Hops in Brewing

• Picked
• Delivered immediately
• Used within 48 hours
• Used to create seasonal beers
• Used in fresh hopped beers

• Picked and dried
• Vacuum packaged
• and refrigerated
• Used within a year
• Used to create limited release beers
• Used in fresh hopped beers

• Picked and dried
• Hammered into a powder
• Compressed into pellets
• Vacuum packaged
• Used within several years
• Used in year round beer production

Wet Hops

• Due to the fact they haven’t been processed, there can be a greater aromatic impact from wet hops due to their retaining most intact essential oils.
• Wet hops incorporate into the wort much more easily than pellet hops and do not stick to the kettle.
• Wet hops are usually easier to remove from your beer after dry-hopping.
• They also will not sink and gum up siphoning efforts when it comes time to bottle.

Dried Whole Cone Hops

• Due to the fact they have been minimally processed, there can be a greater aromatic impact from dried whole cone hops due to their retaining most intact essential oils.
• Dried whole cone hops incorporate into the wort much more easily than pellet hops and do not stick to the kettle.
• Dried whole cone hops are usually easier to remove from your beer after dry-hopping.
• They also will not sink and gum up siphoning efforts when it comes time to bottle.

Pelletized Hops

• More varieties are available in hop pellets.
• Hop pellets oxidize slower and have better storage potential.
• Hop pellets take up less space and are easier to store.
• Pellet hops are generally easier to split into abstract increments.
• Pellets are easier to add to carboys during dry-hopping.
• Hop pellets have a slightly higher utilization efficiency (10-15%) than dried whole cone hops

Wet Hops

• Wet hops cannot be stored and must be used within 48 hours.
• Must use 4 to 5 times more in brewing because they have not been dried
• They can be difficult to get into carboys or fermentors with narrow openings.
• May need special equipment in larger brewing systems.

Dried Whole Cone Hops

• Whole cone hops take up a little more space to store.
• May need to use 10% more than pelletized hops in brewing
• They can be difficult to get into carboys or fermentors with narrow openings.
• May need special equipment in larger brewing systems.

Pelletized Hops

• The extra processing due to milling can negatively affect the aromatic quality.
• A loss of a major portion of delicate aroma compounds occurs during the pelletizing process.
• The quality of the hop pellets is also critically affected by the temperature and speed throughout the pelletizing process.
• Hop pellets have a tendency to dissolve into a sludge in a liquid solution which can then cause problems.
• If not bagged, the pellets may rise to the surface during the boil and form a layer on the rim of the kettle causing them to not be fully utilized.
• Pellets can be more difficult to remove or separate from your wort/beer at various stages.

Wet Hops

Select brewers during harvest season

Dried Whole Cone Hops

These brewing companies like dried whole cone hops enough to use them exclusively:

• Sierra Nevada
• Anchor
• Victory
• Deschutes
• Pitchfork Brewing
• Logsdon Farmhouse Ales

Pelletized Hops

Everybody else