Are English Hops just Cr@p?

[gnutz2]

Maybe they're subtle or maybe homrbrewers just get the old (oxidised) stock and big uk breweries get the good ones, but everytime I open a packet of uk hops I'm disappointed.

Just opend a packet of EKG which i'm going to use for aroma in a bitter that's on the boil now, and seriously I'm considering ditching them and opening some American or oz hops I have in the freezer.

They don't have much aroma, they look brown, they don't feel sticky and so on

It's only a 1040 bitter and I just need some background hops and I have some Amarillo, simcoe, nz cascade. Surely these will make a better bitter.

What do you think, are uk hop lacking in quality?

[gnutz2]

Just looked at the label, 2009, think I'll open the cascade

[Blackaddler]

That could be due to poor storage.

[gnutz2]

Just found half a packet of 2010 bobek, smelly green and sticky, yum yum.

I think you're right those EKG will be going in the bin unless they're good for bittering, but on second thoughts I think I'll just chuck em.

[barney]

Aroma stability properties are not uniform across all varieties. Some dont change, some get worse and some even get better.



Cascade is currently the worst hop regarding the loss of the aroma producing compounds over time. There are several hop varieties where the aroma producing compounds actually increase with age, Goldings are one such variety.

Hop this helps, get the EKG in

[boingy]

I think UK hops are the best in the world and EKG is king of them all. Decent quality EKG should smell amazing when you open the pack and should not be brown. Decades ago we had to be happy with whatever hops we could get. These days there is no excuse for selling rubbish hops. I suggest you change your supplier!

[BarnsleyBrewer]

For years I was buying Young's Fuggles from a market stall but didn't know any different towards quality, I now do....
Just bought 5kg of Challenger from SIMPLY HOPS for £50.00 inc delivery... top notch.

BB

[BeerEagle]

My local micro makes a beer called KGB - Kent Goldings Bitter. It's an extreme US style, hopped to stupid levels, but using the Goldings in a way never thought of by the Old Guys.

It is absolutely gorgeous.

[Dennis King]

I think UK hops are the best in the world and EKG is king of them all. Decent quality EKG should smell amazing when you open the pack and should not be brown. Decades ago we had to be happy with whatever hops we could get. These days there is no excuse for selling rubbish hops. I suggest you change your supplier!

EK, Fuggles, Challenger, Northdown Bramling Cross, Worcester Goldings to name but a few of the excellent hops grown in the UK, All have their own place in our boilers along with the Yank and antipodean varieties.

[scuppeteer]

I think UK hops are the best in the world and EKG is king of them all. Decent quality EKG should smell amazing when you open the pack and should not be brown. Decades ago we had to be happy with whatever hops we could get. These days there is no excuse for selling rubbish hops. I suggest you change your supplier!

+1 on that Boingy.

Don't forget that so many varieties we now have, have been bred from English Hops, by those damn clever people at Wye. Colour does vary with variety but I think the ones you have Gnutz are just old. They'll be fine for bittering so don't just chuck em. Get some of this seasons and I think your faith in English hops will be restored. We just had some new EKG's at work and they look and smell great. American hops in my opinion are overated and there are some very fine English one's which are overlooked, Pilgrim and Herald spring to mind.
Don't give up on UK hops, just get a decent supplier and it's always worth a phonecall to check the age of hops to make sure you get the best.

[raiderman]

and possibly getting off message but on the subject of english hops and a shortage of esoteric citussy foreign hops I was on First Gold in the Kingston Arms Friday night- crackling pint

[gnutz2]

I substituted them for some 2010 bobek and the beer smells great.

Next time I'll be more careful where I get my hops from and find out what year they are. It's all a bit hit and miss really as I've had some really good hops from the same supplier

[Beer O'Clock]

While I admit I am a self confessed New World Hop-Head, the UK hops do still hold a place in my boiler. I have made several highly hopped brews using just UK varieties and they have turned out every bit as good as my Aussie/NZ/USA brews, just in a different way. I would never diss UK varieties. However, I would diss hops (from anywhere in the world) that are too old, badly stored or poorly packaged.

When you look at the prices at reputable retailers with good turnover and the quality they supply, why settle for inferior goods ?

[Rookie]

I've never had a problem with English hops.
I'm brewing a dry stout today and when I opened the package of target to weigh them out I thought I died and went to hop heaven.

[critch]

they're reasonable but hardly high quality compared to a lot of us and nz hops ive had bits of pipe and bricks, and branches and twigs abound in most 5kg bales, theyre picked late so theyre full of seeds which block filters and exchangers no matter how much you circ

they have their place but they dont put a big silly grin on me face like i get when i open up a bale of nelson sauvin