Hop-Heads Alert – Here’s one you’ll want to seek out
Monday May 1, 2006
Mac’s Brewery in New Zealand has introduced a new seasonal beer, Brewjolais. At 47 IBUs this won’t be the hoppiest beer you’ve ever come across although that’s enough to make me sit up and pay attention. What makes this an unusual brew is that it incorporates green hops.
Most hops flowers are harvested and quickly kilned. They are dried out because the delicate green cones will quickly go bad and become unusable for the brewer. Even dried, hops don’t have a very long shelf life. But, as with any other ingredient in any other recipe, if you can get them fresh then you’ll get something special.
Getting fresh hops into your brew unspoiled is the challenge, though. Sierra Nevada has been brewing a green hops ale – Harvest Ale – for a few years now. It took them few tries to figure out how to get their Cascade and Centennial hops shipped to their brewery unharmed. In Mac’s case, it was all a question timing.
This is Mac’s first year producing Brewjolais but all reports are it’s a hit. Since it’s a regional brewery and Brewjolais appears to be a small batch production, I doubt if I’ll have the pleasure of tasting it here in Missouri, USA. If you have a chance to try it I’d love hear your thoughts. Just post a comment here.
Homebrewers, interested in trying your hand at making a green hopped beer? Here are a few thoughts from Mr. Wizard over at Brew Your Own magazine.
Most hops flowers are harvested and quickly kilned. They are dried out because the delicate green cones will quickly go bad and become unusable for the brewer. Even dried, hops don’t have a very long shelf life. But, as with any other ingredient in any other recipe, if you can get them fresh then you’ll get something special.
Getting fresh hops into your brew unspoiled is the challenge, though. Sierra Nevada has been brewing a green hops ale – Harvest Ale – for a few years now. It took them few tries to figure out how to get their Cascade and Centennial hops shipped to their brewery unharmed. In Mac’s case, it was all a question timing.
This is Mac’s first year producing Brewjolais but all reports are it’s a hit. Since it’s a regional brewery and Brewjolais appears to be a small batch production, I doubt if I’ll have the pleasure of tasting it here in Missouri, USA. If you have a chance to try it I’d love hear your thoughts. Just post a comment here.
Homebrewers, interested in trying your hand at making a green hopped beer? Here are a few thoughts from Mr. Wizard over at Brew Your Own magazine.
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