I brewed a few batches last week and in one of them I used a sample of hops that were sent to my by a commercial herbalist on the Internet -- "The Raven's Nest" -- which she referred to merely as "Red Hops". Before she sent them, I asked if she perhaps meant "Canadian Red Vine", which is the only hops I could think of that used the word "Red" in its discription; the response was no, and that they hops are not red either, but that the lupulin is reddish in color. Sure enough, when the sample arrived some of the lupulin (presumeably) had settled in the bottom of the baggies and it had a distinct reddish hue to it. I've done some digging around on the internet and although I've found descriptions of varying tones of yellow, the lupulin has consistently been described as "yellow". The 'red' hops had a great smell to them, and not knowing what the AA% was I used them just for flavor and aroma additions. Do any of you have any ideas of what sort of hops these could be?
I might be wrong but, I remember the Zatec region of Czech Republic being referred to as Red(translated of course) so, perhaps you are using Czech Saaz? Are they delicate and floral with a hint of grassiness?
In a previous post, Denny Conn said: > Bill, all I can think of is that they're old. I know my older hops get > a reddish/orange hue to the lupulin. Other than that, no ideas....
Because they were sent to me from an Herbal Shop, I have no idea how old they are. Also, you've raised a good point in my mind; I don't know if this herbalist has the faintest idea of how to properly store hops, but I guess I'll know in another couple of weeks whether it's good to use.
As for lupulin changing color with age, I have no idea. This is my first year to grow hops, so they haven't aged yet. The commercial hops I use are usually pellets, so I can't judge the color of any lupulin, and when I've used whole hops, I've dumped the bag into the kettle without ever really looking at them much. But I do want to point out that some types of hops are _supposed_ to have an "orange" hue to them; per Hop Union --
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-- both Chinook and Nugget have lupulin that is "yellow-orange" in color. On the other hand, it describes both US Saaz and Czech Saaz as having lupulin that is "pale yellow".
As for their aroma, I don't have any left and I can't recall specifics of what it smelled like over a week ago except to say that it had a very strong odor (not what I would call "delicate") which I would describe as very herbal rather than "floral" -- more like spices than flowers -- and I can't recall any grassiness at all. I'm still wondering if these were supposed to be _brewing_ hops or some variety that is primarily used for decoration, wreaths, and hop pillows. But I'll be sure to post results.
Incidentally, I have a question re hops storage: if hops are exposed to oxygen during storage, but are otherwise properly stored (sealed and frozen), does anyone know if it is primarily the AA% that degrades? ... or do the components that contribute to aroma and flavor also oxidize?
I believe the aroma compounds also degrade. Thus the use of aged hops for lambics: the hops provide little bitterness and no aroma, mostly they are there for antibacterial properties.
But if you can smell the hops now, the aroma compounds are still there. :)
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