In a time when testing seems to be very important, it made sense to me to get my Chinook hops analyzed to understand some elements about them that are important to know for brewing purposes. Learn more about the steps I took to get my hops tested and the results of the test.

What Were The Steps I Followed

  1. The first thing I needed to do was to find a place where I could send my hops to get tested. There are a few different ones that I found after a couple of Google searches. The one I settled on was the The University of Vermont’s Extension. It was the closest one to my house. It was important for me to get my sample to the lab as soon as possible without breaking the bank on shipping costs.
  2. Once I selected the place, I read all the information they provided to make sure my sample followed all of their guidelines to ensure I wasn’t wasting my money or hops. For the analysis of my hops, they needed a least 100 grams, preferably packaged in vacuum sealed bags.
  3. The lab recommended overnight shipping but I passed on that. I was able to get it delivered to them in a few days.
  4. Lastly, the tests aren’t free and I am pretty sure you have to be a silly dude who has been running a blog for over 13 years to justify the cost. That said, if you think knowledge about your home grown hops is worth 30 bucks, maybe you don’t need to be exactly like me.

Results Of The Test

Here’s what the lab gave me:

Alpha Acid – 11.2%

Beta Acid – 3.1 %

Hop Storage Index (HSI) – 0.241%

The AA% is a little lower than the typical range for the Chinook variety but the Beta Acid percentage is on point. The HSI I don’t know too much about except from what I have read. From MSU Extension: The HSI is a measure of the degradation of alpha and beta acids during storage and handling of hops.  Also, HSI levels below 0.30 are an indication of good quality hops. Now, for me, I would probably need to test my hops again to see if the HSI increased. Well, I brewed with them before any more tests were made.

I am not sure I will get my hops tested again but I did find it interesting to finally understand a few of the important components of my home grown hops.

BREW ON!