Smoke some hops anyone?

I like cigars.  I was at my local smoke shop recently and saw a cigar called ‘Hopz, a craft beer cigar.’  I had to buy one though my expectation of the flavor was somewhere south of wretched.

It actually wasn’t bad.  Yes it was a bit bitter, but hard to taste any hop flavor.  I won’t buy another, and I don’t recommend that you do, but I thought it was an interesting marketing strategy and use of hops.

http://tedscigars.com/brands/hopz-craft-beer-cigars/

I learned a long time ago, drink your beer and smoke your smoke.

The ingredients do not mix well between the two.  Anyone else tried brewing with smoke-ables?  terrible, terrible, wasteful experiment in my opinion…

+1.060 all the way!

I smoked a few ounces of whole Warrior once and late-hopped a beer with them.

I really like smoked beers but only where the grain has been smoked. I can’t see how hops would absorb enough smoke character to make a positive impact on a beer.

I’ve seen those cigars before. I had a hard time imagining they would be very good since a lot of hop character comes from the oils, which all vaporize at higher temperatures.

I chewed hops to quit smoking cigs!!!

Hmmm, would taking up smoking help break a hop chewing habit?

I love hops as much as the next guy (and probably more), but that just seems like a horrible idea. Raw hops are face-meltingly bitter. I tried dipping a few Hallertau pellets once and didn’t last a minute. My taste buds were shot for the night.

How did that turn out?

I did the same a few years back ,erockrph.  Really bad idea.  “Ruination” , but for real and longer lasting !  And I have a fair degree of hophead-edness myself.

Pretty good, actually.  Very little smoke flavor, but a nice subtle smoke aroma.  It was pecan wood.

Thanks for the info, Jeff. Brought back some Pecan chips from out last trip to TX to visit family. Very cheap at the HEB market.

Edit, and some Oak from the same, thinking it might be Post Oak.

Tobacco is an acquired taste as well. I can remember trying to inhale…OMG…I can remember trying to
not expectorate tobacco juice…OMG…  Yeah it took some doing but they were hop flowers and I
started with a low AA level variety then went up to as high as 9% AA.  Tried Simcoe…yeck.
My favorite was sterling.  What they did, was stimulate the same pleasure centers that tobacco
did in my mouth.  There was NO lingering/returning craving for another dip of hops…non addictive.

OK, I’m sold. I’ll have to try this again the next time I’m brewing with whole hops. Twist my arm, sheez :slight_smile:

You can do a lot worse than hops.  good luck