Just thought I would take a minute to clarify some potentially confusing terminology. Dry hopping and wet or fresh hopping are both actually pretty easy concepts.
The most important thing to understand is that in this case, wet and dry are not opposites, and in fact don't even refer to the same part of the process!
So let's start with dry hopping.
DRY HOPPING is when hops are added after the boil, usually either during or after fermentation. These hops can be fresh, dried, or pellet hops. Dry hopping eliminates a lot of the loss of hop aroma. That means that dry hopped beers tend to have very fresh, often floral (although depending on the variety, it could also resinous, citric, earthy, or any other hop-derived aroma) smells to them when you pour a glass or crack open a bottle or can. Dry hopping allows less time, however, for the hops' alpha acids to incorporate in the beer (and does it without the added element of heat), meaning that some of the hop flavors (especially the bitterness) don't necessarily carry over. It also means that if a dry hopped beer is left to sit for too long (especially after being opened or poured), the aroma is likely to seep out of the beer faster than hops added during the boil.
WET HOPPING is actually the same thing as FRESH HOPPING. Wet hopping can occur at any stage of brewing (so yes, you can wet/dry hop a beer!!!). Wet hopping refers to the fact that fresh hops, right off the vine, are used, without being dried or turned into pellets or oils. So these beers tend to be seasonally available, shortly after the hop harvest in the breweries' area. The hops can still be added in the boil, or can be used for dry hopping to give really fresh, floral aromas to the beer, or both. Like dry hopping, these beers are best enjoyed fresh, as without drying or processing, fresh/wet hops will love their flavors and aromas quickly.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you all found this informative. If you did, like it, share it comment on it! Also, please feel free to leave questions or suggestions in the comments for any drink-related topics you'd like me to cover!
Showing posts with label brewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brewing. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Sunday, January 11, 2015
What's with Hops and Aging?
This is a topic that causes a lot of confusion, and understandably so.
The question usually comes from people who are just getting into craft beer, enough that they have tried various styles, and have done some reading about the history of beer, brewing, and various ingredients.
"If hops are a preservative, why do people say it's best to drink IPAs and other hoppy beers fresh?"
Well, here's where it's important to separate the way hops got into beer from the reason that we use them today.
Hops were originally used as a preservative in beer. This was before pasteurization and refrigeration, and especially refrigerated transportation and storage, were a thing. Hops kept harmful bacteria out of our ancestors' beer, which is the origin of their use in beer.
The safety of beer, however, no longer depends on hops. We now have pasteurization, effective packaging, and refrigeration from the brewery right through the consumer. So while it is true that beer was originally hopped for preservation, this is no longer the case. Yes, it's even true that some popular styles of beer we drink today have their origins (in a loose, rough, kind of way) in beers that were intended to have an incredibly long shelf life while traveling through various climates.
That being said, many beers, and in particular those styles originally intended for long life and travel (IPAs), are now hopped more for flavor and aroma than anything else. In fact, there are hops bred and engineered to emphasize particular flavors. Individual flavors from hops, like any other flower, don't hold up particularly well with age. They don't go bad, per se, they just don't fade.
So the reality of it is, if you were to open two beers, the same in every way, but one hoppier than another, and leave them out for a week, the hoppier beer might be "better," "safer" or "fresher" than the unhopped beer in a scientific way. It is less likely to be affected by harmful bacteria, or to make you sick. On the other hand, while it hasn't necessarily gone bad, it is unlikely to have the same citrus, pine, resin (think marijuana), or grassy notes that it had when it was fresh.
The same principal goes for aging beers still in their containers. Hoppy beers don't go "bad," and in fact, are probably less likely to do so than some of the beers we age (in barrels or in bottles) more frequently, but they also aren't as great. In fact, since many of the beers we age are more malt (sugar) focused, brewers generally have to make sure they have a significant alcohol content, and are also constantly testing barrel aged beers for the presence of harmful bacteria. You probably wouldn't have to be as vigilant if barrel aging an imperial IPA. On the other hand, the very fresh, floral, piney, grassy, skunky, or other flavors that make people go nuts for IPAs would be lost
So, the answer is that hops are, in fact, a preservative. They are, however, used in "hoppy" beers more for flavor and aroma, which fades over time. You would be perfectly safe drinking an IPA that has been in your fridge for a few months. It's just not going to have the clean, bright flavors it would have if drank while fresh.
The question usually comes from people who are just getting into craft beer, enough that they have tried various styles, and have done some reading about the history of beer, brewing, and various ingredients.
"If hops are a preservative, why do people say it's best to drink IPAs and other hoppy beers fresh?"
Well, here's where it's important to separate the way hops got into beer from the reason that we use them today.
Hops were originally used as a preservative in beer. This was before pasteurization and refrigeration, and especially refrigerated transportation and storage, were a thing. Hops kept harmful bacteria out of our ancestors' beer, which is the origin of their use in beer.
The safety of beer, however, no longer depends on hops. We now have pasteurization, effective packaging, and refrigeration from the brewery right through the consumer. So while it is true that beer was originally hopped for preservation, this is no longer the case. Yes, it's even true that some popular styles of beer we drink today have their origins (in a loose, rough, kind of way) in beers that were intended to have an incredibly long shelf life while traveling through various climates.
That being said, many beers, and in particular those styles originally intended for long life and travel (IPAs), are now hopped more for flavor and aroma than anything else. In fact, there are hops bred and engineered to emphasize particular flavors. Individual flavors from hops, like any other flower, don't hold up particularly well with age. They don't go bad, per se, they just don't fade.
So the reality of it is, if you were to open two beers, the same in every way, but one hoppier than another, and leave them out for a week, the hoppier beer might be "better," "safer" or "fresher" than the unhopped beer in a scientific way. It is less likely to be affected by harmful bacteria, or to make you sick. On the other hand, while it hasn't necessarily gone bad, it is unlikely to have the same citrus, pine, resin (think marijuana), or grassy notes that it had when it was fresh.
The same principal goes for aging beers still in their containers. Hoppy beers don't go "bad," and in fact, are probably less likely to do so than some of the beers we age (in barrels or in bottles) more frequently, but they also aren't as great. In fact, since many of the beers we age are more malt (sugar) focused, brewers generally have to make sure they have a significant alcohol content, and are also constantly testing barrel aged beers for the presence of harmful bacteria. You probably wouldn't have to be as vigilant if barrel aging an imperial IPA. On the other hand, the very fresh, floral, piney, grassy, skunky, or other flavors that make people go nuts for IPAs would be lost
So, the answer is that hops are, in fact, a preservative. They are, however, used in "hoppy" beers more for flavor and aroma, which fades over time. You would be perfectly safe drinking an IPA that has been in your fridge for a few months. It's just not going to have the clean, bright flavors it would have if drank while fresh.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
What does gravity have to do with booze?
So, what does gravity have to do with booze anyway? More specifically, what are original gravity and final gravity, and what do they mean?
Basically, these are measurements which relate to the sweetness, the dryness, and the alcohol content of a beer or wine.
Measuring actual sugar and alcohol content precisely and scientifically is a very complicated and expensive process. By using gravity (more specifically, the original (OG) and final (FG) gravities) brewers and winemakers can estimate these measures.
Sugar is heavier than water, so by using a hydrometer, brewers and winemakers can estimate the sugar content of their juice or wort through the original gravity. Water has a specific gravity of 1.000. So, a hydrometer which rests slightly higher than it would in pure water (say, in juice or wort) would measure something like 1.050 or 1.060. The higher the original gravity, the higher the sugar content of the juice or wort.
Alcohol, on the other hand, has a lower specific gravity than water. As fermentation progresses, the specific gravity of the wort or juice drops as well. Through their own and other brewers' and winemakers' past experiences, brewers and winemakers know what the expected final gravity for a given style of beer and wine is, based on the wort or juice, as well as the particular yeast strain. During fermentation, they can use a hydrometer to check the "attenuation" or the degree of fermentation, of their product. Each yeast strain, as well as grain or grape recipe, has a different expected or target attenuation. That is, what percentage of the sugars will be turned into alcohol?
What does this mean for us as beer or wine drinkers? Well, sweetness (as opposed to fruity flavors, which can come from esthers even in dry wine) is a measurement of the sugar remaining in a finished beer or wine. Essentially, this is the result of two decisions the brewer or winemaker makes: how much sugar to start with (original gravity), and the degree to which the sugars will be converted into alcohol (attenuation), which affect the final gravity of a beer.
Final gravity is a direct correlation to sweetness, and is also a good measure of what the mouth feel of a beer will be like, more or less, since the heavier a beer, the heavier the body will be.
All other things being equal (original ingredients, or at least the original gravity of them), a higher alcohol beer or wine will be drier than a low alcohol beer or wine, as more sugar was converted to alcohol. Meaning that if you want to make a sweeter beer or wine, there are three ways to do it.
1) You can add more sugar (malt/grain or grape juice) at the beginning of fermentation, or pull water out of your juice to concentrate sugars. This will result in a higher OG, meaning more fermentable sugars. Even after attaining the same degree of attenuation, this beer will have a higher final gravity, meaning both more sugar and more alcohol, than a beer with a more watered down, less sweet base.
2) You can stop fermentation, by either using a yeast strain with a lower alcohol threshold or lower expected attenuation, or by actually forcing fermentation to stop by removing yeast or changing the temperature or environment to stop fermentation. This will create a lower alcohol, sweeter product.
3) You can add sugars during or after fermentation. Depending on whether the goal is more alcohol and more sugar, or just a sweeter product, this can be done at various times during fermentation. In winemaking, this is known as chapetalization, and is prohibited in certain regions and styles in old world winemaking. If you add the same type of sugar (grape juice for wine, or malt/grain for beer), before fermentation is completed, you will wind up with a higher alcohol, sweeter product. If you add the sugar after fermentation is completed, the ABV will remain steady, and the final gravity, or sweetness of the product, will increase. Alternatively, you can add other types of sugar. This is common in Belgian styles, where candy sugar, which is not fermentable by ale yeasts, is added to the wort to create a sweeter finished product, without limiting the fermentation of the sugars in the wort.
Basically, these are measurements which relate to the sweetness, the dryness, and the alcohol content of a beer or wine.
Measuring actual sugar and alcohol content precisely and scientifically is a very complicated and expensive process. By using gravity (more specifically, the original (OG) and final (FG) gravities) brewers and winemakers can estimate these measures.
Sugar is heavier than water, so by using a hydrometer, brewers and winemakers can estimate the sugar content of their juice or wort through the original gravity. Water has a specific gravity of 1.000. So, a hydrometer which rests slightly higher than it would in pure water (say, in juice or wort) would measure something like 1.050 or 1.060. The higher the original gravity, the higher the sugar content of the juice or wort.
Alcohol, on the other hand, has a lower specific gravity than water. As fermentation progresses, the specific gravity of the wort or juice drops as well. Through their own and other brewers' and winemakers' past experiences, brewers and winemakers know what the expected final gravity for a given style of beer and wine is, based on the wort or juice, as well as the particular yeast strain. During fermentation, they can use a hydrometer to check the "attenuation" or the degree of fermentation, of their product. Each yeast strain, as well as grain or grape recipe, has a different expected or target attenuation. That is, what percentage of the sugars will be turned into alcohol?
What does this mean for us as beer or wine drinkers? Well, sweetness (as opposed to fruity flavors, which can come from esthers even in dry wine) is a measurement of the sugar remaining in a finished beer or wine. Essentially, this is the result of two decisions the brewer or winemaker makes: how much sugar to start with (original gravity), and the degree to which the sugars will be converted into alcohol (attenuation), which affect the final gravity of a beer.
Final gravity is a direct correlation to sweetness, and is also a good measure of what the mouth feel of a beer will be like, more or less, since the heavier a beer, the heavier the body will be.
All other things being equal (original ingredients, or at least the original gravity of them), a higher alcohol beer or wine will be drier than a low alcohol beer or wine, as more sugar was converted to alcohol. Meaning that if you want to make a sweeter beer or wine, there are three ways to do it.
1) You can add more sugar (malt/grain or grape juice) at the beginning of fermentation, or pull water out of your juice to concentrate sugars. This will result in a higher OG, meaning more fermentable sugars. Even after attaining the same degree of attenuation, this beer will have a higher final gravity, meaning both more sugar and more alcohol, than a beer with a more watered down, less sweet base.
2) You can stop fermentation, by either using a yeast strain with a lower alcohol threshold or lower expected attenuation, or by actually forcing fermentation to stop by removing yeast or changing the temperature or environment to stop fermentation. This will create a lower alcohol, sweeter product.
3) You can add sugars during or after fermentation. Depending on whether the goal is more alcohol and more sugar, or just a sweeter product, this can be done at various times during fermentation. In winemaking, this is known as chapetalization, and is prohibited in certain regions and styles in old world winemaking. If you add the same type of sugar (grape juice for wine, or malt/grain for beer), before fermentation is completed, you will wind up with a higher alcohol, sweeter product. If you add the sugar after fermentation is completed, the ABV will remain steady, and the final gravity, or sweetness of the product, will increase. Alternatively, you can add other types of sugar. This is common in Belgian styles, where candy sugar, which is not fermentable by ale yeasts, is added to the wort to create a sweeter finished product, without limiting the fermentation of the sugars in the wort.
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