What Hops to use!

[guest5234]

This homebrewing lark is getting more complicated the more you get into it, OK, I have got the yeast sorted, now I need advice please on what hops to put into my extract brew...pellets, foil wrapped, vacum packed or fresh (although they do look dusty and tired in my local HB) what would you suggest please.

[Orfy]

It's up to you. What can you get, what's available, how long do you want to wait, how much you want to spend?

If you're not too sure then better to follow a known tried and tested recipe and buy all the ingredients from one suggested supplier who can give to help at the point of sale if required.

I use vacum packed foiled hops and try to brew subsequent beers using the hops I have so they don't stay around too long.

[tubby_shaw]

Guest5234,
Which brewshop are you using?
Try the wine emporium in Studley. They have a reasonabe selection of brewpacks vacuum packed hops

[steve_flack]

Don't use pellets at this stage as whole hops are much easier to filter out. Only use fresh hops if they are fresh hops. If they're dry tired and scabby then you might as well use lawn clippings. Any half decent homebrew shop will sell at least a couple of varieties of vacuum packed whole leaf hops. If they don't then that says a lot IMO.

[moorsd]

I always use vaccum packed whole hops, never loose hops from HB shops as you can't really tell how long they've been there.

IMO you can't go wrong with the Brupaks Silver foil, they always seem fresh and there is always a strong aroma when you open them!

Failing that Hop and Grape sell their Gold foil "Bricks" which are good too...think I prefure the Brupaks ones though

[Frothy]

ah I've been to the WE HBS at Studley - it's great & DTS is just around the corner too.

Go for the Foil Wrapped & Vaccuum packed if you can. Then keep them in a sealed container in the freezer between usage.

Matt

[PieOPah]

If I am desperate then I will use 'fresh' bagged hops from my LHBS. Now since my HBS is pretty close to useless, I have to be really desperate if I want to buy anything from there (it is great if all I want is kits but not so great for AG brewing - it is really an off licence with a small back room for brewers)

I have bought myself about a kilo of various hops (gold foil bricks)so hopefully that should last me quite some time.

[steve_flack]

I've got about three quarters of a kilo each of Fuggles and Goldings in the freezer - I guess I'd better get brewing some of those Durden Park recipes!

I've also got a load of gold bricks too.