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Hops
Whole Hops
When hops are used in their raw or unprocessed form, directly from the bale, they are designated as whole, raw, or leaf hops, as shown in Figure 3.1. Although whole hops are not as popular today as in the past, some of the world’s major brewers, as well as many craft brewers, use them in the belief that whole hops provide the best aroma. Brewers who use only whole hops believe hop products cause unacceptable flavor change in the beer. Processing is believed to change the chemical composition and, therefore, the nature of the product. The biggest disadvantages of whole hops are the amount of space required, susceptibility to deterioration, poor utilization, and brewhouse equipment requirements. Whole hops typically are stored as baled hops. Hop utilization for baled hops is estimated at from 15 to 24% (29).
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