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Video Tip: How to Rub & Evaluate Hops

Pinthouse’s Joe Mohrfeld explains his technique for rubbing and evaluating hops to seek out the aromas and flavors you want in your IPAs—and to avoid those you don’t.

Joe Mohrfeld Jul 21, 2021 - 3 min read

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Founded in Austin in 2012, Pinthouse Pizza has grown from being a local brewpub to one of the most respected small brewing companies in the country. Meanwhile, Brewmaster Joe Mohrfeld is widely regarded by his peers as one of the world’s top IPA brewers. Pinthouse’s packed trophy case includes six Great American Beer Festival medals, three World Beer Cup medals, plus a turn as champion of the Alpha King Challenge.

In this 76-minute video course, Mohrfeld goes into wide-ranging detail on Pinthouse’s approach to brewing world-class, envelope-pushing, aroma- and flavor-forward IPAs, including the brewery’s flagship Electric Jellyfish. Among other topics, he discusses:

  • The evolution of modern IPA
  • The strengths of different hop forms, from whole leaf to Cryo
  • The challenge and opportunity of hop selection
  • Best technique for rubbing and evaluating hops
  • Using wet hops fresh from the harvest
  • Underrated hop varieties and their “survivability”
  • Hop agronomy, terroir, and the farmer’s influence on beer
  • Tips on blending hop varieties
  • How and why Pinthouse uses Kölsch yeast for its IPAs
  • Different approaches to brewing IPA, from West Coast to hazy to freestyle
  • Intentional layering of malts, adjuncts, and hop varieties
  • Employing bitterness for balance
  • Timing and quantities of hop additions in the kettle, whirlpool, and cold side
  • Avoiding diacetyl and how to test for its precursors at home
  • Monitoring dissolved oxygen (DO) for maximum freshness
  • Water profile and its importance to fermentation and attenuation

And much more.

Want access to more video courses like this one? All of our subscriptions come with a 100-percent money-back guarantee. Get your All Access Subscription to tap into a library of 70 full courses on a diverse range of brewing topics. If you don’t love it, we’re happy to refund you.

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