Low alpha Columbus??

[jimlin]

I just picked up grain for my next batch, and grabbed a couple ounces of Columbus. I already have plenty of hops in the freezer that I will be using, but wanted to add some columbus to tweak my rye IPA recipe.

Looking at the columbus packets, I see them listed as "4.4% "

Since when was Columbus hops that low in alpha acids? Shop owner tried telling me "thats an average ,typically it changes every year /harvest"
I know it changes, but also know Columbus is typically up over 10%

[bikefoolery]

Well, could be a typo. I've seen columbus from 13-16 percent. Could be a previous years crop, like 2008 where the AA has dropped off.

I'd use them in late kettle or whirlpool additions. Early addition would really screw up bitterness if it is a typo.

How do they smell? Pungent? Cheesy? Fresh? Oniony?

The fool

[captain carrot]

Call the HB store and see if they misprinted the label. I've got some Columbus from last year thats over 17% AA.

[CRBrewHound]

Its probably a typo and they are 14.4%

[jimlin]

I haven't opened the 1 oz packets to smell them yet. Probably will do that this week to see if anything's out of the ordinary. If they smell like what I expect, I am going to assume they are supposed to be 14.4%, not 4.4%.

I emailed the HBS owner and he's the one who gave me the weak answer (I'm sorry, but columbus is never THAT low, and his response was nothing but "they vary from harvest to harvest and the number is typically just an average" blah blah.

I was intending to use them at 20 min, 5 min, and dryhop in addition to amarillo at 15, 1, and dryhop. Chinook (or maybe just Magnum) at 60. IF the hop were really 4.4% I'd get about 10 IBUs less in the end compared to 14.4%.

[andy77]

I emailed the HBS owner and he's the one who gave me the weak answer (I'm sorry, but columbus is never THAT low, and his response was nothing but "they vary from harvest to harvest and the number is typically just an average" blah blah.

Politely push him on it. He's probably stuck in a rut from 10 years ago - assuming most homebrewers are unsophisticated and have no access to information. Some version of "I understand that there's variability from crop to crop, but columbus always range in the teen percentages. A four fold decrease seems more likely to be a misprint than a harvest to harvest to harvest variation. This matters a great deal to me, can you please check your records" might just shake him out of his stupor.

[jimlin]

I emailed the HBS owner and he's the one who gave me the weak answer (I'm sorry, but columbus is never THAT low, and his response was nothing but "they vary from harvest to harvest and the number is typically just an average" blah blah.

Politely push him on it. He's probably stuck in a rut from 10 years ago - assuming most homebrewers are unsophisticated and have no access to information. Some version of "I understand that there's variability from crop to crop, but columbus always range in the teen percentages. A four fold decrease seems more likely to be a misprint than a harvest to harvest to harvest variation. This matters a great deal to me, can you please check your records" might just shake him out of his stupor.

Weird thing is, he's typically on top of things it seems. He's young, started the shop maybe a year or so ago. He brews a TON. So I did expect a better answer. We'll see what he has to say. I would rather he realize the error and fix it, both for customers to know what they are getting, as well as so he doesn't come across like he doesn't know his product.

[spiderwrangler]

Are they ones he has repacked? The values in books are an average, but the numbers on individual batches should be pretty much what it is. The ones that come pre-packed from HopUnion report all the numbers, and it varies throughout the season...