask one of your many connections 

 

Which I'll do!

[MolBasser]

This ability comes from some serious sensory study, right?  I don't think I could personally do that with my current level of training.  Or maybe I could in a triangle test, I don't know, haven't tried it.  It would definitely be a cool experiment.  Split the wort between two boils and do one with pellets, one with cones.  

 

Is SN the only brewery to use all cones in the US? 

I think we are the only (major) exclusive user.

 

I know that Deschutes uses a lot of whole cone, but they use pellets too.

 

The differences arise in the pelleting process, no matter how hard they try to keep things cool, heat and chemical reactions occur when cones are pelleted.

 

MolBasser

[Genesee Ted]

Dude, this experiment is going in the book!  Thanks for the idea!

[Brauer]

Is SN the only brewery to use all cones in the US? 

 

Victory Brewing is another one.