Brewing with Sourdough Starter and Hops: What Happens?
Brewing with Sourdough Starter and Hops: What Happens?
Can you brew a beer with a sourdough starter and hops? Will it still be sour or did the hops kill the fun? Let’s dive into my latest one-gallon brew day experiment to find out.
A New Twist on Sourdough Brewing
After my first successful sourdough beer—made with no hops and packed with puckering sourness—I wanted to find out what happens if you add hops to the mix. So, for this second batch, I kept nearly everything the same. Same equipment (the iGulu F1), same 500g of medium DME, same sourdough starter. The only difference? I brewed a hop tea and added it to the wort.
Hop Tea Specs:
-
Hops Used: 20g Athanum (5.2% AA)
-
IBU Target: ~30–35, based on a 20-minute boil equivalency
-
Method: Boiling water poured over the hops and added as tea
Brewing Process
-
Hop Tea: Poured boiling water over 20g of Athanum hops, steeped, then added to fermenter.
-
Fermenter: iGulu F1 filled to the waterline, 1 Gallon.
-
Ingredients: Added sourdough starter first, then 500g medium DME.
-
Fermentation Temp: Started at 18°C (64°F), just like the previous batch.
Just like before, fermentation was under pressure, hitting around 22–23 PSI. But unlike last time, it took 3 days to build up pressure instead of 2, suggesting the hops may have slowed bacterial activity.
So… Did It Still Get Sour?
YES—but not as sour.
It was fruity, lightly tart, and more beer-like than the first version. The hops clearly moderated the bacteria in the sourdough, but didn’t stop fermentation or kill the yeast.
Final Gravity: 1.015, same as the un-hopped batch.
Tasting Notes
-
Look: Murky, extract beers aren’t beauty queens.
-
Aroma: Light fruitiness, no funk.
-
Taste: Balanced, soft sourness with a light hop bitterness.
-
Head: Creamy and rich.
Lab Doctor’s Analysis
Our lab doctor confirmed it fermented out just like the previous batch. So hops didn’t kill fermentation. But the sourness? That’s another story—it was clearly toned down.
What’s Next?
I’m already planning:
-
A super bitter sourdough beer
-
Dry hopping experiments
-
A Tzatziki Beer
-
A Pizza Beer
-
A sour banana wheat beer
These experiments are only just heating up.
Get Involved
Got your own sourdough brew ideas? Let me know in the comments!
And if you want to go deeper into this rabbit hole: 👉 Watch the full video here
Social Media and Contact Information:
Instagram: @drhansbrewery
Facebook: @drhansbrewery
Webpage: https://drhansbrewery.com
Contact Email: drhansbrewery@gmail.com
Get 20% Off iGulu Gear (Code: DRHAN20)
👉 https://igulu.com/?sca_ref=6679834.Gm6UfWKv2R
Support and Merchandise Links:
- 📚 Learn the art of homebrewing alongside me: https://solo.to/drhansbrewery
- 🛒 Check out the gear that elevates my brewing and video game on Amazon: http://bit.ly/drhanssf
- 📘 Grab your FREE brewing ebook on my website: http://bit.ly/DrHans
- 💰 Loved the blog? Buy me a virtual beer! https://bit.ly/ByMEaBEER 🍻 Cheers!
- Support my content on Patreon from just $2/month: https://bit.ly/2V5Zsgz
- 💼 Become a channel member for access to exclusive content: https://bit.ly/3fVQav7
- 🙏 Donate to DrHans via PayPal: https://bit.ly/DonateDrHans
- 👕 Check out my exclusive merch! Unique items await at my shop: https://bit.ly/DrHans-Merch
Recent Comments