Tasting hop varieties with a hop tea before you brew with them
Hop varieties are described in catalogues with long lists of fruit and pine. The only way to know what a particular packet smells and tastes like is to try it. A hop tea and a hop rub let you do that in your kitchen.
Why taste hops before brewing
Hop descriptions are a starting point. The same variety varies by farm, harvest year and storage. A packet of Citra that sat warm in a courier van will not smell like one stored cold. Our guide to how hops change aroma explains why.
Tasting hops directly helps you choose varieties for a recipe, compare two lots of the same hop and learn the vocabulary of hop aroma. It is also fun. A few grams of hops cost far less than brewing a disappointing batch. A whole 20 litre batch that tastes of onion is an expensive lesson.
Method one: the hop rub
The quickest test needs no water. Take a pinch of pellets or a few whole cones, crumble them between your palms and rub for a few seconds. Cup your hands over your nose and smell.
Note the first impressions, then smell again after 30 seconds as the aroma changes. The rub shows the hop oils at their most intense. Expect sticky, yellow fingers from the lupulin, the resin glands that hold the oils. Wash your hands before testing the next variety so the aromas do not mix. It is good for spotting freshness: fresh hops smell bright and green, while old ones smell of cheese, hay or dust.
Method two: the hop tea
A tea shows how the hop behaves in liquid, closer to what happens in beer.
- Weigh 1 to 2 g of hop pellets per 250 ml of water.
- Heat the water to about 80 to 85 °C, just off the boil. Boiling water drives off delicate aroma.
- Put the hops in a French press or a mug and pour over the water.
- Steep for 5 minutes, then strain or press.
- Let it cool to warm, smell, then sip.
The tea will be bitter, but not as bitter as a boiled hop, because water at this temperature does not isomerise much of the alpha acid. You are tasting mostly aroma and a little raw hop bitterness.
Method three: hops in a plain beer
For the closest preview of dry hopping, add a few pellets to a bottle of plain, low-bitterness lager. Drop 0.5 to 1 g of pellets into a 330 ml bottle, reseal quickly or pour into a sealed jar. Leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Strain and taste.
This shows how the hop interacts with malt and carbonation. It is the best of the three methods for choosing dry hop varieties, though you need to plan a day ahead.
Running a side by side
Compare two to four varieties at once. More than that and your nose tires. Label each cup and use the same weight, water and time for each so the comparison is fair.
For each hop, note:
- Aroma family. Citrus, tropical, stone fruit, pine, herbal, floral, earthy, spicy.
- Intensity. Faint, moderate or strong.
- Specific notes. Grapefruit, mango, lime zest, black pepper, mint, onion.
- Bitterness quality. Smooth or harsh, short or lingering.
- Freshness. Any cheesy, hay or stale notes.
A good first exercise is to compare a noble hop such as Saaz with a modern American hop such as Cascade. Our guide to hop varieties for beginners has more pairs to try.
Reading the results
A hop tea is not the beer. Fermentation changes hop aroma, sometimes a lot. Some hops that smell of onion or garlic in a tea taste fruity in a finished beer. Some that seem bold in the cup fade in the fermenter. Yeast can transform some hop compounds into fruitier forms during fermentation.
Use the tea to rule out stale or unpleasant lots and to shortlist varieties. Then test in a small batch before you commit a full brew.
Hops in Indian conditions
Nearly all hops used in India are imported. Heat is their enemy. Store them sealed in the freezer and keep packets airtight once opened. When you buy hops online, check the harvest year and ask how they were shipped. A quick rub on arrival tells you whether the packet survived the journey.
Train your nose regularly. Our guide on training your palate suggests exercises. Turning hop aroma impressions into recipe decisions, though, is where structured sensory training helps most.
Common questions
Is hop tea the same as hop water?
Not quite. Hop tea is a quick hot steep for tasting. Hop water is a finished sparkling drink made by steeping hops in carbonated water, usually cold.
How much hop should I use for a hop tea?
About 1 to 2 g of pellets per 250 ml of water at 80 to 85 °C, steeped for 5 minutes.
Does hop tea taste like the finished beer?
No. It shows the hop's raw aroma, but fermentation and malt change it. Use it to shortlist varieties, then test in a small batch.
How can I tell if my hops are stale?
Rub a few pellets between your hands. Stale hops smell of cheese, hay or dust instead of fresh fruit, citrus or pine.
