Hopper: Questions From The Community

What is a Hopper? A small vial of hop oils allowing you to have freshly-hopped beer at home for the first time. The Hopper is to be used during the brewing process, adding a burst of hops to your beer, whilst maximising freshness before you tap. 

When do you add the Hopper to the Pinter? 

Add your Hopper after you complete the ‘brewing’ stage of the instructions, this will be once the beer has fermented. 

Step One: Check Pinter instructions and complete the ‘brewing stage’  

Step Two: Keep your Pinter in the same position with the Brewing Dock at the bottom and the Hopping Cap facing up at the top

Step Three: Unscrew the Hopping Cap at the back and place to one side 

Step Four: Take your Hopper and remove the metal screw cap, but DO NOT remove the foil seal 

Step Five: Twist the Hopper into the back of your Pinter allowing time for the hop oils to go into the Pinter 

Step Six: Remove the Hopper and replace with the Hopping Cap  

Step Seven: Now start the ‘conditioning’ stage

Why are there different levels of hop oils in the Hopper? 

Some people in the Fresh Beer Community have noticed that on occasion there are different levels of hop oils in their Hopper’s. This is no cause for concern, and we wanted to shed some light on why this is happening…

Inside the Hopper is a mix of hop oils and a carrying agent to help the oil infuse it into the Pinter. The carrying agent expands and contracts due to temperature changes, for example a Hopper which is kept in the fridge would look different to one kept in the cupboard. 

The important thing to note is although the carrying agent may fluctuate, the level of hop oils will always stay the same. So, having more, or less oil won’t impact the flavour of your Fresh Beer or Cider. 

Changes to the Hopper design 

Recently we announced there had been a change to the shape of the Hopper, since then there has been some confusion around which Hopper is the old one and which is the new one.  

If you notice you have an old Hopper, please get in touch with our Customer Care team and someone will be able to assist you.