BrewCon 2015 - Brewing Elements - Hops

[Partridge9]

We have an expert hops speaker at brewcon 2015

Ben Adams  - Charles Faram Hops

We are going to get some questions together  to put to him.

Any questions on Hops ??

[Partridge9]

My question would be

If the Lupulin Threshold shift is real and it impacting the beers being made and consumed
Will it over time squeeze out the orders / production of more subtle hops and in time kill hop variety.

[molc]

Nice question! I think a question I'd have for all the potential suppliers would be is there any interesting in dealing with the club at a group buy level. We're a small order off these guys, but it would be good to secure suppliers like can direct that we can use a few times a year to get necessary stock.

[Bubbles]

Although widely debated, I'd like to get a another professional opinion on:

- mid boil additions - what, if anything, do they contribute?
- late hopping vs dry hopping

[DEMPSEY]

Reports of hop shortages are mentioned. Is this real and will it get worse.

[Qs]

Whats the future like for European hop growers? Germany is now producing fruitier less noble style hops like Huell Melon, Mandarin Bavaria and Polaris and I have heard the Spanish are trying to get into hop farming now too. Can we start producing hops on the continent to rival the US?

[irish_goat]

+1

Also wondering if any Irish farmers are expected to be selling hops commercially anytime soon?

[brian_c]

Is the current popularity of IPAs and hoppy beers over all others a bubble? Could tastes change to more malt forward beers.

[DEMPSEY]

Fads will come and go but once you pour the milk into the coffee there's no going back so I would say their will always be a big market for big hoppy beers.

[Paul B]

1. How much bitterness is added from a hop stand, and what's the optimal hop stand temp for max flavor/aroma?
2. Do you think there's a threshold for dry hopping, i.e. are results from a 100g dry much different from a 200g.

[SlugTrap]

What's the next trend in hop flavor profiles?

Sixpoint and Flying Dog are already using an experimental variety called HBC 431, which is described as melon and stone fruit but also earthy, woody and even tobacco.

Is this the start of a move away from the tropical fruit and citrus that have dominated over the past few years?

[dcalnan]

Why is it that the UK is a big producer of hops and Ireland historically has never produced their own hops always importing them. With the similar climates/soil could Ireland ever become a viable producer of hops on a large scale, and would it be a good alternative for farmers to look into growing.

[Will_D]

AFAIK: Parts of Ireland has an ideal climate for hops. They were grown commercialy in large numbers for one dominant customer based in Dublin. He eventually screwed the price down to where the farmers decided (Fekit) to plough in the crop rather than sell to the dominant customer.

However: We don't have the same cliamte to grow the hot country citrus stuff. We ai'nt California or sunny NZ

[Dr Jacoby]

Is there any reason to favour storing well sealed hops in a fridge over a freezer?

[Partridge9]

If you are vacuum packing your hops, should you purge with Co2 first ? or is that complete horseshite..

I tried this once - mistakenly had the PSI at 20 and ended up with a face full of pellets

ok scratch that question