[ranchovillabrew]

I had some soapiness in an ipa with a blend of New Zealand hops. I think I settled on it being an interaction between the hops. Mine might have been the one Mort was talking about.

[homoeccentricus]

The hops come from   a web shop in the UK, packaged in the usual aluminum wrap. Harvest year 2013. I assume that typically these web shops package the hops? And don't freeze them?

[morticaixavier]

The hops come from   a web shop in the UK, packaged in the usual aluminum wrap. Harvest year 2013. I assume that typically these web shops package the hops? And don't freeze them?

was it in an actual 'hop union' foil bag? or an unbranded one? 2013 harvest is getting along at this point if it wasn't treated well. I could be totally off target here and it might well be moot anyway as the beer is brewed. You mentioned that your innocent taster thought the sulfate dosed glass was 'hoppier' did you notice any increase or decrease of the soapy impression? perhaps have someone else set up another triangle test for you this time.

[pete b]

The fact that you taste soapiness and another doesn't rings a bell. Some people perceive fresh cilantro as soapy to the point of it being inedible and others don't detect soapiness in the same cilantro. This can even flip-flop in a person's lifetime. I wonder if its a similar phenomenon. Do you know if you perceive cilantro as "soapy"

[homoeccentricus]

The hops come from   a web shop in the UK, packaged in the usual aluminum wrap. Harvest year 2013. I assume that typically these web shops package the hops? And don't freeze them?

was it in an actual 'hop union' foil bag? or an unbranded one? 2013 harvest is getting along at this point if it wasn't treated well. I could be totally off target here and it might well be moot anyway as the beer is brewed. You mentioned that your innocent taster thought the sulfate dosed glass was 'hoppier' did you notice any increase or decrease of the soapy impression? perhaps have someone else set up another triangle test for you this time.

It was in a foil bag from the (UK) web shop. And there was no more or less soapiness with sulfate.

[homoeccentricus]

Do you know if you perceive cilantro as "soapy"

Yes, I know, and no, I don't.

[homoeccentricus]

Another newbie question: I made a simple IPA with light dry extract, melanoiden malt, and S-04 to try out Falconer's Flight (no other hops). Now the finished beer appears to have a soapy flavor. Not bad, but still: soapy. Did I mess something up, or is this what FF tastes like?

I'd bet on the S04

Man, these dry yeasts really freak me out. Isn't there anything I can trust? 

[homoeccentricus]

What would be a first class hop provider that would ship to Europe?

[erockrph]

What would be a first class hop provider that would ship to Europe?

Yakima Valley Hops: http://www.yakimavalleyhops.com/articles.asp?ID=57
Freshops: http://freshops.com/order/international
Hops Direct: http://www.hopsdirect.com
Farmhouse Brewing Supply: http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com

I recommend all of these, as well as Hop Heaven. Hop Heaven is on ebay, but I don't think they ship internationally. You could possibly contact Ted and see if he would.

Many of these shops sell primarily (or only) in bulk. For your purposes, you'd probably want to buy in bulk anyways to make the shipping costs more economical.

[homoeccentricus]

What would be a first class hop provider that would ship to Europe?

Yakima Valley Hops: http://www.yakimavalleyhops.com/articles.asp?ID=57
Freshops: http://freshops.com/order/international
Hops Direct: http://www.hopsdirect.com
Farmhouse Brewing Supply: http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com

I recommend all of these, as well as Hop Heaven. Hop Heaven is on ebay, but I don't think they ship internationally. You could possibly contact Ted and see if he would.

Many of these shops sell primarily (or only) in bulk. For your purposes, you'd probably want to buy in bulk anyways to make the shipping costs more economical.

Thanks for the list! I'll look into these the coming days. My only problem is that I don't have a big freezer. Storage is limited...

[reverseapachemaster]

Thanks for the list! I'll look into these the coming days. My only problem is that I don't have a big freezer. Storage is limited...

Farmhouse Brewing Supply sells in four ounce packs so you can buy more varieties without having to cram pounds of hops into your freezer.

[HoosierBrew]

Also, YVH sells in 2 oz, 8 oz, and lb increments. Great selection and quality.


www.yakimavalleyhops.com

[braufessor]

Just listening to an old podcast - Basic Brewing Radio, 6-15-06 - Greg Noonan interview.  He is talking about water, but speaks specifically about "soapiness" in IPA's for a bit..... around the 20 minute mark.

Not sure if it will help at all, but maybe something will ring a bell.

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=basic-brewing-radio-2006

[Black Sands Brewery & Supply]

Did a triangular test. Two glasses without and one with gypsum. An innocent mouth was able to detect the difference, and described the beer with gypsum as more hoppy. But not fundamentally different in taste.

But then afterwards, she did not agree with my description of the beer as being soapy :-(

BTW, I did add gypsum when I brewed the beer...

Falconers should not have a soapy taste or aroma. More of a complex citrus fruit some tropical notes. Did you mess something up? Maybe... What was the fermentation temperature? How much hops did you use when? Hard to say what caused this flavor.  try and brew the beer again and see what you get. Soapy again then something is off. I suggest cleaning all equipment very well before the next batch. Good luck.

[homoeccentricus]

Just listening to an old podcast - Basic Brewing Radio, 6-15-06 - Greg Noonan interview.  He is talking about water, but speaks specifically about "soapiness" in IPA's for a bit..... around the 20 minute mark.

Not sure if it will help at all, but maybe something will ring a bell.

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=basic-brewing-radio-2006

Greg Noonan says that in most cases soapiness is caused by lack of calcium sulfate and recommends adding it up to 700 ppm