I am in the process of starting a commercial hydroponic hop operation and have run in to an issue I didnt quite expect. A good deal of the brewers I have talked to have said that they do not want to use the full flower hops as it will gunk up their system as they move it to the heat exchange. Whether hot additions or dry hopping, my suggestion has always been to simply add in a nylon mesh bag. I see this as a completely viable and easy solution yet they seem uninterested. What am i missing here? I cannot start a commercial production planning to sell only fresh picked hops if none of the brewers are interested.... what to do?
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How can I get breweres interested in fresh, wet hops?
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Whole Hops.
Those brewers are morons.
We put them in the mash and
In mesh bags in the kettle.
Don't have a hopback. I'll buy your
Hops.6Last edited by nohandslance; 02-02-2018, 04:35 AM.
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Agreed
I don't know if you have run by me, but I am in your area. I know for me I like use of pellets but have used fresh hops at harvest time. As he said, bagged in kettle and mash tun for hop back. We haven't quite had the right timing/planning when fresh hops come around.
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Originally posted by nohandslance View PostThose brewers are morons.
We put them in the mash and
In mesh bags in the kettle.
Don't have a hopback. I'll buy your
Hops.6
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Originally posted by Che' View PostI am curious how you are growing hydroponic hops? How do you give them a winter dormant cycle, and how tall are you growing them?
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Originally posted by JustinL View PostI don't know if you have run by me, but I am in your area. I know for me I like use of pellets but have used fresh hops at harvest time. As he said, bagged in kettle and mash tun for hop back. We haven't quite had the right timing/planning when fresh hops come around.
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Originally posted by nohandslance View PostThose brewers are morons.
We put them in the mash and
In mesh bags in the kettle.
Don't have a hopback. I'll buy your
Hops.6
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Whole Hops
Rebel Malting/Oceanside Ale Works.
Email me @ lancejergensen@gmail.com, 775.997.6411. Lets keep in touch. What varieties.?
We have a great local hop grower and their hops are fun to work with.
Lance
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Its a smaller market but it is out there. I like whole cone directly in the BBT. Also good for late kettle addition, as said above, using a straining bag.
You just need to get the word out there. Grow them and they will come...Brewmaster, Minocqua Brewing Company
tbriggs@minocquabrewingcompany.com
"Your results may vary"
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That's an awesome business idea if you can get them to grow, but I wouldn't be interested if I was in your area.
The only times I've done wet-hopped beers, they were free or $1/lb. It's just too much mass, and it always give off a grassy, vegetal flavor that I'm not super fond off. I've had growers ask for full pelletized price for wet hops, which I thought was a little absurd.
Pellets are just so much easier, with less waste and trouble.
IMO you could be on to something great if you did it right and processed them on site. It would make a more consistent product without row-to-row and crop year variation.
Good luck either way, always cool to see someone trying something new!
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Fresh hops are a PITA for most brewers, require special care and lots of planning. Do you know what the shelf life of a fresh picked hop is? It's fun to use them once a year and it's what makes those beers special. Are you a brewer? Simply adding a mesh bag does not solve everything. It takes more pounds of wet hops which equals to more loss. Mesh bags mean that not all the hops get great contact with liquid which means even more pounds. Sell them to nohands I guess since the rest of us are morons. I think what you might be missing is a knowledge of the industry and the needs of the brewers. What to do? I guess if no one is interested you maybe go back to the drawing board or if you're into hydroponics, then maybe grow some cannibis. It's a much more lucrative business.
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