Hop creep can be subtle and develop slowly. If dry hop beer is not properly monitored or controlled, it may spread into the beer after it leaves the brewery. This means that unsuspecting drinkers may be the first to notice a change in the beer’s flavor (buttery, with a higher alcohol content than stated on the label), or the beer bottle may burst due to over-pressurization.
What can cause hops creep?
“This may be particularly problematic for hazy/juicy styles of beer where yeast counts and hopping rates are both high,” write Oregon State University (OSU) hops researchers Arnbjørn Stokholm and Thomas Shellhammer in a technical brief published by the Brewers Association.
To study biochemistry more in-depth, there is evidence that hops contain starch decomposition (also known as starch explanation) enzymes, which can convert long-chain, non-fermentable dextrins into fermentable sugars. These enzymes may become inert when boiling. But, when they are added to unpasteurized beer, it is believed that any live yeast that remains suspended will act on these sugars, resulting in a gradual secondary fermentation.
What are the effects of hop creep?
| Attributes | The effect of hop creep | Why it matters | Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | Active yeast will metabolize new fermentable sugars and produce more alcohol. | The flavor effect of extra alcohol. May throw away untimely beer. | Low/Medium |
| Carbon dioxide | Active yeast will metabolize new fermentable sugars and produce additional carbon dioxide. | The extra carbon dioxide in the packaged beer can cause excessive carbonation. Also, the increase in pressure may cause the container to burst-this is a dangerous situation. | High |
| Diacetyl | Active yeast secretes acetolactate during fermentation, which is then oxidized to form diacetyl compounds. | Perceived as butter or butterscotch in the taste of beer. Generally, diacetyl is considered a flaw in most beer styles, especially when the content is relatively high. | High |
| Taste | Enzymes related to hops decompose the primary fermentation, leaving behind non-fermentable dextrin. | These dextrins are responsible for the body and taste of beer. Less dextrin will cause the beer to have less body and taste, and affect other beer attributes, such as bitterness and malt flavor. | Medium |
| Finish | Active yeast metabolizes new fermentable sugars, divides and reduces the final specific gravity of the beer. | Beers with a lower final specific gravity are generally considered to have a drier, more refreshing flavor. Like taste, this may also affect the perceived level of other attributes in beer. | Medium |
| Production time | It takes longer to complete the brewing and clear the diacetyl test. | Extend beer fermentation time, consume fermentation space and other resources. | Low |
What are the factors that affect hop creep?
- Time: The longer the hops and beer are mixed, the more their enzymes can break down the dextrins left by the primary fermentation. In turn, active yeast converts these sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide, and other chemical by-products, some of which are harmful (for example, the precursors that produce diacetyl).
- Temperature: Generally, a higher temperature will result in a higher level of yeast fermentation activity. These warm temperatures may also induce unhealthy yeast cells to re-enter fermentation.
- The number of hops: More hops equals more enzymes to break down dextrin.
- Hop processing: Before hops are distributed to brewers, they go through a dehydration or “drying” process. This process prevents hops from spoiling during distribution and storage. Hop producers will heat the hops. If the heat is high enough and the correct time is applied, most of the enzymes responsible for hop creep will be denatured.
- Hop varieties: Just like different hop varieties have different oil content and composition, the enzyme activity varies with hop varieties.
- The beer itself: Dry hop processing on beer containing a lot of residual sugar in time will produce more fermentable sugars from hop creep. In other words, the IPA that completes the primary fermentation at a specific gravity of 1.010 has a lower hop creep probability than the IPA that is completed at a specific gravity of 1.020, and other conditions are the same.
Will all hops cause hop creep?
How to prevent hop creep?
- Filter or pasteurize finished beer. The only way to truly completely eliminate hop creep, filtration, or pasteurization will remove live yeast from the equation and stop further fermentation.
- Reduce the level of dry hops. Transfer some dried hops to the whirlpool (before fermentation), where they are unlikely to cause enzymatic problems.
- Refrigerate your beer. Hop creep depends on temperature. If you can ensure that the finished beer is stored in cold storage, it will significantly reduce the enzyme and fermentation activity.
- Design “creep” in the formula/process. Some beer manufacturers deliberately reduce the dilution and carbonation of beer, assuming that hop creep will occur in the finished bottle/barrel. Although this will not solve the potential diacetyl problem, it can help over-carbonated/over-diluted beer. But, it may be difficult to determine how much “creep” there is.
- Dry Hop Earlier. Although there is not much research on this, some brewers believe that dry hops that are closer to fermentation will give hop enzymes and yeast time to work before the beer is packaged, thereby reducing the scope of the hop creep problem.
- Use sulfite/sulfate to reduce yeast activity. Although it is not suitable for bottles under natural conditions, you can consider adding potassium metabisulfite (and possibly potassium sorbate) to the small barrel to inhibit further fermentation. These additives are widely used in the wine/mead industry as preservatives and inhibit further fermentation.
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