# Least Favourite Hop?



## rbtmc (10/6/14)

Hey all, 

Keen to see what everybody here considers their least favourite hop;
Whether you've brewed with it, or simply tasted it in a commercial example.

I'll start: Pride of Ringwood


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## wereprawn (10/6/14)

Nelson sauvin buy a mile.


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## Ducatiboy stu (10/6/14)

Mouldy ones


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## danestead (10/6/14)

Ride of ringwood also. Mainly due to the link with the cats piss they serve at most pubs. Also Belma, beer tasted like strawberry jam, gross.


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## GrumpyPaul (10/6/14)

The one I dont have in the freezer when I need it....


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## thedragon (10/6/14)

Pride of Ringwood. It just doesn't do it for me.


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## bullsneck (10/6/14)

Galaxy or Sorachi Ace.


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## fletcher (10/6/14)

fresh pride of ringwood is amazing. don't judge the hop on megaswill. use it in your own beer and judge it.

fuggles however. tastes like dirt.


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## manticle (10/6/14)

Galaxy and nelson. I don't blame the cat piss on pride of ringworm. Drinking an hb beer with it now. Quite tasty.


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## rbtmc (10/6/14)

manticle said:


> I don't blame the cat piss on pride of ringworm. Drinking an hb beer with it now. Quite tasty.


Did you use it as a strictly bittering addition? I'll be honest, I've haven't brewed with it.
Most macro's these days probably use it for isohop which no doubt makes it even lamer.

I recall a brewery doing an all PoR APA/IPA? Anybody try that?


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## dicko (10/6/14)

Dont blame POR on megaswill.....that is an isohop in mega swill that no one at home can reproduce.

A hop that has let me down big time is Artahmon (sp) I think it is neither fruity or full on dirt flavour ( like Fuggle)
I will never use it again.


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## rbtmc (10/6/14)

wereprawn said:


> Nelson sauvin buy a mile.


Tricky hop to utilize. I've made a nice beer with it incorporated in an APA with some other hops.
I've also made a terrible beer with it as a smash if I recall.
I guess it's a Love/Hate hop, but if you are careful with it you can probably convert the haters.


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## manticle (10/6/14)

rtbmc- Usually beers I make with it are not hoppy types so it's earlier in the boil but I've always argued you get flavour from bittering additions.
As far as I'm aware, isohop is purely alpha acids in solution and doesn't relate to any particular strain. CUB definitely use por in at least some of their beers (pellets) or at least they did a few years ago. There are other hop extracts besides iso, some of which are resistant to skunking.


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## danestead (10/6/14)

manticle said:


> Galaxy and nelson. I don't blame the cat piss on pride of ringworm. Drinking an hb beer with it now. Quite tasty.


Should I say, megaswill has ruined PoR so much that I will not use it. It is the general use of PoR in megaswill and the fact I dont want any connection with that piss at all!


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## rbtmc (10/6/14)

dicko said:


> Dont blame POR on megaswill.....that is an isohop in mega swill that no one at home can reproduce.


Fair call. But have you made an exceptional beer with it?



dicko said:


> A hop that has let me down big time is Artahmon (sp) I think it is neither fruity or full on dirt flavour ( like Fuggle)
> I will never use it again.


Ahtanum. I've had sucess (having said that it was a fruit salad mix of hops in the sole brew I used it in)
Could have been stale? I've had some bad batches of Amarillo:-
(Used different bags in separate DS'GA clones and one batch was more floral than yo mother's perfume and the other was blander than a choice cigarette at an Amsterdam coffee shop).


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## Black Devil Dog (10/6/14)

I guess my least favourite at the moment is Fuggles, but I just used it in a batch on the weekend, so hopefully that will come out ok and help to change my opinion.

Love PoR as a first wort addition in combo with late Hallertau Mitt in my lagers. I wonder if some of the haters go with the popular opinion without giving it a proper go.

I've used NelsonSauv and the recipients who I served it up to, disliked it so much that they couldn't finish it. I like it and others who've tried it like it also, but it's far from a favourite.


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## Dan Pratt (10/6/14)

for me its the following:

Perle
Nelson Sav
Chinook


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## RobB (10/6/14)

Nelson Sauvin. It's tom cat in a glass.


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## Judanero (10/6/14)

Sorachi Ace. Used in an IPA :icon_vomit:


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## rbtmc (10/6/14)

manticle said:


> I've always argued you get flavour from bittering additions.


I've made a few single-hop/single-addition (60min) no-chills lately and that is, without a doubt, a fact.


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## rbtmc (10/6/14)

Judanero said:


> Sorachi Ace. Used in an IPA :icon_vomit:


I've heard bad things about this hop but "Brooklyn Sorachi Ace" is a Single Hop Saison and they used this hop for bittering; dry-hop, maybe more and it got a 98 on ratebeer.
I guess maybe it's just not suited for IPA.


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## wereprawn (10/6/14)

rbtmc said:


> Tricky hop to utilize. I've made a nice beer with it incorporated in an APA with some other hops.
> I've also made a terrible beer with it as a smash if I recall.
> I guess it's a Love/Hate hop, but if you are careful with it you can probably convert the haters.


Not likely mate. I've tried it in a couple of brews. One was undrinkable and the other ( an APA with a lot of other strong flavoured hops and a small addition of NS) still tasted like someone poured plonk in my beer. I see you liked your own post. On ya.


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## fletcher (10/6/14)

danestead said:


> Should I say, megaswill has ruined PoR so much that I will not use it. It is the general use of PoR in megaswill and the fact I dont want any connection with that piss at all!


i can say from experience, when trying to make a megaswill rip off for mates, it was marvelous. just pale malt a bit of crystal and POR at 60 to 25 ibu. tasted NOTHING like megaswill. give it a go. i don't even think you'd be able to judge them on the same basis. completely different flavour than that isohop garbage


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## rbtmc (10/6/14)

wereprawn said:


> Not likely mate. I've tried it in a couple of brews. One was undrinkable and the other still tasted like someone poured plonk in my beer.


Fair enough. Understand it's not for everybody (most?)




wereprawn said:


> I see you liked your own post. On ya.



Hahaa! Oops.


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## MarkBastard (10/6/14)

I don't hate it but find Saaz way over rated.


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## rbtmc (10/6/14)

Mark^Bastard said:


> I don't hate it but find Saaz way over rated.


How do you find the NZ variants?
B Saaz/Motueka & D Saaz/Riwaka?


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## yum beer (10/6/14)

Another vote for Nelson Sauvin....can't stand the stuff in general. Do recall drinking something recently that listed it in the ingredients and it was drinkable but was mixed with a few others.


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## Kranky (10/6/14)

POR, just can't stand it. Then Nelson Sauvin.


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## Ducatiboy stu (10/6/14)

Why is everyone against POR and NS.

POR is very good if used for bittering under 35IBU

Nelson Sav is another hop that is VERY strong. So use it as designed. 

POR & NS are not designed for late hoping. 

POR @30 IBU 60min with 5-10IBU Saaz at aroma/flav is very nice.

Use hops for what they are designed for. Not just what you iPad app says


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## jyo (10/6/14)

Perle. I got a minty beer from it that wasn't mintox. Won't go there again.

All you POR bashes- Fresh POR flowers in a Coopers clone are really good!


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## Ducatiboy stu (10/6/14)

jyo said:


> All you POR bashes- Fresh POR flowers in a Coopers clone are really good!


Brother.

POR + Saaz = Nice


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## fletcher (10/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Why is everyone against POR and NS.
> 
> POR is very good if used for bittering under 35IBU
> 
> ...


i'm going to say inexperience in using it. i'd like to know the amount of people who hate POR and have used it versus the amount of people hating on it because it is "what's in swill".


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## Bridges (11/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Brother.
> 
> POR + Saaz = Nice


POR + Saaz = Coopers mild

Great beer!


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## MastersBrewery (11/6/14)

I have yet to find a hop I REALLY dislike, yeah I did kill a beer with nelson, but that was my [email protected]*( up. I find when I follow what has gone before, that is listen to you guys, about the way you use a certain hop in a beer, I usually go pretty well. Every hop has a best use, be that bittering, flavour, or aroma, yeah some are multi purpose but within limits. Obviously some hop combinations just don't work, such is life.

MB


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## menoetes (11/6/14)

Sorachi ace is getting a bit bashed which is a shame, I heard it was quite lemony and was thinking about hopping a cerveza with it. I might rethink that.

I gotta say that I love galaxy and have used NS twice as a small mid-boil addition with other hops in pale and golden ales with success but never on its own.

I'm not a fan of AU Summer though, had a single hopped IPA with it and it left a bad off-fruit taste in my mouth. Having said that, I haven't brewed with it myself.


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## Kranky (11/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Why is everyone against POR and NS.
> 
> POR is very good if used for bittering under 35IBU
> 
> ...


Not everyone likes the same flavours. I've had a lot of commercial beers with those hops, including one of my favourite NZ breweries (Garage Project), and I've liked none of them. I just don't like the flavours they give no matter how they are used.

Suggesting that people don't like those hops because they don't know how to brew with them is pretty silly.


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## mje1980 (11/6/14)

I agree. One bad experience ( which may be brewed error ) isn't enough to write it off. Also hops vary from crop to crop. I loved Amarillo but when I got the next batch it wasn't as nice as the previous batch. I thought NS was awesome, but you have to be careful with it. Same as galaxy. Not a bad hop, you just need to work out the best way to use it


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## lukiferj (11/6/14)

Nelson is my least favourite by a long way. Only hop that I have brewed with that I didn't like. Also, never found a commercial beer that I really enjoyed with this hop either. Drinkable, but not amazing to my tastes.


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## Donske (11/6/14)

Sorachi Ace is quite average, just doesn't taste right to me.

Fuggles are horrible.

Columbus is not a hop I go out of my way to use.


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## lukiferj (11/6/14)

Donske said:


> Sorachi Ace is quite average, just doesn't taste right to me.
> 
> Fuggles are horrible.
> 
> Columbus is not a hop I go out of my way to use.


All comes down to taste. I use columbus a lot and absolutely love it.


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## Spiesy (11/6/14)

I'm going to call my list "most overrated" hops, for my personal preference:

Nelson Sauvin, Sorachi Ace and Centennial… yep I said it. Centennial.

Mind you, whilst NS and SA are getting a bit of a flogging, I do find them to be very interesting hops - they certainly cast some very unique flavours, which can bring something special to the table. I.e. the Brooklyn SA Saison we had at Brew v Cru (GBW), paired with seafood - was an amazing match.


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## goomboogo (11/6/14)

Marco Polo.


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## rehab (11/6/14)

Spiesy said:


> I'm going to call my list "most overrated" hops, for my personal preference:
> 
> Nelson Sauvin, Sorachi Ace and Centennial… yep I said it. Centennial.
> 
> Mind you, whilst NS and SA are getting a bit of a flogging, I do find them to be very interesting hops - they certainly cast some very unique flavours, which can bring something special to the table. I.e. the Brooklyn SA Saison we had at Brew v Cru (GBW), paired with seafood - was an amazing match.


Ouch, Centennial? The only thing I recommend against is a big Dry Hop with it as it turns vegital and grassy with ease. I hate a few noble hops but that is due to preference around style rather than the hop themselves.


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## manticle (11/6/14)

@stu - I agree that hops need to be used judiciously. I've never used the ones in my list in my own beer - it's commercial examples that make me not want to.
Bridgeport also use hops with an onion/garlic character I don't like. Might be summit.


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## sponge (11/6/14)

Citra, styrians and saaz.

Can't make good beers with any of them..



But on a more serious note, I haven't had too many hops I didn't like, I've just used them in the wrong way. NS being one of them..


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## Spiesy (11/6/14)

stillinrehab said:


> Ouch, Centennial? The only thing I recommend against is a big Dry Hop with it as it turns vegital and grassy with ease. I hate a few noble hops but that is due to preference around style rather than the hop themselves.


I thought that might raise some eyebrows. 

I don't hate it. But I certainly don't rave on about it like a lot of people, in fact - quite the opposite.
People call it "super cascade" - but I get much, much DEEPER flavours than Cascade. Almost medicinal, cough-syrup vibes - and a fair bit of "dank".

I am probably on my own here… but horses for intercourses etc etc.


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## SimoB (11/6/14)

Haven't had a bad experience yet with a hop. If i had to say... Summer.

I have a massive brew fermenting away showcasing Summer so hopefully that changes my view.


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## mosto (11/6/14)

Not seeing much love for POR and Galaxy. The beer I brew most often is an Oz Pale Ale with POR used for bittering and Galaxy for flavour/aroma. I've tweaked the additions each time but think I have it pretty close to having them how I want. The key, for me, was to get just enough earthiness coming through from the POR to balance the full on fruitiness of the Galaxy. It's a bit of a delicate balance, but when you get it right I think they really work well together.


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## MetalRooster (11/6/14)

Sorachi Ace. Not that I've used it, but based on every beer i've tasted, commercial and friends brews, that has used it I quite dislike... so I don't intend to use it.


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## SJW (11/6/14)

I dont like POR or Fuggles.
My favorites at the moment are Nelson Sav, Galaxy and Citra mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## jyo (11/6/14)

sponge said:


> Citra, *styrians* and saaz.
> 
> Can't make good beers with any of them..
> 
> ...


*Thou doth sin! Heretic!*


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## Dan Pratt (11/6/14)

jyo said:


> *Thou doth sin! Heretic!*


I think he was joking.....lol.



sponge said:


> Citra, styrians and saaz.
> 
> Can't make good beers with any of them..
> 
> But on a more serious note.........


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

sponge said:


> Citra, styrians and saaz.
> 
> Can't make good beers with any of them....


One of my best beers is made with only Saaz..

But its not the greatest for dry hoping. As many have found out.


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## Dave70 (11/6/14)

Liquid hop extract.

Oh hang on, that's what Duvel uses, so I _must_ to like it. 


That said, I'll never make NS the 'star' again. Could have subbed by dry hopping with a large under ripe grapefruit.


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## Bribie G (11/6/14)

rbtmc said:


> [POR] Fair call. But have you made an exceptional beer with it?


Won me a sack of Maris Otter at last year's ESB comp, came first in the group. I love POR in a true Coopers Sparkling Clone fermented at below 18 degrees.

It was also the base hop (plus Hersbrucker late addition) in the Aus Premium that came second in the pale lagers in the Nationals last year.

The flowers are an outstanding hop if you can get the latest freshest batches.

Personally I don't like Mt. Hood, the only times I've used it I've had a harshness quite at odds with most American C type hops.


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## Bribie G (11/6/14)

Just to clear up a common misconception, hop extract made by extraction with supercritical CO2 is NOT isohop.

Grab a can or bottle of Oettinger or even a bottle of Melbourne Bitter, flip the top and take a deep sniff. You'll get ample hop aroma, and some hop flavour on drinking as well as bitterness. That's why VB and MB taste somewhat different, they get "dressed" with different extracts and caramels on the way to the packing lines.

Isohop is an extract of the extract used to adjust IBUs and also used in beers that intentionally have little or no hop character. It's all you could taste in Carlton Cold, when it used to be a fullstrength beer, for example.


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## lukencode (11/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> One of my best beers is made with only Saaz..
> 
> But its not the greatest for dry hoping. As many have found out.



Looking at trying saaz soon - what type of beer did you make?


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## mje1980 (11/6/14)

mosto said:


> Not seeing much love for POR and Galaxy. The beer I brew most often is an Oz Pale Ale with POR used for bittering and Galaxy for flavour/aroma. I've tweaked the additions each time but think I have it pretty close to having them how I want. The key, for me, was to get just enough earthiness coming through from the POR to balance the full on fruitiness of the Galaxy. It's a bit of a delicate balance, but when you get it right I think they really work well together.



Wait a minute, are you saying you actually brewed a few different batches with the same hop, and adjusted each new recipe to get good results?

It's way easier to just write the variety off after one batch mate, why waste your time?


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## Arghonaut (11/6/14)

Summit late in the boil....... garlic filth, only batch that i haven't been able to finish, even after letting it age. 

Love it as a bittering hop though.


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## pcmfisher (11/6/14)

Galaxy, Waimea, Fuggles.

Actually, Waimea is the worst.


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## stakka82 (11/6/14)

What did you not like about Waimea?


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## Nibbo (11/6/14)

My least favourite hop to date is amarillo...I've found it tastes similar to drinking the juice from a two fruits tin. Not my cup o tea in a beer.
In saying that, i intend on brewing with it again as I'm sure I could use it better.


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

lukencode said:


> Looking at trying saaz soon - what type of beer did you make?


Just a simple ale. 

Ale malt to about 1055sg
10% wheat
5-10% med xtal.

Bitter to a total 36 ibu
30ibu @ 60min
split the 6 ibu between flav & aroma 

If you checz Saaz you will need a fair amount as its normally only around 4% AA.


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## Bribie G (11/6/14)

Most successful Vienna I ever made was just 100% Vienna, and Saaz 60 mins only. I took it to a BABBs meeting and nobody guessed that there was only one hop addition.


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## spryzie (11/6/14)

why all the hate for fuggles?

Great in a high gravity stout.


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## RelaxedBrewer (11/6/14)

spryzie said:


> why all the hate for fuggles?
> 
> Great in a high gravity stout.


IMO they are great for flavor additions in English style beers in general.


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

Bitering with Fuggles then use EKG for the rest.


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## spryzie (11/6/14)

yeah, my stout with a 60 minute fuggles was great.

so I've just bottled another one with a 60 minute and a cube addition!


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## stakka82 (11/6/14)

Nibbo said:


> My least favourite hop to date is amarillo...I've found it tastes similar to drinking the juice from a two fruits tin. Not my cup o tea in a beer.
> In saying that, i intend on brewing with it again as I'm sure I could use it better.


Once I made an IPA predominantly with Amarillo, never again, tasted like Apricot nectar, which I am NOT a fan of.

Less is more I find, I have done a series of American wheats over the years, all single hop, and the Amarillo one was sublime.


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## Not For Horses (11/6/14)

All Fuggles Irish Red. Delicious.
PoR in Aussie ale. Delicious.
NS in Black IPA. Delicious.

There are no bad hops, just incorrect applications.


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## Dave70 (11/6/14)

spryzie said:


> why all the hate for fuggles?
> 
> Great in a high gravity stout.


Stout has hops innut?


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## RobB (11/6/14)

mje1980 said:


> Wait a minute, are you saying you actually brewed a few different batches with the same hop, and adjusted each new recipe to get good results?
> 
> It's way easier to just write the variety off after one batch mate, why waste your time?





Not For Horses said:


> ........There are no bad hops, just incorrect applications.


When you two are ready to play properly, I have some torches and pitchforks which you are are welcome to use.


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## neonmeate (11/6/14)

galaxy. topaz.
pacific gem.
i agree with whoever said centennial too. much prefer cascade.
NS has its place in a mix with other hops, like fuggles does. you want violas in the orchestra, you just don't want to hear one do a solo.


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## yum beer (11/6/14)

I love a solo viola....oh, viola...sorry.


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## tazman1967 (11/6/14)

I never used a bad hop, just put them in the wrong styles of beer.
Some hops also go really well in combos with others.. eg. EKG and Fuggles.
Horses for courses..
I cant pick a bad one, just some I dont use, buts that brewing and we all have different tastes.


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## Bribie G (11/6/14)

NZ Fuggles flowers, IMHO, out-Fuggle the original Fuggle.


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

Not For Horses said:


> There are no bad hops, just incorrect applications.


Yep


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## manticle (11/6/14)

Not For Horses said:


> All Fuggles Irish Red. Delicious.
> PoR in Aussie ale. Delicious.
> NS in Black IPA. Delicious.
> 
> There are no bad hops, just incorrect applications.


No bad hops but there are individual characters that aren't to some people's taste. I don't like cauliflower for example but I don't think it's a bad vegetable. I don't care for turkey much either.


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

Gota say....never experienced any of those flavours in any hops I have used....


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## manticle (11/6/14)

Some hops are full of turkey.


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

When they invent a bacon hop........


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## vykuza (11/6/14)

I've tried Sorachi Ace a few times now, and can't get it to work for me. I'm sure it's good in combo, but I haven't felt the drive to find out what that combo is. I don't recommend it in a hefe especially.

The hop I would put at the bottom of my list is Wai-iti - just got.... nothing. Neutral bitterness, nothing to speak of in aroma or flavour, nothing unique about it. The crop I had was around 3%, so didn't even go far as a bitterer.


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## Vini2ton (11/6/14)

This thread has shown how we wrestle with our art. That cluster shit with XXXX. And why do I muse on what the **** is that taste in Millers Draught that yes is corn and a poofteenth of what the **** of who really gives a shit. We love it. Wear it like a badge dudes. No hops? That Would be an issue.


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

Millers...really......


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## JDW81 (11/6/14)

IMHO there is no such thing as a bad hop, only inappropriate use.

Love POR in the right beer. Single hopped ale or lager is perfect for it.

Sorachi ace works well if treated carefully (Feral golden ace comes to mind - good beer IMO)

JD


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## heshtek (11/6/14)

To all the Nelson haters I'm dry hopping with 10g of it tomorrow night (hate me now). Never tasted it and hopefully it wont ruin the brew. Amarillo is my fav. I dry hopped with fuggles once and didn't like it but from what people are saying here it isn't supposed to be used for dry hopping.


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## Dan Pratt (11/6/14)

Nibbo said:


> My least favourite hop to date is amarillo...I've found it tastes similar to drinking the juice from a two fruits tin. Not my cup o tea in a beer.
> In saying that, i intend on brewing with it again as I'm sure I could use it better.


God....combine amarillo and centennial late in the boil on a Pale Ale to about 20ibu...brilliant.


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/6/14)

heshtek said:


> . Never tasted it and hopefully it wont ruin the brew. .


well....your about to find out...


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## Droopy Brew (11/6/14)

I have done 2 with NS- both variations of a FY clone. First one was great second one that I tinkered with the schedule- 3 year old bottle of chardony. I still have 70g of NS in the freezer and to scared to use it again.

Sorrachi- first brew in a wheat beer- very lemony, second time in conjunction with citra and galaxy in an IPA and one of my best beers.

Im drinking an IPA with 1/3 citra, 1/3 cascade and 1/3 chinook. First time I've used chinook and it is overpoweringly piney. I like what it brings but would halve the addition next time to balance it out.

I think all hops bring something to the table and it is absolutely about understaning their flavours and strengths to make a good beer from them.


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## bradsbrew (11/6/14)

fletcher said:


> fresh pride of ringwood is amazing. don't judge the hop on megaswill. use it in your own beer and judge it.
> 
> fuggles however. tastes like dirt.


Yes fuggles would be my least favourite. As I have said a few times, I love boiled peanuts with a beer but not boiled peanut flavoured beer


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## gaijin (11/6/14)

I can't believe only neonmate has mentioned Pacific Gem. That shit is like eating IBU100 hopberry jam. Very unpleasant/harsh blackberry flavour.

Also, if you hate galaxy, you hate S&W pacific ale. That said, it has very harsh bittering with heavy pre-45min additions.


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## Batz (11/6/14)

Some good old Aussies here.

Well done guys.

Batz


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## neonmeate (11/6/14)

yeah not a fan of s&w pacific... although many other people are, that's fine by me. pacific jam. or should i say toejam.

the more i brew the less i am able to come up with reasons to use anything other than saaz... it's the king.


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## neonmeate (11/6/14)

cultural cringe you think batz?


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## Helles (11/6/14)

Golding horrible horrible floral flavour i hate


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## mckenry (12/6/14)

It took me years to retry POR after making a beer with it and it tasting like river water. I used it late though. I have just knocked out an Aust Pale Ale using POR at 60 only. Its a really good beer. So, POR is back for me. I have tasted Citra in a mates AG and I didnt like it and I've made a late hopped APA with NS and the sauv was just a bit too much for me.
Probably stating what others have said as I didnt read the whole 5 pages, bit I reckon every hop has its 'right' use. For me, now, POR is bittering only and NS probably need restraint late. Same lesson I learnt with Galaxy.
I dont want to get O.T. but I'm finding late hopping with some high AA Americans is paying dividends! Bravo is doing it for me right now.


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## sponge (12/6/14)

jyo said:


> *Thou doth sin! Heretic!*





Ducatiboy stu said:


> One of my best beers is made with only Saaz..
> 
> But its not the greatest for dry hoping. As many have found out.





Pratty1 said:


> I think he was joking.....lol.


Yup, definitely joking about citra, styrians and saaz.

They're 3 of my favourite hops in APAs, bitters/milds and lagers, respectively.

God I could go a pint of a styrian bitter right now. A bit of marmalade in a nice warm beer would be lurvely for a cold morn'.

Looks like I know what is next on the to-brew list.


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## Midnight Brew (12/6/14)

It really is one of those "not the size but how you use it" things. Havn't come across a hop I dislike completely.

Willamette: Hated it in a pale I made, drinking it in a porter as a large flavour addition and a wonderful addition it is.
Saaz: Dry hopped was very unpleasant. In a Weizen on its own, delicious.
Citra: Sometimes I get a beautiful tropical flavour, other times I get a pleasant wood character. Fan of both.
Cascade: Always loved it but never got that grapefruit flavour.
Cluster: Made an Australian Ale with it and coopers yeast and was quiet similar to carlton draught. The old man loved it.


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## Dave70 (12/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Gota say....never experienced any of those flavours in any hops I have used....


Cock ale? 


Yuck. Keep you poultry out of my beer. And your cock.


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## DJ_L3ThAL (12/6/14)

I don't know enough and haven't tasted enough to dislike a hop yet. Sounds like I need to do a 500g 60min galaxy addition in my next saison...


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## MCHammo (12/6/14)

Droopy Brew said:


> I have done 2 with NS- both variations of a FY clone. First one was great second one that I tinkered with the schedule- 3 year old bottle of chardony. I still have 70g of NS in the freezer and to scared to use it again.


This. Exactly this. First time was great, second time was awful (bitter white wine, anyone?). That half packet of NS has been sitting in the freezer for at least 6 months now.


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## Will88 (13/6/14)

Sorachi Ace does taste like ants.


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## bradsbrew (13/6/14)

Will88 said:


> Sorachi Ace does taste like ants.


Brussel sprouts taste like yellow!


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## wereprawn (14/6/14)

bradsbrew said:


> Brussel sprouts taste like yellow!


Bullshit. They only sound like yellow.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/6/14)

bradsbrew said:


> Brussel sprouts taste like yellow!


There pretty good if steamed and served with butter & cracked pepper


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## fattox (14/6/14)

Any noble varieties unless they're a bittering addition, like in my stouts and so on. Last bo pils was early chinook late saaz and was hop forward but it just tasted like hops, no real flavour.

I'm also of the opinion PoR can be a good hop with proper utilisation.

As with belma - it was well balanced in Hassle Hop IMO with other hops


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## fattox (14/6/14)

If used well Nelson Sauvin is a great hop! I did the regal pale on big brew day and it was well balanced with cascade, whereas a friend dry hopped hers only with nelson and it was equally good


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## manticle (14/6/14)

You like nelson but dislike hallertauer, spalt, tettnanger and saaz?
Begone.


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## mje1980 (14/6/14)

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> I don't know enough and haven't tasted enough to dislike a hop yet. Sounds like I need to do a 500g 60min galaxy addition in my next saison...


Age it a few years it'll probably be great


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## Not For Horses (14/6/14)

DJ_L3ThAL said:



> I don't know enough and haven't tasted enough to dislike a hop yet. Sounds like I need to do a 500g 60min galaxy addition in my next saison...


One of the guys in our brew club did a 9% Imperial Wit with 3711 and a late galaxy addition. It won the last beerfest brew comp.


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## Weizguy (15/6/14)

Dave70 said:


> Cock ale?
> 
> 
> Yuck. Keep you poultry out of my beer. And your cock.


C'mon, just a little stir? You won't taste it in the Berliner Sauer Weisse anyway

re hops, I have these comments:

Saaz haters - Try a fresh Budvar/Budweiser. Still my #1 fave beer, but only when fresh
Chinook haters - Obtain or brew yourself an Arrogant bastard ale (or clone). Learn to appreciate the burn.
POR and Saaz - what a great combo, as used in my Fave Aussie weizen - the Matilda Bay Redback wheat beer.
Sorachi Ace - I can take it or leave it, but it has a buttery, not quite lemony (maybe lemon butter with ants?) flavour, which I tasted in a few beers at last year's Nationals (AABC) and did not enjoy.
Fat Yak - meh
Millers Genuine Draft - nice banana character, from the yeast, if you like that sort of thing

Pet hate: - Norther Brewer: Just don't like that slight piney woody (pine bark?) character, and no idea why you would DEliberately ruin a beer with it. (I believe that Oettinger have been using it a a flavour hop. Go back to using Hallertau,.. please.)


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## mrsupraboy (16/6/14)

It would have to be the one they sell at woolies or big w. It's some type of tablet I think it might even be a mixture of a few


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## Ross (16/6/14)

dicko said:


> Dont blame POR on megaswill.....that is an isohop in mega swill that no one at home can reproduce.
> 
> A hop that has let me down big time is Artahmon (sp) I think it is neither fruity or full on dirt flavour ( like Fuggle)
> I will never use it again.


Dicko, If you ever get down to Brizzy, pop into our brewery and try the Ahtanum IPA, it's a single hopped English style IPA that's a firm favourite with every one here. Beautiful fruity orange marmalade character.

In my humble opinion there isn't a bad hop out there (from reputable sources that is). It's a case of learning how to use the hop & getting the most from it...


Cheers Ross


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## dicko (16/6/14)

Ross said:


> Dicko, If you ever get down to Brizzy, pop into our brewery and try the Ahtanum IPA, it's a single hopped English style IPA that's a firm favourite with every one here. Beautiful fruity orange marmalade character.
> 
> In my humble opinion there isn't a bad hop out there (from reputable sources that is). It's a case of learning how to use the hop & getting the most from it...
> 
> ...


Ross, I will take you up on that mate....well, at least it is on my to do list.


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## menoetes (18/6/14)

mrsupraboy said:


> It would have to be the one they sell at woolies or big w. It's some type of tablet I think it might even be a mixture of a few


Is that those Brigalow finishing hop tablets they sell? I've seen them at my Big W and wondered what was in them. From memory the packet isn't enlightening either as to the contents of the tablet. Maybe it's the sweepings off of the hop warehouse floor?

I've never been curious or desperate enough to buy or use them though. Adding an unknown hop to my beer just doesn't seem like a good idea.


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## manticle (18/6/14)

It's hop oils in tablet form designed to help head retention. No flavour or bitterness.


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## DU99 (18/6/14)

Nothing mentioned about Chinese Hops


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## Ducatiboy stu (18/6/14)

Ross said:


> In my humble opinion there isn't a bad hop out there (from reputable sources that is). It's a case of learning how to use the hop & getting the most from it...
> 
> 
> Cheers Ross


So true. 

I think a lot of brewers just look at the AA% and retailer descriptions first, which is a shame, as going purely on that will give you the the wrong outcome. 

With hops, sometimes a case of less is more.


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## Three Sheets (18/6/14)

I'll say Fuggles (TBC in a fortnight). I have been tentative with POR due to adverse publicity but so far have found it ok.


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## Ducatiboy stu (18/6/14)

Three Sheets said:


> POR due to adverse publicity but so far have found it ok.


Gotta love " I used it and it was shit" ....seems to be the internet publicity rule.

God help NS.


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## mje1980 (18/6/14)

"Yeah I used hop x in my imperial chilli banana daiquiri India pale stout smoked lager and it tasted shit, I'll never use it again, blech. It would've been an awesome beer but hop x just ruined it"


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## Ducatiboy stu (18/6/14)

You forgot to mention you used a lager yeast fermented at 41.5*c.


And you didnt use a kitten....


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## ricardo (22/6/14)

For everybody who dislikes Nelson Sauvin if you ever get a chance try Nelson by Alpine brewing, it is truly an amazing beer and one of the best IPA's in the world. I was a hater before I tried this beer and I'm guessing that half the problem is that people don't use it correctly. Below is a link to a video of them making it, the amount of Nelson and Southern Cross they use are insane, watch the dry hop at the end

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fPaRrTn7yE


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## fletcher (22/6/14)

nelson is great, but i can understand how it would/can put people off because of how unique the taste is. less is more for me when using it. made a killer IPA with that and cascade once.


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## shaunous (22/6/14)

ricardo said:


> For everybody who dislikes Nelson Sauvin if you ever get a chance try Nelson by Alpine brewing, it is truly an amazing beer and one of the best IPA's in the world. I was a hater before I tried this beer and I'm guessing that half the problem is that people don't use it correctly. Below is a link to a video of them making it, the amount of Nelson and Southern Cross they use are insane, watch the dry hop at the end



Great vid. Good to see one that shows what's going on and how they do it right back to basic's like we do in our backyard sheds. Nothing fancy there, just bigger gear.


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## Camo6 (22/6/14)

I've just realised I'm not using enough Whirlfloc. Nice vid ricardo.


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## shaunous (22/6/14)

Haha, Yeh another bit you never see in bigger breweries.


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## thebigwilk (22/6/14)

One and only time using nelson S. the beer turned out more like a breakfast juice very very strong grape fruit flavour, had to dump the lot.


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## ricardo (22/6/14)

funnily enough I'm going to attempt a clone of the Alpine beer this weekend with about 200g of Nelson and 150 g of Southern Cross in a 25 litre batch, first time I've used either hop so fingers crossed.

For anybody who watched the video, any ideas on the first top secret hop addition? I don't know why but I'm thinking it might be NZ Cascade


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## thebigwilk (22/6/14)

My latest way of brewing the bigger beers is if your not quiet sure of a recipe do a half batch especially for the big IPAs that call for a lot of hops.


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## mje1980 (24/6/14)

thebigwilk said:


> One and only time using nelson S. the beer turned out more like a breakfast juice very very strong grape fruit flavour, had to dump the lot.



Must be a shit hop if you used it once and had to dump the lot.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (24/6/14)

Nelson is excellent, if you know how to use it. I quite by accident used it right first time and it worked well. And it's reasonable as a bittering addition, and cheap given the high AA%. If you don't use it right, it can really really be bad from anecdote. I've had beers that were better with it and some better without it, so I believe the anecdotal evidence as well. It plays very very well with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and (in limited amounts) Galaxy and Citra.

Fave is always Citra.

But on topic - least liked?

Probably Fuggles - why use it when Willamette is so much better - you get the good earthiness without the meh factor. Not often I prefer US things to UK things, but this has got to be it.

And Belma (turned a decent APA into 2 day old fruit salad in a plastic container left in the sun), wai-iti/kohatu (nothing hops with neither much flavour nor any aroma and too low in AA% to be useful for bittering).


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## manticle (24/6/14)

mje1980 said:


> Must be a shit hop if you used it once and had to dump the lot.


To be fair, title of the thread is 'least favourite' rather than 'shittest'. Imagine you use the hop in the best way possible and still don't personally enjoy the result. That's how I see the thread's intention. Not enjoying something doesn't make it bad.


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## fattox (25/6/14)

I have to agree on Nelson. I think used properly it's a great hop. For the nelson haters, try the Regal Pale Ale recipe from Big Brew Day. It's fantastic, and well balanced.

Personally, I don't HATE the noble hops, I just prefer something with a bit more flavour. They definitely have their place though. I did a saaz BoPils that was a reasonable drop, a little too hop forward as there was one late addition that may have been a bit overboard but otherwise it wasn't too bad at all. That was done with Urquell lager yeast, worked well. Chinook, I just haven't used a lot of. POR, I think my issue was using it when it was old. My local club president has a fair few he grows and IIRC he has POR growing as well as Vic Secret so I might have to sort out a rhizome and try them all fresh as a daisy.


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## mje1980 (25/6/14)

manticle said:


> To be fair, title of the thread is 'least favourite' rather than 'shittest'. Imagine you use the hop in the best way possible and still don't personally enjoy the result. That's how I see the thread's intention. Not enjoying something doesn't make it bad.


Damn, the lack of a sarcasm emoticon does me in again . 

I was just having a bit of a dig.


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## sponge (25/6/14)

mje1980 said:


> Damn, the lack of a sarcasm emoticon does me in again .
> 
> I was just having a bit of a dig.


You've been hanging around Sean too long :lol:


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