Hops

Track hop inventory with alpha acid percentages, types, quantities, and cost for accurate bitterness calculations.

This section is very similar to the Fermentables section and works similarly.

To add a hop to your inventory, click the Add button to the right of the Hops title.

This brings up the select hop window

Here, you can search or add a new hop like you do for fermentables. Type in the search box for the hop you are looking for, then click it to open the Edit Hop screen.

Edit Hop screen

Here you can type the quantity directly into the Inventory amount or click the button to the right to adjust the inventory amount. You can add the cost per unit (g/oz) to track your brews' cost. You can also choose between various types as this affects the bitterness calculation, so it is important to choose the right type from the list shown below

• Pellet - Standard hop pellets

• Whole - Whole cone hops

• Cryo - Yakima Chief Hops enhanced hop pellets

• CO2 Extract

Alpha

You will almost certainly need to change the Alpha %. This can be done by clicking on the field and typing the value in, or you will not get an accurate bitterness calculation for the beers using the hops. The alpha acid changes from harvest to harvest and farm to farm so it can vary a lot between batches

It is also worth entering the information for the following fields

• Year - The year of harvest

• Best Before date - If you can't find one and are storing your hops in the freezer consider using 2 years

• Lot Number - if this is available this is worth recording and a necessity in a commercial brewery

Finally click the Save button to add the hop to your inventory

To add a Hop to your inventory click the Add button to the right of the Hops title.

Hops Section of the Inventory

This brings up the select hop window

Select Hop window

Here you can search or add a new hop.

Additional Hop Fields

Beyond the basics above, the hop editor includes the following fields:

• Beta Acid % — Beta acid content of the hop

• Cohumulone % — Percentage of cohumulone in the alpha acids

• HSI % — Hop Storage Index, indicating how well the hop stores over time

• Oil Content — Total oil content in ml/100g

• Myrcene % — Myrcene oil composition percentage

• Humulene % — Humulene oil composition percentage

• Caryophyllene % — Caryophyllene oil composition percentage

• Farnesene % — Farnesene oil composition percentage

• Origin — Country or region where the hop is grown

• Usage — Aroma, Bittering, or Both

• Notes — General notes from the database

• Substitutes — Suggested alternative hops

• Used In — Styles this hop is commonly used in

• User Notes — Personal notes about the hop

• Manufacturing Date — Production or harvest date

• Temperature — Temperature setting for hop stand additions

• Amount per Volume — Amount per volume unit for scaling

• Loss After 6 Months % — The percentage of alpha acid lost after 6 months of storage at 20°C, used together with the harvest/manufacturing date to estimate current alpha acid potency

Adjust Alpha

When the alpha acid percentage of a hop changes (e.g., between harvests or purchases), the Adjust Alpha feature can automatically scale the hop amount in your recipe to maintain the target bitterness contribution. To use it, open the hop in the recipe editor and click the Adjust Alpha button. You will be prompted to enter the new alpha acid percentage. When you confirm, Brewfather calculates the ratio between the old and new alpha values and scales the hop amount accordingly. For example, if a hop was at 10% alpha with 50g and the new batch is 8% alpha, the amount will be scaled up to 62.5g to produce the same bitterness.

Related docs

• Inventory

• Recipes