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what is the difference between "bittering/finishing" hops? i am thinking about having a go at beer and wine making in the spring, the home brew sites i looked at talked about the different hops re:bittering/finishing, so what do they mean? do you add the hops at different times or what?? or are they talking about taste? h.e.l.p.

I've got no idea spitfire. We recently made a batch of the Ish beer recipe on the main site with a bag of hops I had in the workshop for making sleep pillows - not specifically for beer with no posh title.

It's absolutely phenomenal - although of course I may be biased.

So I wouldn't worry about it.

soooooo they are just trying to get me to be a beer snob!!!! the dirty rotten scoundrels, may their beer go flat.. thanks for the info, i will just buy the cheapest they have. as long as the stuff is drinkable and do'es not kill me i will consider it a success, now to find a bucket!

Bittering hops have a high alpha acid content that is extracted by boiling with the wort. finishing hops are aromatic and add a greater bouquet to the beer - more complex flavors but are not as bitter.
This said, you can use either quite successfully, it will just turn out differently to bought beers.

Hello,

Go for something like Goldings, Fuggles or Williamette. Usually come in 4 oz /100g/112g. Acidity is normally around 4.5 - 5%.

I boil for an hour as follows

2 oz initially, then add another 1oz after 30 mins then 1/2 oz after another 15 mins then the rest for the last 5 minutes.

This noramlly achieves both good bitterness and flavour... passed the Grandad test anyway!!

Best of luck

Ben

spitfire wrote:what is the difference between "bittering/finishing" hops ? Do you add the hops at different times or what ? Are they talking about taste ?

this is why I suggested you read a book or at least the first part of a homebrewing book, go to the library and see what they have.

Bittering hops go into the boil after Hotbreak and should be boiled for 60 minutes.
Finishing hops....ur lets call them what they are,
Flavor Hops are added with 20 minutes left in the boil or 15 min. or 10 min or 5 min or all of the above, at each time they will add a different flavor component.
Aroma Hops are added at Flameout (when you remove the brewpot from the heat), these add mostly smell or aroma to your brew, which the olfactory glands contribute to taste, so it is more important than just smell. there are about 100 different types of hops and they will each give you a different taste profile, following a recipe is important if you are targeting a desired style of beer, once you've brewed 20 or so batches and do some reading, you will be able to formulate your own recipes, there are math formulas that you will need to use to figure out how many ounces of Hops you need at what time for a certain desired effect.

So to conclude, for your first attempt at a homebrew, follow a recipe. Or at least don't use too much Hops, it will make you Beer bitter.