Dry Hopping

One of the great things about running a craft brewery is experimentation.  In September we created a limited edition beer of 1200 bottles of Prospect Ale dry hopped with fresh green fuggles.  This was a collaborative project with Modern Art Oxford and the green hops were grown on a community allotment in Rose Hill, Oxford as part of the Art in Rose Hill project (see http://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/about-us/art-in-rose-hill/)
We had never done this before and the advice within professional circles was conflicting - "don't be stupid unless you want rancid beer" to "no worries - give it a go".  The result of a two week infusion of fresh fuggles in 400 litres of beer has been a revelation.  The hop aroma and flavour impact is massive - Prospect is already a hoppy beer but it moved it to a new dimension. If brewers seek that elusive hop aroma then this is certainly one way of getting it.  The beer is called Plot 16 and will go on sale at Modern Art Oxford in Pemproke St., Oxford on December 17th.  We are currently experimenting with other dry hop variations