Falconers Flight - 5kg bags

[colin m]

We are currently holding an excess of FF, and are looking to sell some off at a really sharp price. It is 2012 harvest, but has been stored at -18c since we purchased it. It is packaged and being sold in 5kg bags, so you might want to chip in with a couple of mates. $75 a bag, which is a steal at only $15 a kg! 

Hit me up at [e-mail]

Cheers

[Cain Harland]

Any reports on how the beers turned out. Mine was f###ing horrible and I tipped 40L into the garden. Tasted like some kind of solvent with some nice hoppy aromas. First beer I've ever tipped from the fermenter. Its got to be some kind of infection. So i will steralise thoroughly before trying again. My fermenter used to be a keg so might just put in a bit of water and chuck it on the burner while I mash the next brew and let the heat take care of things.

[Pierre Malan]

Wow!  Sorry to hear that.

Just got a text today from one of the co-brewers saying he thinks this is the best beer we've done.  I don't agree (I love me my Mosaic hops), but it's not bad at all.  Lots of mango and tropical fruit aroma, clean, slightly bitter (not the fault of the FF though).

Good enough that I'm keen for another 5kg if I can get my hands on it.

When you sterilise, make sure you use something industrial.  I doubt StarSan would cut it you are genuinely worried about infection

[Cain Harland]

Good to hear people are having success with it. I had high hopes. Those hops smelled amazing.

What I got was honestly the worst thing I've ever tasted in a beer it was like drinking paint thinner so I think I will boil the shit out of the fermenter, the steam will get into everything and it will save me pulling the ball valve and other bits apart.

[Pierre Malan]

I don't think boiling will necessarily kill some bugs.  Your LHBS should be able to help out (or the collective wisdom of people here)

Don't forget to pull apart the tap to really clean it out

[David Williams]

Man I wish I'd checked back on this thread. Ive been thinking my whole approach to hopping was mad as this hop has produced my only lawn pours in 120 odd all grain brews. Bitter bitter nastiness. 

[Cain Harland]

Stink man is that 120 bottles? I had attributed the problem the the slightly damaged packaging letting something into our box but maybe not since yours came from a different box. It sucks pouring your hard work on the lawn. Until those hops I had only made something bad enough to tip once, then 2 brews with this hop and a tripel that went terribly wrong in a short space of time, thats 100L poured on the lawn in a couple of months, its almost enough to quit brewing. And having to buy beer or downgrade purchases to affordable 6 packs instead of expensive single bottles to get a bit more mileage out of the beer budget sucks too. Obviously the FF wasn't all bad with comments like "co-brewers saying he thinks this is the best beer we've done"

[Pierre Malan]

Yeah that was me with the co-brewer comment.

I got another 5kg, and now I'm nervous as hell.  Will carefully sniff before using... did it smell bad befroe it went in to your brew?

[Norrii]

I reckon they smelled ok fresh. Following all the bitter comments I used them purely as a keg dry hop. It was horrendous. Definitely an issue with our box.

[David Williams]

That's basically what I did with my last final attempt as I kept thinking I was getting my bitterness screwed up. Beer tasted good into keg then dryhopped with the nasty shit and there we have a bitter solvent bomb. 

I had a 5kg bag to myself as I brew reasonable size batches. Man I've blown some coin on this deal. 

[Mark Weusten]

Hi Pierre, ti be honest I didn't think my bag of FF smelt very nice. I thought if this is supposed to be a mixture of Northwest hops and I got no Simcoe or Citra nose from this. It smelt like catpiss and it tasted like it too. My lesson was if it smells bad it will taste bad.

[Cain Harland]

I thought it smelled awesome but it sure tasted horrible. The hop tea was very telling. I made one with pacific jade which should have been more bitter and one with FF, about 2 pellets of each in 1/2 a cup of boiling water. The pacific jade wasn't exactly pleasant but tasted like hops the FF was far more bitter and tasted like arse, well more like a mix of quinine and petrol.

[Pierre Malan]

Cheers,

not sure they cover those defects in beer tasting courses :)

I'll test some in hot water before using in the brew.  Cheers for the heads up.