Would this be a good idea - adding hops?

[Asahikun]

A guy who runs a mail order beer site made a small mistake with my order and sent me 15g Goldings by way of an apology.
I always use kits and know nothing about using hops so................would this work/be a good idea......
I'm currently brewing a whispering wheat beer from Black Rock (it contains 1 tin extract and 500g sugar).
I have some small stainless steel mesh balls that are designed for making tea. I sterilise a couple, put the 15g of Goldings in there and drop them in my primary a week before bottling.
Sorry if this is a ridiculous idea, I just don't like to see the hops go to waste.
Would Goldings complement the whispering wheat beer?
Is 15g too much to throw in there for a week?
Help! I have absolutely no idea about hops.

[mmmBeer...]

I am sure it will turnout fine. 15g is not a lot of hops especially when dealing golding, which is not particularly strong.

The only thing is that it may be out of style for a wheat beer, which is normally low in hop levels. But I am sure it will be fine…probably just a wheat beer with a pleasant mild floral smell and taste to it :)

[brewmonkey]

As it is a dry hop the only thing it will impart is some flavor and aroma. This is what brewing is about, experimentation. Give it a whirl and see what happens. Might be the best one you ever make.

[Asahikun]

Mmmthanks for the reply.
My next brew will be an English IPA. Would the Goldings be more suited to that?
Is there anything wrong with my method of dropping the stainless steel mesh balls into the primary for the last week or so (I don't have a secondary)?

[b3s]

given a choice, i'd dry hope the IPA over the other...just my preference, YMMV.

[Payson]

The mesh balls work well. Just sanitize them well.

[evilredlight]

I have made a "black rock whispering wheat" and it doesn't taste like much, I would add hops to the wheat and i would boil the heck out of them with the wort or boil them and include the water in the primry. My experience with the whispering wheat was quite tastless and the ipa is already going to be quite hoppy.

[sallad]

given a choice, i'd dry hop the IPA over the other

i agree.. dry hop the IPA. just make the hops are in a sealed, air tight bag, and they'll keep just fine in the refrigerator for a few weeks while you wait to make your next brew

[mortong]

Hmm, those mesh tea balls are a good idea. I may have to try that.

Just to show you that everyone's taste varies - I'd try using them in the Wheat. Sure, it's more to style using them in the IPA, but they'll be completely covered up by all the other hops already included in there.

If you use them in your wheat, you'll get a better idea of what EKG tastes like. It may be off from what the brewing style says it should be - but you're not making this batch to win competitions.

Also, please keep in mind that I love EKG, and would put copious amounts in my hard cider if I didn't know that no one but me would drink it!

Good luck and (most importantly) HAVE FUN!

[Asahikun]

Thanks for the replies.
Mmmm, decisions, decisions. I'm tempted to just throw them in the wheat when I remove the blow off and see what happens.
I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Asahikun]

Just in case anyone is curious how it turned out..........

Ended up dry hopping the whispering wheat for about 4 days. Colder temps have meant that it's taking a little longer to carbonate.
Well, it's definitely got a slight aromatic smell and flavour that I don't believe came from the extract so I'm glad I did it. It's good but not great which just leads me to one conclusion:
I will never brew with sugar again! That's it! Prime with sugar if I have to but, brew with sugar, no.
If I were a college kid looking for a cheap buzz, then fine. But I'm not, and will never, ever sacrifice the taste of any brew I make for a few lousy pence/yen/cents/baht/kroner/riel/ ever again.
Excuse the rant but I've just realised that it's really not worth the time, effort and dedication I put into it to have something turn out "alright". If I want "alright", I'll just go out and buy some cans. If I want better, I'll make my own and it won't have any damn sugar in it.
Luckily I have an all-malt brew which will be ready around the 20th so I'm all set for Christmas. Cheers to everyone who took the time to help out.

[evilredlight]

well I wonder if it is the type or the maker, (blackrock not you) that is terrible? Have you used other blackrock kits?

i brewed the same kit and I didn't like it at all, nevermind ok. I admit that I didn't realize when it said 5 gallons it was most likey US gallons and I used imperial, so it was quite weak, but it was also pretty plain and bubbley almost champane like.

I gave most to a friend who stated "i'd drink it, if it were around", not an incredibly favourable endorsement to say the least.

[Asahikun]

I always brew with Blackrock kits and have really liked all the beers I have brewed. This one was recommended to me by a friend who's a big stout fan so I was quite surprised when I tried it. Yeah, it's pretty damn light. It would no doubt be better if I had doubled up on extract instead of using sugar. As I said, I won't be brewing with sugar anymore.