Just got these babys in today (along with a bunch of more typical IPA hops). Most of my beers lately fall on a spectrum between a Pre-pro and a Vienna lager with some small Bitters mixed in. I’m really looking forward to see what a half ounce or so of these at flameout can bring to my beers. It’s good to see some less glamorous hops getting the Cryo love.
I used to use cluster all the time in my non-German pale lagers, and I loved it. It’s an incredible hop, IMO. I strayed from using it for a couple years, in the interest of experimentation. But I recently tapped a Mexican lager and American lager that I made with cluster, and my love for it has been rekindled.
I had no idea there was a cryo version of it. I’ll have to give it try. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I have been seeing a lot of “cryo” hops lately. But I don’t understand what that means. What are Cryo-Hops?
They are hops that have had the lupulin glands removed by a freezing process. The glands are brittle when frozen and can be separated from the hop flowers easier. The lupulin glands are then isolated and compressed into T-90 pellets. The result is less green matter with more lupulin.
I found this picture online. It goes well with Brewbama’s answer above.
Fascinating information. Thank you both! So, is it safe to assume one would use less hops to achieve the same result?
Yes, it’s safe to assume. I haven’t used them since last fall but I think I recall using about 40% cryo compared to regular. Making cryo from whole hops is very similar to making hash from marijuana where dry ice is used to make the tricomb brittle and fall off. (um, at least that’s what I hear…)
IIRC the number is the percentage of vegetal matter in the pellets. The lower the number, the more the relative amount of lupulin glands. Thus, cryo hops should be T-45ish, whereas typically processed pellets, where the vegetal matter has not been reduced, are T-90. I have no idea what the T stands for.
I have been using cryo for years, since the development of them started, before they were commercially available. I have found that I like to use more of them than T90 because the flavor and aroma is so clean.
T90 form factor maybe, but technically not T90 since they have much more than 10% of the bract removed.
True. I was using T 90 as a descriptor of pellet size when really it’s a composition standard.
I brewed with cryo citra and amarillo yesterday for the first time and the smell of the only 1oz at flameout was so powerfull and fresh. I can’t wait to tast it.
Let us know what it can make on the “noble” side, it’s realy interesting to.
Do you use all cryo or do you mix them with T90? Do you think cryo are better suited to late additions and dry hopping?
Early on, I used them all the way through. Decided it’s really a waste for bittering. Now I use them only 10 min. or later or for dry hopping. That way the AA doesn’t come into play. I’ve never really understood the recommendation to use half as much. That’s based on AA and as we know doesnt really matter for things like dry hopping. I generally use 2-3 oz. for dry hopping. I’ve experimented with adding some American nobles, too, when I use larger amounts, so that I get some of the bract in there to make them seem more “normal” flavorwise while still getting that huge aroma.
You guys are convincing me to give cryo hops another chance. I used some a few years ago and didn’t like them compared to regular T-90 pellets for dry hopping. I talked with some of my pro brewer friends and they mentioned that the process and quality has improved greatly over the past several years.
So what the hell! If I can get more aroma and/or flavor from them, I’m game. Old dog, new tricks!
I’ve loved the results using Cryo, but I think my favorite beers had a close to 50:50 mix of Cryo and T90. I didn’t note the proportions in my recipes when substituting Cryo for regular hops, unfortunately, but the latest IPA that used all Cryo for late hops seemed to be lacking some of the flavors that I like (grassy? bitterness from late hops?).
Thanks, Narvin! I will also keep that in mind.
I haven’t kept good records on the type of hop usage so my suggestion is to write down what you did so you can determine what you like!
The other solution is to add a touch of American noble.
Looking back at my recipes, my most recent IPA with cryo didn’t have any Columbus dry hops, while my previous ones had some thrown in (around 20% of the total dry hop charge). I’ve never bought Columbus Cryo so this was definitely T90, and I think the earthy flavor of Columbus could provide something similar.