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Beer and Wine Making Supplies since 1995
5825 Excelsior Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55416
952-925-9854 - 888-449-2739
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FAQ-Pellets, USA

Question: How does beer gravity affect hop utilization?
   Answer: Wort gravity affects hop utilization in the following way. In a high gravity wort, the concentration of sugars acts to block isomerization. High gravity beers always suffer from this phenomenon, and must be brewed using hop rates higher than would be needed for a normal strength beer of similar bitterness....Click to Read full Answer


Question: What is dry hopping?
   Answer: Dry hopping is a method of hopping employed strictly to impart aroma in a beer. The hops used for dry hopping can be added directly to the primary or secondary fermenter with no prior preparation. Dry hopping is generally carried out in the secondary fermenter. A quarter ounce to an ounce will assert its character by varying degrees to the finished product and this will be accomplished in 4-7 days. Dry hopping is not typically carried out in the primary fermenter because the carbon dioxide created by fermentation has a scrubbing effect on the aroma imparted by the hops and literally drives it off. The hops will need to be left behind prior to bottling....Click to Read full Answer


Question: What is the difference between hop pellets, plugs, whole, and extract?
   Answer: Hop pellets are highly processed hops consisting of finely powdered hop cones compressed into pea-sized tablets used in both home and commercial brewing. Standardized pellets are made from blends of hops to obtain a specific and consistent alpha acid level. Hop plugs are whole flowers that have been dried and compressed into a plug. They are reported to impart a better aroma and flavor than the pellet hops, but you will have to decide that one for yourself. Whole hops are the whole flower dried and uncompressed. Whole hops also have less surface area exposure to wort than pellets and are less efficient for bittering, i.e. more of it is required to impart an equal amount of bitterness compared to pellets or extract. Hop extracts are the liquid bittering essences of hops and are used for convenience in the brewing industry. All hop extracts must be used sparingly and care must be taken that they are well mixed to ensure that they are dissolved....Click to Read full Answer


Question: What are hops and what is their function?
   Answer: Hops (Humulus lupulus) are a perennial climbing vine, a member of the family of Cannabinaceae and, hence, a close relative of Cannabis sativa. Only the female ripened flower is used for flavoring beer. There are presently over a hundred varieties of hops cultivated around the world. Some of the best known are: Hallertauer, Fuggles, Tettnanger, East Kent Goldings, Styrian Goldings, Perle, Saaz, and Cascade, to name just a few. Apart from balancing the sweetness of the malt extract in beer through the contribution of bitterness, hops impart aroma and flavor, reduce the surface tension during the boiling stage, assist in forming a yeast head during ale fermentation and inhibit the growth of bacteria in wort and beer....Click to Read full Answer


Question: What are the different types of hops?
   Answer: Hop pellets are highly processed hops consisting of finely powdered hop cones compressed into pea-sized tablets used in both home and commercial brewing. Standardized pellets are made from blends of hops to obtain a specific and consistent alpha acid level. Hop plugs are whole flowers that have been dried and compressed into a plug. They are reported to impart a better aroma and flavor than the pellet hops but you will have to decide that one for yourself. Whole hops are the whole flower dried and uncompressed. Whole hops also have less surface area exposure to wort than pellets and are less efficient for bittering, i.e. more of it is required to impart an equal amount of bitterness compared to pellets or extract. Hop extracts are the liquid bittering essences of hops and are used for convenience in the brewing industry. All hop extracts must be used sparingly and care must be taken that they are well mixed to ensure that they are dissolved....Click to Read full Answer


Question: What does hop utilization mean?
   Answer: Hop utilization is the percentage of alpha acids that is isomerized and remains in the finished beer. Usually only about a half of the alpha acids are isomerized during a 1-hour boil and of this fraction, some will precipitate with the hot and cold breaks while more will be adsorbed onto the yeast cells during fermentation. Hop utilization can be as low as 10 percent and seldom exceeds 40 percent. Hop utilization is affected not only by the vigor of the boil, but also by its length. Generally speaking, the longer the wort is boiled with the hops, the more of the bitter resins will be isomerized. Another factor affecting utilization is the pH of the wort. The higher the pH, the greater the isomerization of hop resins. The best flavor is achieved when the wort pH is 5.0 to 5.4. On the other hand a very low wort pH reduces utilization and has other pernicious effects on flavor as well as destroying your chances of forming a good hot break. From a formulaic or mathematical point of view hop utilization breaks down accordingly: %U(utilization) = (isoalpha acids present ¸ alpha acid used) x 100. If you are following a recipe and the desired bitterness is stated terms of IBU's you can use the following formula to calculate how much bittering hops to use when boiling your wort. (Percentages are expressed as whole numbers, i.e., 15% = 15. Volumes are total volumes for the recipe.) In metric units: Weight(grams) = (Volume in liters x IBU x 10) ¸ (% Utilization x % alpha acid of hops). In English units: Weight(ounces) = (Volume in gallons x IBU x 1.34) ¸ (% Utilization x % alpha acid of hops)....Click to Read full Answer


Question: What are alpha acids, AAU's, HBU's, and IBU's?
   Answer: Alpha acid resins only contribute to the bitterness of the beer. Occurring naturally in the lupulin gland on the hop cone they are not very soluble in water. The reason that hops must be boiled is because the heat of boiling water creates a condition that allows a chemical reaction, called isomerization, to occur which makes the alpha acid resins soluble in water. AAU stands for Alpha Acid Units and is a measurement of potential bitterness in hops. The percentage of alpha acid in a given sample of hops multiplied by the weight in ounces of that sample. HBU stands for Homebrew Bitterness Units and is another method by which home brewers can determine how much hops to use. IBU stands for International Bitterness Units. One Bitterness Unit is equal to 1 milligram of isomerized alpha acid in 1 liter of wort or beer or 1 part per million isomerized alpha acid....Click to Read full Answer


Question: When do I add hops?
   Answer: Generally speaking, the hops are added once the wort has been collected in the kettle and a rolling boil has been achieved. The first addition of hops is called the bittering hops. These are generally boiled for at least 60 minutes. The second addition, if desired, is called the flavoring hops and is generally added in the final 15-5 minutes of the boil. The third addition, if desired, is called the aroma hops and is generally added in the final 2-0 minutes of the boil. The aroma is much better protected if this addition is added at knockout. The hops used at each of these additions may be different varieties or they may be the same variety throughout. The designations of bittering, flavoring, and aroma merely indicate at what stage the particular quantity is added in the process....Click to Read full Answer


Question: What is the difference between hop pellets, hop plugs, whole leaf, and extract?
   Answer: Hop pellets are highly processed hops consisting of finely powdered hop cones compressed into pea-sized tablets used in both home and commercial brewing. Hop plugs are whole flowers that have been dried and compressed into a plug. They are reported to impart a better aroma and flavor than the pellet hops but you will have to decide that one for yourself. Whole hops are the whole flower dried and uncompressed. They also are reported to impart a better aroma and flavor than the pellet hops. Hop extracts are the liquid bittering essences of hops and are used for convenience in the brewing industry. All hop extracts must be used sparingly and care must be taken that they are well mixed to ensure that they are dissolved. Hop products keep better when stored in a sealed container (preferably airtight), out of sunlight and at 54 F. Whole hops, hop plugs, and pellets can be put in a mesh bag to avoid the ensuing mess. If you decide to use a bag, you may wish to add 10% more hops to adjust for a diminished hop bitterness utilization....Click to Read full Answer


Question: How to make a Heather Ale?
   Answer: Heather Ale is a style of beer that was made many years ago using heather tips in place of hops, which had not begun being used in beers yet. Heather was a way to provide more flavor to a beer that was otherwise boring. Well, beers made centuries ago weren’t exactly boring, but they weren’t exactly like beers we drink today either. So, if you are looking to make something that tastes like it came right out of the past, try a heather ale. Heather has a flavor similar to a subtle chamomile/mint blend with a hint of lavender. You can also use heather in Mead or wines. Heather goes particularly well with honey....Click to Read full Answer


Question: My beer turns out too hoppy, or not hoppy enough, what can I do to change this?
   Answer: It isn’t a bad idea to make the same style of beer each time, but change the hops to discover what flavor you like best. A good beer style to practice on is pale ale. This is a type of beer known for its hoppiness, and provides a good base beer for your experimentation. If you are finding that your beers are turning out too hoppy for your enjoyment, start by looking at what the alpha acids are for that type of hops. Our hops come labeled with the variety, and then a percentage AA. For Example, Cascade Hops, 5.3% AA. The 5.3% AA is what is going to tell you the hoppiness of that variety. The higher the percentage, the more bitterness you can expect from the hops. Mild hops are usually around the 3.5% AA range, where a very bitter hops is around 12% AA. If the style of beer you are using has hops of 12% AA, it might be too bitter of a hops for you. Try one that is around 7% AA on your next batch. Each variety of hops will have a different flavor profile, so sometimes the answer isn’t trying a different hops, but adjusting how much you use, or how long it boils for. You’ve got this great pale ale, but you just feel it is a little too much for your American Light Lager drinking friends. No problem, you can still make the same beer, but we can tame it up a little bit with a simple adjustment. You can do a couple things to fix this problem:...Click to Read full Answer

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Midwest Homebrewing Supplies
5825 Excelsior Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55416
Phone: 1 (952) 925-9854
Toll Free: 1 (888) 449-BREW
Shipping Inquiries: 1 (888) 449-2739
Fax: 1 (952) 925-9867
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Midwest Supplies Home Beer and Wine Making
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