This grow season I picked quite a few hops to dry and make extract from. They have a GREAT smell! Very strong of pine needles! I have a few bushes on the fence line of the property I live at. I have 3 hops vines that grow together like one big bush.
This summer they produced a lot more than last year. Finally enough "product" to actually play around with! I dont have the equipment to make beer right now: So I decided to make a classic, Hops alcohol extract! Hops have amazing terpines {smells.} Extracts of hops are used in several famous beers to add more flavor. Some prefer the beer have lots of hops... but others love the taste of the extract added to the brew!
I made an alcohol extract that is very high quality! When you open the bottle it smells like #beer! You can add this to a pale beer to make it more "hoppy" or just take a few hops shots! Cheers. The extract by itself tastes very strong: Almost sour.
A few drops into a pale beer tastes excellent. Hoppy and smooth at the same time! Or you can go crazy and add the extract to an IPA for an 11/10 intense hop flavor in your beer. You can also add the hops extract to sodas or fizzy water... I tried some in seltzer water and it actually tasted a lot like a beer!
They tasted so good I drank several fake beers! Except the seltzer water did technically have a shot or two each. Of course I tried a few solo shots of the extract. YUCK. Much too powerful of a taste. Normally I enjoy shots of anything.... But this was like eating an un-edible plant.
Overall I really enjoyed making this extract and then consuming it in several ways. Who knows what else I could mix this with! Maybe I could even fry up a steak and seeing if it tastes like those shake and bake steaks resturants fry up with beer!
Hops have a very unique and recognizable taste. Savory and sour. Almost like very sour candy with no sugar with a mix of nettles or spinach. They taste great with several beverages and food dishes.
Hops extract also have a history with mainstream and local beers. They are used to add to the "flavor profile" of a particular "brew."
Hops also have many medicinal qualities.
