OnTap Magazine

SMOOTHNESS Smoothness can be created in several ways. In general, it’s about creating the right type of malt and water backbone for a hoppy beer and in getting the appropriate hop flavour, while avoiding off-flavours. How to approach it. THE MALTS A common method for adding a smooth or pillowy texture to hoppy beers is to add a significant amount of wheat or oats. (Say about 50% for wheat or 20-30% oats.) These grains have small proteins that add haze and texture that can create a juicy character to the hop flavour. Adding large amount of whirlpool and end of boil, fruit forward hops can help add a lot of mid-palate hop flavour, especially if its in the right balance to hop bitterness and dry-hopped flavours. DRY-HOPPING Getting great dry-hop flavour is also key to smoothness. Using fresh, high quality hop varieties in dry-hopping makes a big impact. Dry-hopping with large quantities, around 8-10 grams per litre (or more) of impactful hops adds big hop oils that gives intense fruity flavours, which in turn helps create “smoothness.” But you’ll need to get the finished beer off the hops and ensure complete solid-liquid separation to avoid harsh “hop burn”. (This is partially achieved by “cold crashing.”) YEAST AND FERMENTATION Healthy fermentation and interaction with the hops can also contribute a lot of punchy, smooth hop flavours. Using the right amount of healthy yeast and enough oxygen is crucial. The yeast strain you choose can also have a big impact, some New England type strains can really make the hops pop and bring out big fruity notes, while others are cleaner, letting crisp citrus and pine hop notes shine. AVOIDING THE HARSHNESS Harshness from hops originates from a few places and can be avoided through good brewing practices. In general, solid-liquid separation is important to achieve good flavour and is something that most homebrew systems struggle with. • Thus, make sure you get clear wort during lautering. • Get the boiled wort off the trub when transferring to the fermenter and off the finished hops and yeast after fermentation and dry-hopping. • Getting the pH and the water salts right will help with flocculation and settling, as well as adding flavour. • Generally, hop harshness comes from not “cold crashing” the beer long or cold enough or not getting the beer off the hops. • If you have hops floating in the finished beer something is wrong. Great beer requires a vision or goal and a good execution of that goal. Hoppiness should be part of a complete beer experience, and part of the holistic structure of the beer. If the flavour is muddled, off, or imbalanced the beer will suffer. Follow the steps above and you’ll be way on your way! ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2023 | 49