I meant to report back on my tests of HopMyBeer hop oils… but I got sick as soon as I got my order and my nose was completely useless for a week. Finally got to play with it last night with my buddy, and we were actually rather intrigued by this product.
For those TLDR people, I do recommend getting them just for fun!
I got the Cascade, Citra, Bravo, Hallertauer and Sorachi Ace, and we tested them in Miller 64, Coors Light, Blue Moon, Hoegaarden, Sweet Water 420 Extra Pale Ale, and Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. Overall Cascade is my all time favorite, while my buddy votes for Hallertauer.
Since Eric already did a nice review on the packaging, I won’t go over it again. I do have to add that the package arrived in a bubble mailer (cheap, but does the job… got to keep shipping cost down I suppose), but there is a nice “Hop My Beer” stamp on the back. Not a million dollar packaging, but definitely with nice personal touch!
---- Hop oils ----
Cascade: Both my buddy and I agree it’s grapefruit juice, period. Very nice fruity nose with a hint of herbal spiciness. Very fresh, green hop aroma.
Citra: Citrusy and a green, unripe fruitiness. I also picked up a weird sulfur-like note, which kind of blends with the citrus note to make it grapefruit like. My buddy (having a little more life experiences than me) says it smells like pot, which I cannot comment.
Bravo: very floral and fruity, more a peach/stone fruit aroma. (I have never brewed anything with it before, but I couldn’t resist trying something named Bravo)
Hallertauer has a very nice intense floral nose with hints of herbal, reminds me of honey.
Sorachi Ace is fun. I picked up green tea right off the bat while my buddy insisted it’s lemongrass.
---- Tasting ----
We split two bottles of beer into 5 snifter glasses (~5 oz beer each) with one drop of each hop oil. I know the recommended dose was 1~2 drops per 12oz beer, but for the sake of ease of testing, as well as ease of identifying the flavor notes, we’d just have to be hop heads for a night.
Miller64: I know, don’t laugh at me. I picked the most boring beer out there for testing. I always have a theory that a bit more hop nose would make this beer drinkable. (I don’t usually get to drink 64oz of beer and still standing.) The extra hop nose definitely helped this beer!! I think we overdosed the beer with hop oils, as there’s nothing other than the dominant hop aroma standing out. My buddy on the other hand loved it. Maybe it’s just my personal bias, but I thought Hallertauer worked the best in this light lager, giving it an interesting herbal floral nose without the dominant American hop tang. My buddy voted for Citra for the citrusy greenness. I think one drop in 12 oz is probably just enough for this beer.
Coors Light: I had to pick one standard light beer, and Coors Light happened to be the one with the freshest code date. Not my typical choice of beer, but it is probably the least sulfury of the three. The base beer had an aged cardboard note for sure, which is not a good start. The hop oils definitely helped masking the oxidized note. I like Cascade and Bravo in them most, as the fruity citrusy notes blend well with the beer. Actually I think the hop oil makes them pleasantly chuggable. My buddy thinks the floral herbal Hallertauer works better with the fruity nose of Coors Light.
Blue Moon and Hoegaarden: American wheat and Belgian wheat. Both are spicy, while Hoegaarden has a nice phenolic nose. Honestly I think all of the hop oils worked wonderfully with these beers! Both wheat beers have more body and more flavor, and the extra hop aroma just makes them that much more interesting! Cascade in Blue Moon is just perfect! There’s a reason behind adding a slice of orange to that beer! My buddy voted for Hallertauer again for the more noble floral herbal characters. (I agree with the herbal-spicy pairing in Hoegaarden, just I am totally in love with Cascade.) We ended up adding extra drop or two to these beer. They just blend well together!
Sweet Water 420 and Sierra Nevada Torpedo: Now for the hoppier beers. Both are heavily hopped with American hops. First, one drop is definitely not enough. With the already hoppy flavor, it really takes about 3~5 drops to bring the hop oil note to the forefront. Honestly I don’t really feel it’s necessary to add hop oils to these already hoppy beers, but it definitely brings a fresh, green hop overtone to them. Needless to say I voted for Cascade, but my buddy voted for Hallertauer for the pleasant surprise of mixing noble hop in American pale ales.
---- Afterthought ----
We debated the merit of these hop oils.
Definitely a nice addition for light beers. It adds a fresh hop note without turning them into hoppy beers. The green hop aroma masks the oxidized notes. I think if used subtly it definitely makes light beers more interesting without dominating, a great way to make an interesting light beer. I think it is also an excellent product for “spice” beer like Belgian wheats. Hop is a spice! It just blends in them so well! While I see less value of it in hoppy beers, it does provide different blends of hop notes that breaks the mindset of traditional styles, and for those serious hop heads, fresh hop nose!
I don’t think it replaces the traditional hopping methods. The flavor is definitely more green and raw like fresh hops. It doesn’t add the hoppy flavor like kettle hops. It’s also different from dry hopping, as there’s no fermentation going on for the hop to interact with beer enzymes. I wouldn’t depend on it as the primary way of hopping my beer.
On the other hand, such green hop notes can be interesting characteristics to certain beers. It’s also super easy to use (how else can I try 5 different hops in 6 beers in one evening?) and gives the drinkers the choice of their own preferred flavor profile. I can definitely see it being a fun product for beer drinkers.
As a brewer, even though I wouldn’t think of using it as my first choice of hopping techniques, I wouldn’t discount its potential. It does add some interesting fresh green hop notes and over-emphasize the different hop aromas. For a long time traditional European brewers couldn’t stand the American hop tang, but we so proudly and prominently showcased it in American Pale ales. Same token, never say never I guess.
Now I really can’t wait to get my hands on some Sierra Nevada Hop Hunter!
(My buddy loved the “pot-like” smell. I read it elsewhere that being used to describe Hop Hunter. Huh.)
Overall I am glad I tried them, and I would recommend them for anyone who are interested in just having some fun.