No hop beer?...

[markbrannan]

Has anyone tried NOT using any hops in their beer? Would this leave it tasting sweet, a la Sweetheart Stout? Or just make it go bad (without the antibacterial hops)?

[196osh]

I think you need some sort of other adjunct in it id guess, without the antibacterial properties I think you would need to be at least very careful with your sanitization regime.

I think you would need something to add some level of bitterness to the beer. Ever tastes a non hopped yeast split thats been sitting in the fridge. Not nice.

[Jolum]

Yeah I like a nice Horlicks at night

Did you mean with something else doing the bittering? AKA unhopped ale such as Gruit Ale. Not for the faint-hearted

[Manx Guy]

Like nettle beer....?

search this site, there is a thread on here

It inspired me to make some... Mighttry some tonight

[trucker5774]

Like nettle beer....?

search this site, there is a thread on here

It inspired me to make some... Mighttry some tonight

Don't copy my attempt at nettle beer,.................it was poo

[Jolum]

Don't copy my attempt at nettle beer,.................it was poo

TBH that's why I gave up making fruit\flower\vegetable wine. I got fed up trying to make wine out of anything but grapes and most of it tasting like thin swamp water. That and the fact that with all the bloody racking involved 1 in 3 became infected.

Sod that, make wine out of grapes and stick to the Reinheitsgebot for beer (water, barley, hops and yeast) and you can't go wrong

[prodigal2]

heather ale springs to mind... Spruce ale. Both can be excellent, there are many non hop beers out there, which in style predate hoped beers.

Randy Moshers Radical Brewing would be worth a look if you wish to look at non hop beers, and also Clive La Pensee Historical Companion to House-brewing, which covers old brewing styles.

P2

[boingy]

Sod that, make wine out of grapes and stick to the Reinheitsgebot for beer (water, barley, hops and yeast) and you can't go wrong

Yeah, it's not a coincidence that this is how most beers and wines are made. I have a particular dislike of fruit in beer. It's like those restaurant dishes where the chef has added too many ingredients to a classically simple dish. Experimentation is good but the result is often a bit of a novelty rather than a taste sensation.

[markbrannan]

Thanks for all the replies - I remember reading about Gruit beers a while back, but had forgotten the name of them.

The reason I asked is that I bought my first bags of malt the other day, and they smell so good that I don't want to tamper with the taste by adding hops. I got 500g bags of chocolate malt and crushed crystal malt, and immediately fell in love with the smell of the chocolate. I'm thinking of making an AG brew of just chocolate malt although its a special malt, only really for adding to taste.

I get a predominant coffee smell from the chocolate malt, so I'm thinking of maybe using coffee beans (or granules) as my "herbal hops" - or maybe using some vanilla or something.

I'm even thinking about mixing the chocolate and crushed crystal to make a beer. Oooh, the possibilities... Any thoughts?

[Jolum]

Thanks for all the replies - I remember reading about Gruit beers a while back, but had forgotten the name of them.

The reason I asked is that I bought my first bags of malt the other day, and they smell so good that I don't want to tamper with the taste by adding hops. I got 500g bags of chocolate malt and crushed crystal malt, and immediately fell in love with the smell of the chocolate. I'm thinking of making an AG brew of just chocolate malt although its a special malt, only really for adding to taste.

I get a predominant coffee smell from the chocolate malt, so I'm thinking of maybe using coffee beans (or granules) as my "herbal hops" - or maybe using some vanilla or something.

I'm even thinking about mixing the chocolate and crushed crystal to make a beer. Oooh, the possibilities... Any thoughts?

Not being funny but have you actually brewed any beer before? I mean with Barley, Hops and Yeast? I suggest you try that first then if you want to experiment making your sweet concoction you at least have a point of reference. Personally I think you'll be disappointed - unless of course you really like sweet milkshakes

[delboy]

Has anyone tried NOT using any hops in their beer? Would this leave it tasting sweet, a la Sweetheart Stout? Or just make it go bad (without the antibacterial hops)?

Some modern day lager is virtually hop free, IBUS are almost non-existent.

[196osh]

Thanks for all the replies - I remember reading about Gruit beers a while back, but had forgotten the name of them.

The reason I asked is that I bought my first bags of malt the other day, and they smell so good that I don't want to tamper with the taste by adding hops. I got 500g bags of chocolate malt and crushed crystal malt, and immediately fell in love with the smell of the chocolate. I'm thinking of making an AG brew of just chocolate malt although its a special malt, only really for adding to taste.

I get a predominant coffee smell from the chocolate malt, so I'm thinking of maybe using coffee beans (or granules) as my "herbal hops" - or maybe using some vanilla or something.

I'm even thinking about mixing the chocolate and crushed crystal to make a beer. Oooh, the possibilities... Any thoughts?

If you make a beer with no base malt it will taste rank and not convert.

My recommendation would be to brew beers and get to know the process and things and how different hops and grains impact on beers as opposed to trying to to anything too nuts without knowing the ins and outs of the malt and hops.

[markbrannan]

I've done two malt and hops brews now (one that i've drank and one that's fermenting), but i'm just wondering what difference hops make. My experience might not be much in the scheme of things, but i've read and tasted a lot.

I take it hops are quintessential then? Or are they just something that you have all used a lot?

[Jolum]

I've done two malt and hops brews now (one that i've drank and one that's fermenting), but i'm just wondering what difference hops make. My experience might not be much in the scheme of things, but i've read and tasted a lot.

I take it hops are quintessential then? Or are they just something that you have all used a lot?

Sorry if it sounded like an attack on your brewing experience Mark, it wasn't meant to be but as communication is (apparently) over 90% body language, the written word can sometimes be a little misleading

I personally have never made a beer without hops - I had enough fun and games (and disappointment) trying to make wine without grapes

I'm sure that beer made with heather, bog myrtle, yarrow and all those other lovely bittering alternatives so emphatically put forward by Randy Mosher et al will probably taste divine but I think I'll stick with the humble hop, it hasn't failed me yet

[boingy]

I take it hops are quintessential then? Or are they just something that you have all used a lot?

Malt and Hops are the Yin and the Yang. They complement each other to bring balance to the beer. One gives sweetness and body, the other gives bitterness and aroma.
It's like Lennon and McCartney - better together.

There are alternatives to hops but the reason they are not as popular is that they just don't taste as good!

Try here:

www.gruitale.com/art_hops_substitutes.htm