Empirical evaluation :

Open the sachet across its entire width to release the maximum amount of fragrance.

• • • • • The first test is olfactory. Dip your nose into the open bag and breathe gently. Gently shake the bag between breaths.
        • The most powerful hops are very expressive, and you'll easily distinguish fruit scents/flavors (exotic, red, stone, etc.).
        • These scents are the most volatile and can fade. These top notes are very interesting if you want to make a very fruity beer. (IPA, NEIPA, WCIPA, DIPA, ...).
        • Dip your nose into the sachet again to assess its underlying notes. They may be herbaceous, resinous, earthy or woody.

To caricature, the longer the hops remain in the beer, the more these volatile aromas will be present. The longer the hops are infused, the more the other aromas and the hop tannins are brought out.

Look at the color of the pellet:

• • • • • If it's green. The hops are healthy and have been harvested at maturity.
        • If it is orange and green in color. It may be loaded with lupulin (yellow to orange in color) or have been "roasted" (by sun or disease).
        • If it's dark green to black with a glossy effect. It's taken a beating during the pelletizing process. If it's an isolated pellet, there's nothing to worry about. If all the pellets in the bag are affected, this is not a good sign.

Density: grab a pellet with your fingers and crush it in the palm of your hand.

• While the pellet is very hard to crush, it is low in oils and alpha. This is quite common in noble hops.
• If the pellet crushes easily, it is loaded with oils. This may be a powerful Aromatic or a Bittering.

The T° of the pellet plays a role in this test. Choose a bag at room temperature.

Alcohol evaluation :

Alcohol plays an important role in the extraction, preservation and evolution/transformation of aromas.

In the case of hops used to make beer, the only way to assess the final result is to test them in beer.

Aromatic hops can be tested in several ways:

• Using a brewing kit with a capacity of less than 20L (pico brewery). The bag contains around 50gr, so you can test the hops at any time with a dosage of 2.5gr/l or less.
• At pro brewing time (over 200L) :
  • At the end of the boiling process, at the moment of whirlpooling, you can take a small quantity of hot wort in a saucepan and throw in the equivalent of 1 to 2% of the pellet weight. This hot barley juice will bring out the most representative fragrances.
  • It seems complex to carry out a DH test during the first fermentation with a sufficient quantity of hops.
  • After the first fermentation, a small quantity of fermented wort can be racked (preferably "au clair"). Several 2L or 5L buckets will allow you to test different hops and/or dosages. In a 5l bucket, you can put 25gr of a variety to test it at 5gr/l. These buckets are then kept closed in a cool place (5°C) for 8 to 15 days to allow the hops and yeast to settle properly. At bottling time, the sugar is added directly to the bottle, before the fermented and infused wort is poured in (to avoid having to mix the sugar in the bucket). After about 15 days of secondary fermentation, the beer is ready to be enjoyed.
  • For flat fermentation, you can take a small quantity of fermented beer, transfer it to a container containing the pellets, and leave to infuse for a few minutes, heating slightly to extract maximum aroma in minimum time. Then add the sugar, stir and bottle after filtration. Obviously, it's important to use the finest possible filtration to limit the amount of pellets in the bottle before fermentation. All utensils used in this operation must be sterile to limit the risk of infection.
• Apart from brewing :
  • For a single-origin beer, add a few pellets and store in the fridge for several days. Be careful, as the beer may drool and lose all its bubbles. The liquid should then be filtered for tasting.
  • In an eau de vie: the alcohol will extract certain aromatic compounds from the hops. In just a few days, you'll have a spirit that reveals the aromatic powers of the hops being tested.

Hydraulic evaluation:

Hops can be used in infusions for their medicinal properties.

The chemical reactions involved are not the same as those in a conventional brewing process, but they can be useful for a quick and simple initial assessment.

• Heat some water and add a few pellets to a coffee cup. You mustn't heat it too long, as this will cause the alphas to isomerize, greatly changing the taste and fragrance. You can smell the blend at different times: During infusion, to smell the most volatile aromas. After cooling the next day, or the day after that.
• If you wish to taste a pellet infused in water, we recommend filtering the liquid (with a coffee filter, for example) and sweetening the mixture to attenuate the bitterness of the hops. You can also add a drop of strong alcohol (as neutral as possible) at the start of the infusion to increase extraction Aromatic.