[denny]

Huh .... learn something new. Brown bricks. Wonder if that was industry wide.

aged hops used to be something desired at different places and in different time periods, even in germany and england at times I believe.

I guess it's to minimize hop flavour, while still providing some bitterness?

In this case, it was simply because people didn't know any better.

[HopDen]

Its not pre 78' but 1987.Its my first time making beer. I bought a complete kit with fermentor, air lock, the whole 9 yards right? I cleaned and sanitized the fermentor and let it air dry. Gather ed tap water and boiled it. Added the John Bull LME and hops!! Man Im getting excited smelling the aromas! Cooled the wort, pitched the yeast and placed the bubbler on top. Put it in a cool corner of the living room and waited for what felt like years. I wanted to try this beer that I knew was going to be DELICIOUS. Now comes bottling time and more waiting...... Finally the day arrives and I have a few friends from work over to try with me. Ive been bragging this beer up for weeks. We each decant a bottle into a glass, give it a big sniff, up to the lips it goes...down the hatch... the look on our faces was priceless as we immediately realized that what we just swallowed was the most hideous swill any of us had ever tasted. I was embarrassed to say the least and endured days of ball busting torment more so because I bragged this putrid elixir to no end!! It was another decade before I even thought about making "beer" again! Ahhhh the good old s***ty bad days!!

wow, thats p crazy. it was a lack of sanitation? was it sour? bad yeast?

I have absolutely no idea! I think it was recommended to use bleach as a sanitizer sooooo pretty sure that beast was sterile! LOL! IIRC it wasn't sour. It very well could have been the yeast. Dry yeast packet and who knows how long it sat at variable room temps?!?

[majorvices]

Its not pre 78' but 1987.Its my first time making beer. I bought a complete kit with fermentor, air lock, the whole 9 yards right? I cleaned and sanitized the fermentor and let it air dry. Gather ed tap water and boiled it. Added the John Bull LME and hops!! Man Im getting excited smelling the aromas! Cooled the wort, pitched the yeast and placed the bubbler on top. Put it in a cool corner of the living room and waited for what felt like years. I wanted to try this beer that I knew was going to be DELICIOUS. Now comes bottling time and more waiting...... Finally the day arrives and I have a few friends from work over to try with me. Ive been bragging this beer up for weeks. We each decant a bottle into a glass, give it a big sniff, up to the lips it goes...down the hatch... the look on our faces was priceless as we immediately realized that what we just swallowed was the most hideous swill any of us had ever tasted. I was embarrassed to say the least and endured days of ball busting torment more so because I bragged this putrid elixir to no end!! It was another decade before I even thought about making "beer" again! Ahhhh the good old s***ty bad days!!

I had almost the same experience in 1996 -- John Bull Extract with yeast under the lid. Tasted like vomit (literally probably was butyric acid.) I was so proud of that beer though that it took me drinking several before I realized it was sh!t. lololol

[HopDen]

Its not pre 78' but 1987.Its my first time making beer. I bought a complete kit with fermentor, air lock, the whole 9 yards right? I cleaned and sanitized the fermentor and let it air dry. Gather ed tap water and boiled it. Added the John Bull LME and hops!! Man Im getting excited smelling the aromas! Cooled the wort, pitched the yeast and placed the bubbler on top. Put it in a cool corner of the living room and waited for what felt like years. I wanted to try this beer that I knew was going to be DELICIOUS. Now comes bottling time and more waiting...... Finally the day arrives and I have a few friends from work over to try with me. Ive been bragging this beer up for weeks. We each decant a bottle into a glass, give it a big sniff, up to the lips it goes...down the hatch... the look on our faces was priceless as we immediately realized that what we just swallowed was the most hideous swill any of us had ever tasted. I was embarrassed to say the least and endured days of ball busting torment more so because I bragged this putrid elixir to no end!! It was another decade before I even thought about making "beer" again! Ahhhh the good old s***ty bad days!!

I had almost the same experience in 1996 -- John Bull Extract with yeast under the lid. Tasted like vomit (literally probably was butyric acid.) I was so proud of that beer though that it took me drinking several before I realized it was sh!t. lololol

Home brewing certainly has come a long long way from its infancy. Im pretty sure there were peops who did brew some fantastic beer with what was available them back in the day.

[hopfenundmalz]

Jeff Renner started in the early 70s IIRC. He has some stories about the limited supplies and old hops.

[MDixon]

As I mentioned, he said the hop bricks were something utilized in the baking industry. It was not for any old hop characteristics, it was just because that was what they could find.

[majorvices]

As I mentioned, he said the hop bricks were something utilized in the baking industry. It was not for any old hop characteristics, it was just because that was what they could find.

Mmmmmmmm .... old hop pizza dough!  Aren't hops toxic if consumed?

[reverseapachemaster]

Aren't hops toxic if consumed?

I don't think so for humans. Pickled hop shoots are a food item but I couldn't see wanting to eat hop cones and they don't seem like they would taste great beyond the lupulin.

[waterbull66]

   My understanding is the hops can potentially be harmful to cattle, so no mash hopping if someone is going to feed your spent grain to their livestock, but  are we not "consuming" hops every time we pop a cap on almost any beer we brew??

[denny]

   My understanding is the hops can potentially be harmful to cattle, so no mash hopping if someone is going to feed your spent grain to their livestock, but  are we not "consuming" hops every time we pop a cap on almost any beer we brew??

I hadn't heard about cattle.  I know they can be toxic to dogs, although it seems some breeds more than others.

[majorvices]

   My understanding is the hops can potentially be harmful to cattle, so no mash hopping if someone is going to feed your spent grain to their livestock, but  are we not "consuming" hops every time we pop a cap on almost any beer we brew??

Yes. farmer don't like it when you dump your spent hops in the spent grain.

[jeffy]

   My understanding is the hops can potentially be harmful to cattle, so no mash hopping if someone is going to feed your spent grain to their livestock, but  are we not "consuming" hops every time we pop a cap on almost any beer we brew??

Yes. farmer don't like it when you dump your spent hops in the spent grain.

A local brewpub sends their spent grain to a worm farmer who insists that the barley be organically grown.  He said that he used to get spent grain from a local regional brewery that didn't use organic malt and it killed all his worms.  I'm a little skeptical of that claim.

[HopDen]

   My understanding is the hops can potentially be harmful to cattle, so no mash hopping if someone is going to feed your spent grain to their livestock, but  are we not "consuming" hops every time we pop a cap on almost any beer we brew??

Yes. farmer don't like it when you dump your spent hops in the spent grain.

A local brewpub sends their spent grain to a worm farmer who insists that the barley be organically grown.  He said that he used to get spent grain from a local regional brewery that didn't use organic malt and it killed all his worms.  I'm a little skeptical of that claim.

I can't speak for the farmer but when I have nothing actively growing in my garden I load every bit of tilled soil I have with spent grain and hops. I have many happy worms!! As for hops being toxic to dogs, all I can say about that is my neighbors Golden Retriever has been seen eating from my dump piles on more than 1 occasion and he is doing well.

[denny]

   My understanding is the hops can potentially be harmful to cattle, so no mash hopping if someone is going to feed your spent grain to their livestock, but  are we not "consuming" hops every time we pop a cap on almost any beer we brew??

Yes. farmer don't like it when you dump your spent hops in the spent grain.

A local brewpub sends their spent grain to a worm farmer who insists that the barley be organically grown.  He said that he used to get spent grain from a local regional brewery that didn't use organic malt and it killed all his worms.  I'm a little skeptical of that claim.

I can't speak for the farmer but when I have nothing actively growing in my garden I load every bit of tilled soil I have with spent grain and hops. I have many happy worms!! As for hops being toxic to dogs, all I can say about that is my neighbors Golden Retriever has been seen eating from my dump piles on more than 1 occasion and he is doing well.

Glad your neighbor's dog is OK, but there are man y documented cases of dogs being poisoned by hops. It gives them malignant hyperthermia.

[denny]

some links to read

https://www.medvetforpets.com/hops-toxicity-dog/

https://www.aspca.org/news/dogs-beer-getting-bottom-hops-toxicity

https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/hops/