There are now many forms of hops for brewing, between the cone, the different pellets and more and more in liquid form... So how to choose the hops for your brewing?
Article written in collaboration with Alexandra Berry
The Cone
The cone is still favoured by some brewers who wish to keep a 100% natural product and who reproach the pellet with denaturing the initial product and its oils.
Fresh hops
As a reminder, once harvested, the cone can be dried or used directly, as is the case for harvest beers for example, brewed directly with the season's hops. In this case we can speak of "fresh hop " or " wet hop ". This "simply" involves important and precise logistics. This is because the hops must be used only a few hours after harvesting in order to lose as little essential oil as possible and to guarantee an optimal extraction of flavours and aromas.
Dried hops
More generally, brewing with cones - again, provided they have been properly harvested and dried - allows the essential oils of the hops to be retained to the maximum extent, infusing the beer in the same way as a tea bag would.
However, this small plant will also absorb a lot of liquid, like a sponge, and will result in significant losses in the final beer volumes.
In addition, although more 'natural', each cone will not contain the same levels of essential oils, alpha acids, and therefore will not uniformly flavour and bitter the brews. Hops will be a direct reflection of their terroir - but also of their climatology, harvesting and storage. This makes it more difficult for the brewer to predict the final result of the brew.
Finally, as the cone is larger and more protected than the pellet, the contact between the liquid and the essential oils of the flower is reduced. This implies a longer extraction and isomerisation of the alphas. On the other hand, as its oils are better preserved, the cone can be preferred for cold hopping(see our article on dry hopping), allowing the volatile essences to be captured without creating bitterness or astringency.
Nino Bacelle, head brewer at De Ranke Brewery, swears by the cone. He designed his own boiling tank to keep the cones at the bottom of the tank to filter naturally and lose as little beer as possible in the process.
Innovation
Frozen Fresh Hops
In 2021, Yakima Chief offered a new feature to brewers around the world: frozen cone at harvest. This packaging was designed to keep all the flavours of the fresh hops, preserved in negative temperature, and to obtain a fresh brew as "natural" as possible. In addition, French brewers have been able to brew with freshly harvested American hops such as Citra,Amarillo and others.
In addition to the major ecological problem posed by this format (transporting frozen hops from one continent to another, um), brewers have also been confronted with the disadvantages of the cone, with filtration problems and a significant fragility of the flowers.
Source : https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/
Pellet
Pellets, although still criticised by a minority of brewers, offer undeniable advantages.
Loved pellet
As well as being more compact and easy to store, it allows for accuracy in the desired brewing result. As the hops have been dried and crushed together before being pelleted, this allows the IBU and essential oil yields in the brew to be measured much more accurately. As each hop cone contains different oils and plant concentrations, crushing and blending them together allows for homogenisation of the yield. Grinding also serves to open the lupulin glands to bring out these oils. However, as you know, this means that a pellet left in the open air oxidises more quickly than a dried cone (so make sure you close your bag of pellets).
However, in the 1980s, Sierra Nevada wanted to test the impact of pellets on the brewing process, and in particular to see if consumers would feel the difference. So they brewed half of their Celebration Ale with whole cones and half with pellets. Even in a blind taste test, everyone preferred the whole cone version, which was considered fresher and more floral. Sierra Nevada was the first brewery to market a beer made with only American hops: in 1981, Grossman and Camusi brewed Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The United States is thus making a place for itself on the map of the brewing world with innovations but also a rediscovery of its terroir.
Different types of pellets
There are then several types of pellet: T-90 and T-45. Identical in their manufacture and packaging, the T-45 is more concentrated in lupulin. Indeed, after being ground, the hops are sieved at -35°C, which removes their vegetable matter and leaves only a concentrate of essential oils. This increases the alpha acids by reducing the amount of material used. This means less raw material, less waste during the filtration of the brew for the same result Aromatic. Note that the more expensive T-45 format is not available for all hop varieties. In hops Organic, we have never come across one before.
Innovation
LUPOMAX™
LUPOMAX™ is an innovation from John I. Haas: a pellet with hop essences and lupulin in more concentrated amounts, without the undesirable astringent flavours that can be found with an overload of hops (a sensation nicknamed the hop burn). Created to contain the same concentration of lupulin and myrcene oil in each pellet, they provide consistency to the brews, with a better yield. Again, fewer pellets means less waste, both in terms of filtered material and absorbed beer.
Ideally these hops are added during the boil in the whirlpool, but they can also be used for a dry-hop, or during the fermentation phase.
Cryo Hop
From the Greek "Kryos" meaning gel, Cryo Hop, also known as LupuLN2®, is a pellet with twice the concentration of T-90. Sometimes also available in powder form, it is produced by extracting the essential oils contained in the cone and immersing them in liquid nitrogen (cryogenics) to preserve all the aromatics without the risk of oxidation. Offering 50% more yield than a traditional pellet, this allows the brewer to use even less raw materials (and thus reduce losses) as well as to sublimate the aromatics without the astringent or vegetal flavours that can sometimes be found in his hopping.
Produced by Yakima Chief - Hopunion, this new process has taken the French brewing scene by storm in recent years. Indeed, the sublimation of flavours and the reduction of losses are key arguments for brewers, especially with the marked trends on IPAs, Dry Hopped or Double Dry Hopped!
The Extracts
In 1870, the New York Hop Extract Company innovated with hop extract. Also known as CO2 Hop Extract, it is a liquid resin produced by CO2 extraction from hops.
This extraction is done with a super critical gas (liquid gas under very high pressure, between 150 and 300 bars) before removing the solvent. The aromatic and bitter components of the cone are separated from the plant material to obtain a concentrate of all the essential oils and alphas of the flower without the bulky plant material. J. R. Whiting patented this process and built his factory in Waterville, New York, to distribute the product to breweries. For breweries, working with hop extract further reduced hop absorption losses and cut storage and packaging costs. The extract is more expensive to buy, but it is so intense and easy to process that it becomes more profitable. In addition, extract offers much greater stability and control of aroma and IBU. Finally, this packaging allows for a much longer and better conservation of the product.
A method criticised by some brewers initially, Cilurzo was the first craft brewer to defend the interests of extract and in fact replaces pellets with extract in his recipe for Pliny the Elder.
There are several types of extracts available to brewers.
CO2 extract
This is the most common extract, usually used in Bittering. It is made from hops with high alpha acid levels such as Columbus or CTZs, often mixed with other hops Aromaticsuch as Mosaic and Cascade.
Pre-isomerised extract
The CO2 extract must be heated to boiling for the alpha acids to isomerise and create bitterness. However, new techniques have been developed to offer pre-isomerised extracts - removing the need to heat the brew to get bitterness. This means that brewers now have a key to hopping and bittering their brew post boil. This allows some brewers to rebalance brews that are considered too sweet or mild.
Innovation
An Incognito® hop
The Incognito® is created by John I. Haas to maximise the Aromatic potential of a beer while minimising waste and production costs. It is a liquid hop essence concentrate (i.e. a hop extract), which retains the myrcenes and lupulin and is designed to be added to the whirlpool to impart the essential hop oils to the beer.
Like cryo, this technique provides as much bitterness andAromatic with less material and therefore reduces costs, reduces beer losses usually absorbed by pellets by 25%, requires no special production tools, takes up less storage space and reduces food waste for a more environmentally friendly beer. It can be mixed with other hops, either in cones or pellets.
Initially used by a few American brewers (Stone Brewing, New Belgium, Two Beers Brewing...) this process is becoming more democratic and allows the production of juicy IPAs.
Available in several varieties (Citra®, Mosaic®, Ekuanot®, Sabro™), it is becoming popular with brewers and is gradually being exported around the world.
Phillip Chou, Director of Brewing Solutions at John I. Haas explains:
The production of INCOGNITO is a milestone for the craft brewing industry that literally opens the tap to create some of the most exciting and flavorful beers in the world. (...) In solving what seemed like an intractable problem, John I. Haas and the Barth-Haas Group have once again underscored their relentless focus on improving the processes and tastes of brewers and beer consumers.
Dry Hopping Special with HopBurst®.
These extracts are specifically designed for the raw hopping of a beer. They are chosen and treated so as not to retain any alpha acids that would bitter the beer. Thus, these extracts are concentrated aromas, particularly suitable for New Zealand hops. When used in raw hopping, they increase and emphasise the flavours of the beer without altering the IBU, without residue and with reduced costs and waste.
Source : https://nzhopoils.com/
To summarise
| FORMS | BENEFITS | DISADVANTAGES |
| Cone | Natural flavoursCan be used as a wort filter Preferred for dry hopping because the oils are intact | Lots of waste Less direct contact with the liquid and therefore longer extraction and isomerisation Lots of storage space More fragile and susceptible to oxidationLow yield Less control over the finalAromatic (although this is an attraction for some brewers seeking natural flavours in their brews) |
| Pellet | Melts and dissolves, which optimises its useLupulin glands have already been ground, so yield and isomerisation are accelerated Easier to measure and control for brew consistency Less liquid loss during filtration | Their dissolution can create a plug at the bottom of the boil or fermentation vessel If hopped too early, some dead yeast cells may cover the powder, limiting contact with the wort Pulverizing the cones can affect the Aromatic quality of the lupulin gland as well as the protection of oils such as humulene from oxidation. |
| Retrieved from | Composed of 30 to 50% alphas, therefore much higher yield (3 to 10% for a traditional pellet) Easy to store and preserve (can be kept for up to 8 years) Exact measurement and control of flavouring and bitterness - bitterness moreover noted by brewers Possibility of pre-isomerising extract for use without heating No oxidation | Still limited choice of hop varieties available in this form Very high prices Industrial process Difficult to use cold because does not dissolve as quickly |
Sources and more information... :
Acitelli, T., (2013), The Audacity of Hops, Chicago Review Press Inc, Chicago.
Bostwick, W., (2014), The Brewer's Tale, W. W. Norton & Norton, New York.
Brown, P., (2017), Miracle Brew, Chelsea Green Publishing.
Brown, P., (2009), Hops and Glory, Macmillan, London.
Garrett, O., (2003), The Brewmaster's Table, Ecco; Reprint edition, HarperCollins Publishers, New York.
Hieronymus, S., (2012), For the Love of Hops, The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops, Brewers Publication,
Hindy, S., (2014), The Craft Beer Revolution, Macmillan, New York.
Lavoisier, (1789), Traité Elémentaire de Chimie, Maxtor France.
Mosher, R. (2004), Radical Brewing: recipes, tales and world-altering meditations in a glass, Brewers Publications, Division of the Brewers Association, United States of America.
Payen, A., (1825) Mémoire sur le Houblon, Hachette Livre. Payton, J., (2013), Beer O'Clock, An Insider's Guide to History, Craft & Culture, SkyHorse Publishing, New York.
Poltinari, F., (1989) Slow Food Manifesto, Paris.
Steele, M., (2012), IPA Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale, Brewers Publications, Boulder, Colorado.
www.homebrewersassociation.org
https://www.hops-comptoir.com/
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/
