Description
Although commonly added to heavily dry hopped beers, using ALDC during fermentation can benefit any beer style by reducing Diacetyl production. Brewing hops all contain the naturally occurring enzyme AMG or amyloglucosidase which breaks down long chain sugars into simple sugars that yeast can ferment. The reason hop creep is a relatively new phenomenon is due to the changing ways in which hops are dried and processed. As brewers started to demand more aromatics from their hops, growers began to lower the kilning temperatures to preserve volatile oils. This led to higher levels of AMG left on the hops as well, where they were previously denatured at the higher kilning temperatures. With more AMG present on the hops, dry hopping now leads to more fermentation activity and higher levels of Diacetyl produced after the primary fermentation is complete. Although the simplest remedy to hop creep is time—waiting for the yeast to naturally clean up the extra Diacetyl—ALDC is a great way to reduce conditioning time and the risk of off-flavors in your finished beer.
The recommended shelf life is 12 months from the date the package is opened.