Norther Brewer Hops
Developed in England in 1934, Northern Brewer Hops are grown best in the cooler regions of Europe. It is a similar hop in aroma and flavour to a Hallertau.
Northern Brewer hops are most frequently boiled to extract bitterness when brewing American Pale Ales and lagers. They’re known to give the beer an earthy hop character.
There are many home brewers, particularly in North America, who prefer Magnum, but many commercial brewers rely on the consistent quality of Northern Brewer hops. They help with great head retention and remove unwanted proteins. There is also an anti-bacterial quality to the hops that helps slow spoilage and increase the shelf life.
The aroma of the hop is described as fine, dry, and clean smelling. When it is boiled to extract the bitterness for 60-90 minutes, it provides a wonderfully unique flavour. The flavour and aroma of hops are in the essential oils, but the acids boil away leaving the bitterness.
Home brewers find equal success using both whole leaf and pellet hops. However, pellet hops should be used with a nylon bag, and muslin bags used for whole leaf, to keep the amount of straining needed to a bare minimum.
Many brewers choose the pellet hops because they have a longer shelf life. Pellets are in fact pulverized whole leaf hops. Since they are crushed this makes it easier to isomerise the alpha acids for a much higher extraction rate. And the desired bitterness from the Northern Brewer hops comes from the alpha acids. Therefore using pellets can result in more bitterness. Whereas whole leaf hops haven’t been as processed so they have a higher initial alpha acid rating, and anecdotal evidence points to whole leaf hops absorbing more wort.
Whichever you choose it’s important to refrigerate the hops to keep them fresh. If the hops are no longer green and have taken on a brown or yellow colour they shouldn’t be used.
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