Hops are for drinking, that’s obvious… But to cope with the new heat waves hitting us, why not use hops to make a dessert that’s as refreshing as it is original?

What variety of hops?

To create your own hoppy sorbet, you must first know how to choose your variety but also the form of hops to use (cone, pellet, extract…)

First of all, when cooking with hops, it’s essential to choose hops with very low alpha acid levels. Cooking promotes the isomerization of alpha acids, which intensifies the bitterness in the finished product. It’s difficult to achieve a balanced recipe with overly bitter hops 😉

Source: https://celebrationgeneration.com/hop-sorbet/

So generally look for aromatic varieties with low bitterness, here are some examples according to the nuances you are looking for.

If you want to maintain a very fresh and herbaceous taste, opt for so-called “noble” hops of German or Czech origin, such as Tettnanger , Tradition , Spalter Select , or Styrian Gold . These are perfect for a very refreshing sorbet, perhaps even a tangy one by adding citrus fruits.

Saphir , New Zealand Wakatu or Sovereign will offer subtle and floral notes that you can enhance with a little orange blossom or rose.

The Hüll Melon , Mandarina Bavaria , Hallertauer , or Callista varieties allow you to play with notes of citrus and white fruits (pear, melon, or watermelon). Excellent options for tangy fruit sorbets.

Finally, for notes of exotic fruits, you can’t go wrong with American or New Zealand varieties such as Motueka with its papaya notes, or Wai-ti with its hints of apricot and other exotic fruits. To pair with fruit or another hop, Cashmere will be the perfect “wingman” with strawberries and melon, highlighting the various aromas.

That being said, if you don’t plan to heat your brew, an aromatic hop with a slightly higher alpha content, such as the traditional Citra, Amarillo , or even Nectaron , may be suitable! You will get the aromas without too much bitterness.

Hops, sure, but in what form?

Source: https://celebrationgeneration.com/hop-sorbet/

Hops are available in different formats: as fresh cones, dried cones, T90 pellets or as liquid extract.

Pellets are the most readily available on the market and also generally the easiest to use. You can crush the pellets into a powder and measure the quantities to add to your recipe very precisely.

If you can’t find the variety you’re looking for in pellet form, cones can be used instead! Simply grind them into a fine powder. Keep in mind that the oil content will be lower than in pellets, so you’ll likely need to use a larger quantity to achieve the same result.

We don’t necessarily recommend hop extract for cooking. It’s so concentrated that it will be very difficult to handle in such small quantities.

How to make your own citrus and hops sorbet

Ingredients :

• 300g of organic caster sugar
• 250ml of water
• 1 organic orange
• 1 organic lime (juice and zest)
• 1 organic lemon (juice and zest)
• 700ml of organic orange juice
• 15 grams of organic T90 pellets

As you can see, the ratio of hops to other ingredients is very low (1 tsp per liter of juice). As you know, it’s a very powerful ingredient that will quickly make its presence felt!

If you are using fresh hops, replace the teaspoon with 30g of crushed hops.

With fresh hops: approximately 30 grams of crushed cone.

With dried cone: approximately 10 to 15 grams of crushed cone.

Recipe :

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and citrus zest.
2. Bring to a gentle boil until the sugar dissolves, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Once the liquid has become more syrupy, remove from the heat and add the juices and hops. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
4. Filter the mixture (with a cloth, a coffee filter or something else) to remove all the hop pieces.

If you are using a very bitter hop, you can add half a teaspoon of baking powder after filtering the liquid. This will help to slightly neutralize the acids for a milder taste.

5. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Once chilled, blend again before freezing.

Your sorbet is ready!

This recipe is centered around citrus fruits, but you can replace the orange juice with pear, strawberry, or other juices and play with different hop combinations!

Sources:

https://www.duluthpack.com/blogs/great-recipes-for-cooking-with-hops/

https://thecookscook.com/columns/homemade/cooking-hops-beer-candy/

https://www.foodbloggersofcanada.com/hedonistic-hops-cooking-with-hops/

https://celebrationgeneration.com/hop-sorbet/