An odd thought just occurred to me…has anyone ever tried roasting hops? Is there any benefit or flavor difference to be had by doing this?
I think you’d pretty much kill any of the qualities you use hops for. Maybe that’s OK.
I agree with Denny, but give it a whirl. Get some whole cone hops and roast some of them. Make 2 teas. One steeped with raw hops and one with roasted. That will give you an idea of the different taste they may yield without potentially ruining a batch of beer. Just post back here if you do it.
I dehydrate my homegrown hops in an oven. One time a few years ago I left them in too long and they began to “roast”. Smelled like crap. There’s no way in the world I would have considered using them in my beer. I threw them out.
Only time I’ve put hops in the oven was the first time I was making a lambic which calls for aged hops, and I didn’t have any. But leaving in the oven for a couple hours at a low temperature will age them quite nicely. Destroyed the aromatic oils and supposedly knocked down the alpha acids, but according to what I’ve read, leaves the beta acids mostly intact. Thus they still provide the preservative qualities without impacting the flavor of the beer.
