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Author Topic: Hop Heaven  (Read 8917 times)

Fire Rooster

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #45 on: February 25, 2021, 07:43:43 am »
Received one pound of 2020 Galena leaf hops from Hop Heaven, price was very reasonable.
Shipping time from ordering was acceptable.  They're at the mercy
of the USPS.  I've had packages shipped using the USPS that was
shipped between two centers several times before arriving.

1.  Didn't think leaf hops could be packed so tight, they were double vacuum sealed
2.  Smell great and have a lovely aroma
3.  Chewed on one, pleasant at first, then the hop oils took over my tongue.
4.  I can see why if used heavily handed, there would be a perceived metallic taste (not quite though).
5.  Used sparingly for bittering, I believe they will be fine, I'll use my Mt Hood for flavor and aroma.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2021, 12:21:00 pm by Fire Rooster »

Offline Village Taphouse

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #46 on: February 25, 2021, 09:00:20 am »
You see ads where the brewer holds up handfuls of hops and holds them to his nose or maybe Jim Koch of Sam Adams going to Germany to check the hops growing in the field, etc.  As homebrewers we want the best hops we can possibly get just like those guys and hops are just like anything else... there are good and bad, people who really go through the extra effort to make sure they're fresh, etc.  I feel like hops I get from HH are going to be excellent every time.  I remember going to a LHBS that was near one of my customers.  I went in there one day and there was a large metal bowl filled with hop pellets and some small bags nearby.  Someone was putting the bulk hops into 1-ounce bags.  I remember coming back the next day because I forgot something and the bowl was still in the same spot from the day before.  They didn't seem to care whether the hops were exposed to oxygen, etc. and their packaging did not involve vac-sealing, O2-purging, etc. 
Ken from Chicago. 
A day without beer is like... just kidding, I have no idea.

Fire Rooster

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #47 on: February 25, 2021, 09:29:44 am »
Immediately after opening hops, they were split into different increments, then vacuum sealed.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2021, 09:31:26 am by Fire Rooster »

Offline Saccharomyces

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #48 on: February 25, 2021, 06:08:52 pm »
To my tastes, Galena imparts a "metallic" flavor, for wont of a better word. I suspect that's why the original growers named it after lead sulfide. :o

I used Galena as my primary bittering hop for a decade and never experienced metallic flavors from the hop. However, I always used whole cones from reputable suppliers on the West Coast.  My experience with Galena has been that it provides clean, mellow, back of the mouth bitterness that does not clash with even the most delicate finishing hops. The hop oil responsible for metallic flavors is myrcene.  Galena is very much middle of the pack when it comes to myrcene content.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2021, 01:38:59 pm by Saccharomyces »

Offline Saccharomyces

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #49 on: February 25, 2021, 06:12:33 pm »
1.  Didn't think leaf hops could be packed so tight, they were double vacuum sealed

My hops arrived on Tuesday.  I contacted Ted when they did not arrive by the time eBay stated.  He was completely professional about it.  It appears that one of his employees printed the label, but never shipped the hops.

With that said, I have never seen whole hops vacuum sealed as tightly as the hops I received from Ted. They must have a monster of a vacuum sealer.

Fire Rooster

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #50 on: February 26, 2021, 06:57:49 am »
1.  Didn't think leaf hops could be packed so tight, they were double vacuum sealed

My hops arrived on Tuesday.  I contacted Ted when they did not arrive by the time eBay stated.  He was completely professional about it.  It appears that one of his employees printed the label, but never shipped the hops.

With that said, I have never seen whole hops vacuum sealed as tightly as the hops I received from Ted. They must have a monster of a vacuum sealer.

Not only a monster vacuum sealer, but some device/machine to compress so tightly.
Very little oxygen exposed to those hops, also lessens the size for shipping.

Offline BrewBama

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #51 on: February 26, 2021, 07:04:41 am »
Ted’s hops remind me of my grandfather’s chewing tobacco. It was packed so tight he had to cut a plug off his pouch. I still remember that old pocket knife.


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Offline Village Taphouse

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #52 on: February 26, 2021, 08:19:14 am »
Ted’s hops remind me of my grandfather’s chewing tobacco. It was packed so tight he had to cut a plug off his pouch. I still remember that old pocket knife.
I've noticed this and usually the YVH are like this too.  They're all stuck together and I feel like the stickiness is a sign that they're fresh. 
Ken from Chicago. 
A day without beer is like... just kidding, I have no idea.

Offline Saccharomyces

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #53 on: February 26, 2021, 09:05:44 am »
If the hops I received brew as well as the amount of attention to detail provided by Ted and his crew,  Hop Heaven is going to be my preferred hop provider. 

Offline BrewBama

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Hop Heaven
« Reply #54 on: February 26, 2021, 09:55:29 am »
Ted’s hops remind me of my grandfather’s chewing tobacco. It was packed so tight he had to cut a plug off his pouch. I still remember that old pocket knife.
I've noticed this and usually the YVH are like this too.  They're all stuck together and I feel like the stickiness is a sign that they're fresh.
The YVH packages look like they are tightly vacuum sealed. With a 2020 harvest date I can imagine they will be as fresh as i can get without harvesting myself.

Offline Village Taphouse

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #55 on: February 26, 2021, 01:25:17 pm »
Ted’s hops remind me of my grandfather’s chewing tobacco. It was packed so tight he had to cut a plug off his pouch. I still remember that old pocket knife.
I've noticed this and usually the YVH are like this too.  They're all stuck together and I feel like the stickiness is a sign that they're fresh.
The YVH packages look like they are tightly vacuum sealed. With a 2020 harvest date I can imagine they will be as fresh as i can get without harvesting myself.
BB:  When you open a package, do you vac-seal it again before you throw it back into the freezer?  I picked up a $35 vac-sealer from Amazon and I feel like it's the only way to store hops.  I've had some super-fresh varieties remain super-fresh for long periods because of the vac-sealing.  When I see really fresh hops like this I feel like it's time to brew your favorite style (for me that might be helles or pilsner or some combination of the two) and just sit back and enjoy a favorite style with the freshest hops you can get. 
Ken from Chicago. 
A day without beer is like... just kidding, I have no idea.

Offline neuse

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #56 on: February 26, 2021, 01:37:39 pm »
BB:  When you open a package, do you vac-seal it again before you throw it back into the freezer?  I picked up a $35 vac-sealer from Amazon and I feel like it's the only way to store hops.  I've had some super-fresh varieties remain super-fresh for long periods because of the vac-sealing.  When I see really fresh hops like this I feel like it's time to brew your favorite style (for me that might be helles or pilsner or some combination of the two) and just sit back and enjoy a favorite style with the freshest hops you can get. 
I normally buy 2 oz packages and use the whole package for aroma hops. For bittering hops I just squeeze out the air and reseal. It seems to work well.

Offline BrewBama

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #57 on: February 26, 2021, 01:37:43 pm »
Yes, I’ve been using the Food Saver. Sometimes I have to take the hops out of the original package and put them in a Food Saver bag.


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Offline BrewBama

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #58 on: February 26, 2021, 01:42:36 pm »
To my tastes, Galena imparts a "metallic" flavor, for wont of a better word. I suspect that's why the original growers named it after lead sulfide. :o

Much better bittering hop options than Galena are out there. Cluster, Northern Brewer, Northdown, Magnum, Horizon, Warrior, Perle, Kazbek just to name a couple off the top of my head.
I know exactly what you're talking about, although I don't necessarily consider it a negative. I get it from Nugget as well, and I tend to use Nugget as a 60 minute addition in  West Coast IPAs and certain Porters because of this type of bite that it has.

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Do you think gypsum enhances this metallic-ness?  I understand harshness can result from using gypsum with noble hops. Maybe Galena also reacts negatively and likes CaCl better.


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Offline erockrph

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Re: Hop Heaven
« Reply #59 on: February 27, 2021, 07:12:11 am »
To my tastes, Galena imparts a "metallic" flavor, for wont of a better word. I suspect that's why the original growers named it after lead sulfide. :o

Much better bittering hop options than Galena are out there. Cluster, Northern Brewer, Northdown, Magnum, Horizon, Warrior, Perle, Kazbek just to name a couple off the top of my head.
I know exactly what you're talking about, although I don't necessarily consider it a negative. I get it from Nugget as well, and I tend to use Nugget as a 60 minute addition in  West Coast IPAs and certain Porters because of this type of bite that it has.

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Do you think gypsum enhances this metallic-ness?  I understand harshness can result from using gypsum with noble hops. Maybe Galena also reacts negatively and likes CaCl better.


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Yes, I definitely notice more metallic hop character in beers where I target 250-300ppm of sulfate than when I target the 150ppm ballpark.

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Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer