Gary Fish:
"We brewed 4 batches that differed based on where they were brewed (at the pub or one of our other two brewhouses at our larger facility) and the hopping regimen. Yes, I think two were not dry-hopped, favoring instead a different hop-back treatment using the hop-back we built for Portland in line after our hop-back on our 50 bbl. System. We did not use any hop oil or extract in any of the brews.So, while I was wrong about the hop oil, you'll see that my larger speculation about the brewery was correct. This further confirms my faith in a brewery that appears outwardly to challenge market-driven brewing and favor good beer to tradition.
We did use some hops with some of the vegetative matter removed to see what kind of result we would get. It is interesting in that, while we experiment continuously, this particular experiment has gained considerable speculation on why we are doing it. I can tell you it has neither to do with the availability of hops or their cost as all brews were essentially the same (another part of the experiment) in their hop usage. We, as I have previously stated, are continuously looking for new, creative ways to improve our beers. This experiment is not different. We do not have plans to “change” Mirror Pond, although change in everything is inevitable (hopefully for the better)."
But no hop oil as yet.
Interesting. I hadn't heard anything about hop oil at all. My friend Paul is convinced their moving to hop pellets rather than whole hops, so perhaps that's what "vegetative matter removed" means. Personally, I have no qualms with pellets vs. whole so for me it was a non-issue.
ReplyDeleteUgh "their" should be "they're". Must be late. :)
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