Anyone know what the best approach to making some flavoring from hops would be? I have a ton of different strains of hops (pellets) and was wondering what the best approach would be to convert them into some PG based flavors.
I would like to make a nice fruity/citrusy blend of: Mosaic, Citra, Cascade, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin (similar to what you might use to make a hazy New England style IPA.
Thanks in advance!
I wish I could help you on this topic but I have not a clue…just wanted to say what an awesome name!
A while back @BoDarc had a thread about coffee bean extracts. He inquired about using a centrifuge to work on this problem. I experimented with an extraction that used UltraSonic and then separation using a centrifuge. I got rather good results with it, and created a decent coffee vape using the method.
I think this technique might be worth try with your hops. If you want to PM me I can give you my address and if you want to send me a sample of the Hops I could experiment with this technique and send you back a few experimental extracts just for the purpose of exploring this interesting territory.
You can see my reply to his thread here: But also be sure to read the entire thread as it had a lot of interesting information in it.
You really need to research the chemistry a little to see if there are any potential issues with toxicity. if that sort of thing is over your head, I can quickly run the necessary literature research for you, as that sort of thing is in my wheel-house. Let me know:
@Kinnikinnick could possibly have the knowledge to get you headed in the right direction , he is the net master using tobacco’s . I wish you luck, the possibility of using hops would be awesome!
Yes, definitely @Kinnikinnick can guide you to his thread references that describe his “hot bump start” PG tobacco extraction techniques, and you should absolutely give that a try as well. Typically, with tobacco, the maceration time is anywhere from 3 to 6 months in a cool dark closet after the bump start, but the results are outstanding.
Also, if you have a brew store that can supply you with fresh hop “buds” you might want to give that a try as well. The pellets might have less of a flavor profile, or a different profile, so a series of comparison tests between those two feedstock types might be a worth while experiment.
@umop-apisdn & @50YearsOfCigars … perhaps after a bit of PM action, we can come back and report on this for the community. 
Awesome! I think it would be a fun niche for e-liquids. There are some great flavor notes that come out of different hop combinations: citrusy, piney, fruity, etc…
Since you mention beer… were you wanting the flavor/aroma profile from hops or isomerized hops?
If we are talking the latter, it sounds like “vaping in the dark” would be in order. (at least for me 
)
haha, i was talking about flavor/aroma.
wait a minute …wait a minu …are we talking about taking a plain flavorless carbonated beer-like 5% PGA “base” (We’ll call it Xima) …and making like an instant beer by adding Hops concentrates? (We’ll call it Buzzwiser) …we’re still talking e-liquids right? 
In my example I combined the diluent and the solids under slight pressure (Home-safe) and then quickly depressurize a couple times to do an “infusion”. I also used heat and USC. The idea being, a little pressurization drives the liquid into the (hops in this case) and boosts extraction.
Now I’m Imagining a soda fountain-like delivery system with a huge tank of unflavored Malt beverage, then a multiple tap dispenser hooked up to various “syrup” tanks …Tsshhhhhtt! Instant IPA Tsshhhhhtt! Gimme one of them Belgian Ales!
“Tsshhhhhtt” also being the sound you make when pushed off some dock in Baltimore sportin’ a fresh pair of Cement Shoes for destroying 5,000 years of Beer Brewing tradition 
Maybe your technique that u used with the coffee beans produce what @umop-apisdn is after, I assume he is looking for a concentrate that he could add to a -e-reciepie at a few percent to add flavor profiles like what he states here :
I think it would be a fun niche for e-liquids. There are some great flavor notes that come out of different hop combinations: citrusy, piney, fruity, etc…
He offered in a PM to send me some pellet hop samples, and in return I offered to give my coffee bean technique a whirl and send back to him the result. he will be the judge if it works or not.
Do you want to throw your hat in the ring and he can have more samples to flavor test? Let me know if you want to get an INVITE to the PM…
I see where you’re going with this, very interesting haha! I don’t know if it would be possible to turn Coors Light into something drinkable…
Yes, I’m talking about creating some specific hop flavors as e-liquid flavorings.
I really like the centrifuge idea. I worry about solids, but mostly accidentally extracted toxic byproducts… even with my simple Oak Cube infusions. Perhaps one of the benefits of chemical synthesis or compounding of known components is you can be confident of final ingredients in that resulting Flavor.
While a great personal dive into the Curious, I shy away from recommending to the general DIY Community and keep it out here in the “unregulated” fringe. So is anyone centrifuging Tobacco NETs? [chuckling] Do we need a new thread “Centrifuging for the Unfamiliar” on how to make your own centrifuge with an old computer fan 
Yep…
Is this a proven idea? I would be concerned about total speed and spinning that kind of weight around going into the project. I’m leaning more toward an attachment for a high speed drill or dremel. I use 15 ml centrifuge tubes for my flavor testing cuz there cheap in bulk. I place one inside a 50ml free standing flat bottom centrifuge tube on my scale for mixing.
Toxicity is a subject that is very important, Over in the PM that is going on right now about this whole idea of HOPS, we are trashing that out and I will cross post some of it here in this thread in a day or two. Give us a little time on that.
But in the meantime, i don’t want to further derail here off of HOPS, so I will leave my comment regards creation of toxic or unwanted compounds or by-product to another thread/ and time. I seriously thought of starting a thread at one time about exactly that when the subject of so-called WTA came up. -Anyway I think you might be confusing a few apples and oranges in you above comment, but I get the gist of where you are going, and these are valid concerns, just too much of a subject to hash out here… Thanks for understanding
It was pretty easy to search for DIY centrifuge on YT and what I came away with was how bad an idea it would be to have a load of Tobacco NETs burst in your “lab”. One of the first things you see in commercial centrifuges is they are enclosed in a SS housing and more importantly highly balanced with a continuous rated high-speed motor. Some of the DIY attempts burned up motors from being off balanced.
A funny idea …and a shortcut to the ER looks like …saw some funny ones tho. “Don’t try this at home” would be my advice
Hey? Have any links for a low-cost commercial centrifuge for our type use? Maybe start a new Centrifuge thread (recommend) Thanks guys interesting side topic
Ok back on topic HOPS!
i’ve made pg infusions using various “dank” hops pellets and flowers (fresh), can’t remember what strains or even my source but they MUST be fresh because the flowers/pellets tend to lose potency rather quickly. even in vacuum-sealed bags.
so anyways, i guess what i was going for was an authentic MJ-type flavor and it was very accurate…i guess…on second thought, i might have made it too strong (i.e. by letting it steep too long in the hops and possibly from failing to dilute the finished product…just fyi it was a green-honey color and much thicker consistency than plain pg once i let it soak for 2 weeks and then strained off the plant matter). but anyways, i think i soaked it too long or something because not only did i transfer the piney/citrusey/skunky notes, but i also got some of the bitterness from the hops. and personally i didn’t like this. it actually made for a stale beer note, and if i remember correctly, this was fixed by dilution after the fact.
but regardless, it tasted very MJ-like but i stopped experimenting because i didn’t like the idea of vaping nicotine that smelled like i was smoking pot. just a personal preference i guess and i really didn’t want to get “busted” for doing something relatively silly. I guess i kinda discovered that the taste of weed is sorta pungent and not all that enjoyable when it has zero effect.
but i will say this as an aside. hops itself has some medicinal value as a sedative (not much but still). and as i chain-vaped my undiluted hops extract, i most definitely began to feel a weird sedating effect that I cannot explain other than to say that i didn’t really like it. and iirc it made my throat kinda hurt too. maybe this will answer some of your questions…
If you’re looking to create an MJ type of flavor, you would probably get the best results using actual MJ. Not sure where you live, but if you’re in the US, it’s legal in a lot of states now. And since PG will not extract the THC and would most likely only extract the flavor/aroma, then you would not have to worry about getting high from it. That skunky essence you get from hops is very different than that of from MJ. however, i too, think that trying to create something that smells like weed is sort of an oxymoron since you might as well just smoke weed in the first place.
I’m trying to get the actual hops flavors, and a little bitterness is realistic, so that’s not a concern. as far as the sedative properties of hops, they’re insignificant. if anyone is concerned about that, they should probably avoid drinking beer. but a lot of people enjoy the effects beer has, whether they’re from the alcohol or something else.