Finally made a wet hop beer that doesn’t suck!

[ong]

For the last five or six years, I think, I’ve grudgingly made a wet hop beer every fall, and they have ranged from acceptable to immediate dumpers.

The first couple of years I’m pretty sure I used hops that weren’t fully mature, and got exactly zero hop aroma/flavor, even with pounds of fresh hops in the whirlpool or late boil.

Last year I did two, tasted them after primary (pretty good!), and dry hopped each with my backyard hops, and they both developed wicked infections.

This year I just did the simplest recipe I could come up with: Golden promise, 30 IBUs of Target at 60, and three lbs of assorted fresh hops in a 180° whirlpool for an hour. Fermented low with 1318. Dry hopped with five ounces of commercial Comet at high krausen. I just kegged this one, and it’s super promising!

Not sure why wet hopping has been so problematic for me when I’m pretty spot on with most of my beers these days.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Thanks for posting your experience. I would love to wet hop a beer someday and figured that it would be super easy, but like anything else I guess it comes with its own challenges. I’ve always assumed that unkilned hops would have the same antiseptic properties as fresh kilned hops, but your experience suggests that is not necessarily the case.

 

[don_bran321]

I have no experience with wet hoping yet but I git a chance to talk to a brewer at my favorite Brewery Tired Hands brewing in Ardmore PA and I asked him how they got such delicious flavor from their hops cause I couldn't lol.
His answer was that they wet hop with loads of fresh hops. Another couple of things he told me to try was adding a ton of oats to the mash and to Mahe sure I'm using good water.
Best of luck to you. Don't give up!

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Another couple of things he told me to try was adding a ton of oats to the mash ...

Did he say what form of oats?

 

[specharka]

Thanks for posting your experience. I would love to wet hop a beer someday and figured that it would be super easy, but like anything else I guess it comes with its own challenges. I’ve always assumed that unkilned hops would have the same antiseptic properties as fresh kilned hops, but your experience suggests that is not necessarily the case.

My plants had all sorts of bugs living on them, so can’t imagine the cones were exactly antiseptic. I’m sure you could sanitize them somehow but with all the nooks and crannies I’d expect you’re gonna miss a few spots.

I think just about the only application for wet hopping is in the whirlpool. You would have to use waaaay too many wet hops (especially if they’re home grown hops) for bittering and I wouldn’t trust them under hopstand temperatures.

Cheers mate!

 

[Calder]

I have done pretty well with my wet hop beers in the past.

I just bottled one last week. 2.0 lbs of wet hops (home grown, mostly Cascade), with 5 ozs Centennial pellets (in case the wet hops were dud). Added evenly at 15, 10, 5 minutes, and 175 F. Dry hopped with a couple of ozs Amarillo.

Only second brew this year (yes, I'm slacking), and only yeast I had on hand was La Trappe cultivated yeast.

Very fruity. My impression was that it resembled a brew made with a load of El Dorado hops (Jolly Rancher).

Been without a homebrew Pale Ale for long time. Looking forward to drinking it.

Made another 10 days ago, with another 2 lbs Wet hops. This time used some Citra with them and Trois yeast.

 

[brewfrog]

I made a sixer, and fermented it in the fridge right away. had to dump it.
you used citra?

cascade already has grapefruit flavors.

 

[Sbe2]

Whenever I use my hops I always add them in the kettle and above 180f just to pasteurize them. I would never DH with them for fear of an infection which the OP mentioned.

I can’t say much though, I keep get veggie beers using my homegrown hops. Maybe this year will be different because I waited a long time before I harvested. But I may now have a onion/garlic bomb using “ripe” hops. The