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Post by tommymorris on Oct 6, 2021 21:10:09 GMT -6
Hops must smell good and look good to taste good.
I went against the maxim and I got burned. My free* can of Galaxy hops had virtually no aroma and my Amber Ale turned out to have virtually no hop flavor. The bitterness is there but the beer is just missing hop flavor. It’s very odd.
I added some Mosaic to the keg tonight to hopefully recover the beer.
*Brings to mind another maxim; you get what you pay for.
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Post by drez on Oct 7, 2021 5:32:11 GMT -6
I have noticed through use and various comments that Galaxy does not seem to be holding up. I am not sure if we have the same issue where we had with Citra where so much new was planted or what but I have had lots of bad Galaxy beers and had some lots of hops that were not "galaxy" to me. I used them but blended with a bunch of stuff to cover it up.
In closing, I agree with the Maxim 100%
ETA - I have even heard of a few commercial breweries that are off galaxy till it gets back to what it was.
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Post by tommymorris on Oct 7, 2021 5:56:52 GMT -6
I have noticed through use and various comments that Galaxy does not seem to be holding up. I am not sure if we have the same issue where we had with Citra where so much new was planted or what but I have had lots of bad Galaxy beers and had some lots of hops that were not "galaxy" to me. I used them but blended with a bunch of stuff to cover it up. In closing, I agree with the Maxim 100% ETA - I have even heard of a few commercial breweries that are off galaxy till it gets back to what it was. Interesting. I blamed the can. I guess it’s the Galaxy.
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Post by drez on Oct 7, 2021 6:36:52 GMT -6
I have noticed through use and various comments that Galaxy does not seem to be holding up. I am not sure if we have the same issue where we had with Citra where so much new was planted or what but I have had lots of bad Galaxy beers and had some lots of hops that were not "galaxy" to me. I used them but blended with a bunch of stuff to cover it up. In closing, I agree with the Maxim 100% ETA - I have even heard of a few commercial breweries that are off galaxy till it gets back to what it was. Interesting. I blamed the can. I guess it’s the Galaxy. Could be both!
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Post by Ken on Oct 7, 2021 8:11:16 GMT -6
I haven't used Galaxy in awhile but I would hold all hops to the standards: They should look and smell fresh. It might just be that YVH and Hop Heaven are spoiling me lately but everything I have been getting from both of those places just seems perfectly fresh. Good color, super fresh aroma and usually the hops are sticky as opposed to being dried out. Tommymorris, sorry to hear about that beer... I have been there before where a beer is just lacking something and at first I wasn't sure what it was but eventually realized it's bad hops, weak hops, old hops.
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Post by brewbama on Oct 8, 2021 5:20:04 GMT -6
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Post by gusso on Oct 8, 2021 7:01:01 GMT -6
For any Citra fans, they're this month's special at YVH at $14/lb. I ordered 2 lb and a few others.
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Post by Ken on Oct 8, 2021 7:48:30 GMT -6
I remember having hops that were clearly past their prime but using them anyway thinking "they'll be fine once they hit the boil". Hallertau and Tettnanger (which are probably at a disadvantage already because they're imported) where the color wasn't good and the smell had that stinky gym sock character... not good. You know what kind of beer you make with hops like that? Stinky Gym Sock beer.
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Post by Leftympfrmde on Oct 8, 2021 10:43:46 GMT -6
Been using a lot of galaxy over the past couple years; only constants have been ordering for Yakima Valley, and promptly storing in vacuum sealed bags in a freezer. Noticed a big difference between vintages; some with more stone fruit notes, others with more citrus flavors, no real duds, but more of a roll of the dice what flavors will show up.
I talked to a popular local brewer some time ago when I was brewing commercially- told him the owner of the brewery loves how beers made with a boatload of galaxy sells quick,but buying a 22# bag is stupid expensive.
He just said, you dont need that much galaxy- sub for Vic Serect, and use galaxy for the last dry hop. Makes a more consistent beer.
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Post by denny on Oct 8, 2021 10:58:54 GMT -6
I have noticed through use and various comments that Galaxy does not seem to be holding up. I am not sure if we have the same issue where we had with Citra where so much new was planted or what but I have had lots of bad Galaxy beers and had some lots of hops that were not "galaxy" to me. I used them but blended with a bunch of stuff to cover it up. In closing, I agree with the Maxim 100% ETA - I have even heard of a few commercial breweries that are off galaxy till it gets back to what it was. Interesting. I blamed the can. I guess it’s the Galaxy. I really don't think you can generalize like that since there are so many growers of both.
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Post by denny on Oct 8, 2021 11:00:01 GMT -6
Having used home extracted terpenes, I'm not sure that's a great solution.
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Post by drez on Oct 8, 2021 11:24:16 GMT -6
Been using a lot of galaxy over the past couple years; only constants have been ordering for Yakima Valley, and promptly storing in vacuum sealed bags in a freezer. Noticed a big difference between vintages; some with more stone fruit notes, others with more citrus flavors, no real duds, but more of a roll of the dice what flavors will show up. I talked to a popular local brewer some time ago when I was brewing commercially- told him the owner of the brewery loves how beers made with a boatload of galaxy sells quick,but buying a 22# bag is stupid expensive. He just said, you dont need that much galaxy- sub for Vic Serect, and use galaxy for the last dry hop. Makes a more consistent beer. I would skip the galaxy and stick with Vic. That has to be one of my favorite hops.
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Post by Ken on Oct 8, 2021 11:36:06 GMT -6
Agree about the vac-sealing too. I used to just put leftover hops in a ziploc bag which clearly led to subpar hop character. Since getting the vac-sealer, I'm pleasantly surprised at how fresh the hops stay over time.
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Post by brewbama on Oct 8, 2021 15:39:19 GMT -6
Having used home extracted terpenes, I'm not sure that's a great solution. Well, it’s better than brewing with them as is 😂 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Post by Ken on Oct 9, 2021 7:42:00 GMT -6
Maybe this is a good spot to put some ideas about what to look for when you first open a package of hops and also what to do with your hops once the package is opened. When I first open the bag I look closely at the hops and take a big whiff. A fresh aroma is the first key to me. Having the hops be vibrant green is important too. Sometimes the hops can be kind of soft and squishy... is that a good sign? I'm talking pellets only here, btw. Assuming that hard, dried pellets might be old, I assume that softer, stickier pellets are a good sign. Seems like a sign of freshness. Anything that looks a more pale green bordering on yellow and anything that seems dried out and hard as a rock seems like an issue. If all of those indicators are good, then just vac-seal them back up so they're good for a long time and you're gold. My guess is that you guys will come up with more ways to know the hops are good.
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