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RAW (LEAF) HOP INFORMATION

HOPUNION BALED HOPS
AND HOPUNION MINI BALES

General Description: Leaf hops are the dried and pressed natural inflorescences of the female hop plant. During harvest, on the farm, these inflorescences or "cones" are removed from the plants, dried and pressed into bales. They are supplied to brewers as whole or part bales ready for immediate use.

Uses and Advantages in Brewing: Leaf hops are usually added either to the boiling wort in the kettle, or for dry-hopping, to the barrel or keg. For maximum bittering, additions need to be made one hour before the end of the boil. For late-hopped character, additions are usually made about 10-15 minutes prior to the end of the boil. Dry-hopping additions are usually made in the keg and the hops remain in the product for several days or, in some cases, even until the product is consumed. The main advantage in using leaf hops is in the perception of using a completely natural ingredient. The shortcomings are handling, storage, variability and a small level of physical contamination have to be borne in the mind with this product.

Method of Use: A pre-weighted quantity of bales leaf hops should be crumbled gently by hand prior to addition. Following boiling the hop remains sink to the bottom of the kettle and can be separated from the hopped wort. Often, in dry-hopping the hops are suspended in the beer in a permeable sachet which greatly assists their removal.

Typical Brewing Performance: Typical utilizations for leaf hops used for bittering range from 25 - 28% of the alpha acids added. The intensity of late hop character depends not only on the amount added, but also on the length of time the hops are in contact with the boiling wort. Typical dry hopping rates range between 3 - 6 oz. /US bbl (75 - 150 g/hl).