Hopping a pasteurized beer

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john luc
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Hopping a pasteurized beer

Post by john luc » Mon Mar 02, 2020 4:40 pm

Now I know this is an odd one so before any CAMRA heads start going apoplectic I like some feed back please [-o< .
Want to see how I can add a juicy hop aroma to a pasteurized beer.
So far I've considered creating a hop tea by first boiling and cooling RO water to remove air and the on the day of pasteurization bring this water to 70 C and putting it with the hops in a sealed container and let it cool over the day. When the time comes I can set up a receiving keg vented and co2 gased up and start the flash pasteurization. As I complete the pasteurization the beer then passes through the sealed hop vessel and into the receiving keg.
I am wondering if this will fail.
Thoughts welcome.
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f00b4r
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Re: Hopping a pasteurized beer

Post by f00b4r » Mon Mar 02, 2020 9:22 pm

There is also a pressure extraction technique, Dave Arnold outlines in his excellent book Liquid Intelligence, but you need an ISI SS Whipper (DON’T use another brand as they are not built to withstand the same pressures and ISI have a specific safety mechanism that safely vents if they are over pressurised).
Depending on the temperature you can extract just aroma/flavour or bitterness, although it is possible to do a double extraction (hot then cold) to get both.
Here is the procedure for making a cold tincture (this will only work with a 500ml Whipper and would need adjusting significantly for a 250ml or 1L one as headspace changes will affect the internal pressure a lot).


“INGREDIENTS
250 ml neutral vodka (40% alcohol by volume)
15 grams fresh Simcoe hops

EQUIPMENT
Two 7.5-gram N2O chargers

PROCEDURE
Add the vodka and hops to the whipper, charge with one charger, and shake for several seconds. Add the second charger and shake for an additional 30 seconds.

Allow to rest for 30 minutes, agitating occasionally.

Vent and allow the bubbling to stop. Strain through a coffee filter and press out any extra liquid. Store in a light-tight flask.

YIELD: 85% (212 ML)”

I have been meaning to try this for a while but have a 1L Whipper, requiring using a lot more vodka, so was looking to pick up one of the 250ml ones to be able to experiment with. Cold extracts are less susceptible to skunking but still take precautions to avoid it.
I would highly recommend the book too, especially as there is some really good information around eg cocoa nibs and why some are essentially worthless (you can also use pressure infusion to extract their flavour too for stouts etc and this and some other interesting “bitters” that might be good for brewing are also in the book).
Let us know what you think if you try it!

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john luc
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
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Re: Hopping a pasteurized beer

Post by john luc » Wed Mar 04, 2020 3:16 pm

Thanks. Going to order that book. Interesting suggestions there. Going to follow up on this type of technique
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