Yeah, I'd try it.

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alb
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Yeah, I'd try it.

Post by alb »

I saw this in my local store but didn't have cash on me. One of these days though, I'll give it a shot. I wonder which hops?
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mashani
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Re: Yeah, I'd try it.

Post by mashani »

Make yer own with whatever hops you like.

Buy Vodka. Open bottle. Drink a shot or two.

Add hops of choice to fill up space. Let sit for a week or so shaking it once in a while.

Filter it through a coffee strainer, and then you've got hoppy vodka.
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lindseywinstead
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Re: Yeah, I'd try it.

Post by lindseywinstead »

I would try it! Despite the reviews...

From http://www.drinkspirits.com/vodka/hophead/
Hophead Vodka (90 Proof / 45% ABV, $29.95) is not a flavored vodka – it gets its hops flavor and aroma from hops which are macerated in neutral grain spirits before being distilled, in very much the same way as you’d make a gin. In addition to being a volatile botanical, hops can be quite complex, delivering a wide range of aromas from floral to spicy and sometimes a little funky. In the nose of the Hophead, the hops read on the floral side, and unfortunately quite soapy. There’s also a bitter core to the hops on the nose which combines with the floral notes in a less than inviting way. The entry is fairly bitter and reads fairly close to the nose with a soapy floral top note. The spirit begins to develop a nice complexity towards the midpalate as it takes on a hop funk undertone which reminds us of its cousin cannabis (they are both part of the Cannabaceae genius of plants) when it’s soaked in alcohol. At the end of the midpalate, Hophead takes an immediate left turn and drops many of the flavor notes in favor of a fairly conventional vodka note. The funky hop undertone does persist, and helps support the finish which is decidedly vodka-like.

For a moment, in the midpalate, the Hophead Vodka shows the potential for distilling hops and the complexity that it can bring to the table. But as a whole, Hophead Vodka is a mess. The nose is uninviting and the spirit never comes together with any cohesion. Anchor Distilling was on the right path experimenting with hops, but they would have done much better doing a hop-centric gin or following in Charbay’s footsteps with a hopped white whiskey, or even better, use the Anchor Steam Beer base to do a true beer schnapps. Trying to take something as strong and volatile as hops and making it conform with a category defined by its neutrality just doesn’t make sense, and unfortunately neither does this vodka.
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swenocha
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Re: Yeah, I'd try it.

Post by swenocha »

I'm not much of a hard liquor guy, but I sampled some of this a while back, and it was quite tasty...

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Fermenting:
nada... zip...

Drinking:
nada... zip... maybe an N/A beer here and there...
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alb
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Re: Yeah, I'd try it.

Post by alb »

I could totally see that, Swen. A tequila wallbanger is one of my faves. My grandpa called it a "shot and a short glass,” (he drank whiskey).
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DaYooper
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Re: Yeah, I'd try it.

Post by DaYooper »

swenocha wrote:I'm not much of a hard liquor guy, but I sampled some of this a while back, and it was quite tasty...

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i was just going to post that Made In Michigan product made with Michigan Centennial hops (shameless plug). I grab a bottle of that every once in awhile one of my fave sipping liquors. For what its worth, they also make a pretty good Beer Barrel Bourbon as well.
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Chuck N
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Re: Yeah, I'd try it.

Post by Chuck N »

Now wait. Didn't I read somewhere that hops were getting harder to get because of the demand for craft IPA and hoppier beers? Or is that now old news?

If not, do we want to encourage the use of our precious hops for such uses as this? Let the kids have their bubble gum flavored vodka but leave us old far -- I mean, adults to have our beer ingredients.
Things men have made with wakened hands, and put soft life into
Are awake through years with transferred touch and go on glowing
For long years.
And for this reason some old things are lovely
Warm still with the life of forgotten men who made them.

― D.H. Lawrence
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