Individual Services
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Brewing Values
Whether you are a hop grower, craft brewer, or home brewer – this service benefits you. Our Brewing Values service provides alpha acids, beta acids, and hop storage index (H.S.I.) values, allowing customers to verify the integrity of their product and ensure recipe consistency. The bulk of hop bitterness in beer is due to alpha acids, however, beta acids do provide some bitterness during storage as hops oxidize. H.S.I. is the ratio of two different wavelengths of UV light measured through the samples in question and measures the rate at which your hops age in storage. As the alpha and beta compounds degrade, the ratio widens and the H.S.I. increases. In addition to providing valuable hop quality information, this service will allow you to have the confidence that you need in your hops – from product integrity to peak harvest windows, recipe verification and more.
We require a 200g sample and a minimum 1 day turnaround.
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$35.00
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Dry Matters
By focusing on moisture content, dry matter analysis provides growers with the necessary information to forecast peak harvest windows based on hop cone maturity. Studies have shown a direct correlation between dry matter and cone color. As dry matter increases above 25%, hop quality begins to deteriorate, resulting in diminished color and off aromas. When utilized on a frequent and annual basis, dry matter analysis can predict moisture trends within a given lot and assist growers in refining their harvest schedules to be increasingly efficient.
We require a 100g sample of un-dried, raw hops and a minimum 1 day turnaround.
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$20.00
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Moisture
Unlike dry matter, moisture analysis is designed for craft brewers. Moisture content influences the stability of hops before processing or brewing and indicates if pellets have been properly produced. When left unchecked, moisture levels above 10% can result in rapid degradation and the possibility of spontaneous combustion. Through moisture analysis, brewers gain invaluable knowledge regarding the quality of their hops and their storage stability.
We require a 100g sample of hop pellets and minimum 1 day turnaround.
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$20.00
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Oil Content
As one of the most relevant and volatile components of hops, essential oils are key in understanding hop aroma. In general, the higher the oil content, the more aromatic the hop. Hop growers and brewers alike benefit from this test. Growers can utilize the results to verify that varieties are performing within, or better, than historical averages, while brewers can verify the integrity of their hops and ensure recipe consistency despite annual variances in oil content. It is important to note, this service provides a value for the volume of oil in a hop sample, but does not provide a specific breakdown per oil compound.
We require a 150g sample of hop pellets and minimum 1 day turnaround.
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$20.00
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Volatile Oil Profile
Unlike Oil Content, the Volatile Oil Profile provides a specific value for the most important oil compounds. Currently, there are more than 300 compounds in hop oil which contribute to varietal aroma, which in turn affects the flavor in beer. Though it is true that nearly all flavors from hop oils are lost during boiling, distinct flavor characteristics from bitter hop resins will remain in the beer. Specific oil presence is dependent on hop variety and the particular harvest, however, the seven major contributors to flavor are: Humulene, Caryophyllene, Myrcene, Farnesene, Linalool, Geraniol, and Pinene. These volatile compounds contribute a variety of aromas based on their addition to the brewing process and the ratios of one to the other. By knowing the oil content of a hop, brewers can fine tune their recipes and dry hopping regimes to produce certain desired aromas and increase product consistency. In turn, growers can gain a better understanding of their hops and begin to track how different soils affect oil content.
We require 150g sample of hop pellets and minimum 2 day turnaround.
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$100.00
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