A Hop for All Beer Styles?

[yankinoz]

Here's a variation on a well-worn theme. What's a good and versatile hop, useful in a wide variety of styles?

Other threads have asked, What hop would you choose if you could use only one? but most of the responses reveal more about favorite styles than the hops. Citra and Simcoe say APA and AIPA, POR Australian lagers. EKG or Fuggles English ales and maybe Belgians, Hallertau Mittelfruh German lagers, kölsch and maybe Belgians.

Ideally, early additions should provide smooth bittering with no harsh notes. They should also not add too much or too characteristic a flavour, which would probably rule out Nelson Sauvin or Centennial. It should be possible to adjust the amount of late additions to fit a style.

My first nominee is Challenger. It's a favorite in English ales, but large late additions work in an APA or AIPA. Done it. Tangerine, floral and spice, yum. Maybe leave out late additions in continental styles. Dark lagers?

Other suggestions are Sterling and Topaz.

Thoughts?

 

[mckenry]

Dr. Rudi. It doesnt look like it on the surface, i.e. 12%AA or thereabouts with descriptors of pine and citrus.
I have made a really good lager with it as a bittering hop only. Smooth yet firm. Really fits the euro-lager style well.
Have used it in an APA's as a single hop and you get some good punch out of it too.
Its good as a dry hop too, but not OTT aromatic in my experience.
I think thats the difference between NZ C hops and US C hops.
Pretty versatile.

 

[joshyposhy]

Great topic, I've always wondered about this, particularly when the time may come where I have to resort to cost-effective measures, restricted to one hop sort of thing.

The first hop that comes to mind is Ella. I've used it in pale ales and lagerish/blondish-ales, one corn lager (using californian lager yeast), IPAs, altbier, stouts and all turned out great. Has the spiciness and floral qualities you'd like in a light styled beer, and the nice fruityish/bitter quality that comes up in higher quantities for the heavier flavoured types.

A second thought would be Amarillo, though I've only just started using it so I'm only being hypothetical. I know it can go nicely in a lager (Cricketer's arm lager).

 

[manticle]

A yeast for all styles?

A malt for all styles?

Versatile - yes. For all? No.

 

[Brewnicorn]

Great topic, I've always wondered about this, particularly when the time may come where I have to resort to cost-effective measures, restricted to one hop sort of thing.

Agreed - Not a bad idea actually. If you have left overs of particular hops - it's good to know what's worked for people when they've experimented or even found generically OK - if not perfect. It is home brewing after all, build the knowledge base and all that.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

My problem with this concept is that whilst one hop can be very versatile, I just can't see that it is posssible for one hop to be right as the major bittering component for both lager and ale styles, they require different qualities of bitterness.

Dr Rudi, for instance, has a bitterness which is too short and broad for lagers. This became obvious to me many years ago when the bean counters made us start using it (it was then called NZ super Alpha) and it just didn't work properly in our lagers. I would lump Ella in the same camp: although I dearly love it as a late addition hop the bitterness is just wrong for a lager.

The classic central European landrace hops and some of their derivatives are in the other camp: the fine tight long bitterness which is characteristic of a good pils is not the right character for many ales: you need breadth and a relative shortness on the palate so the bitterness gets out of the way on the finish. I like to add a bit of Summer to the bittering for my ales but I wouldn't use it for more than say 1/3 of IAA because it's too lean and long.

 

[fletcher]

the only hop i can think of that wouldn't look out of place in any style would be something like willamette. i bloody love that hop.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Willamette for me.

I can use it in UK and continental styles, bland lagers, darker beers, malt driven beers, most yeast driven beers and at a pinch some hop forward beers if used with the usual suspects in tow.

Great bitterness, soft but firm like a good pair of ****s.

Easily the most versatile hop for me. A number of my comp winners have it in.

 

[TheWiggman]

What about magnum for bittering?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

POR h34r: FTW

 

[timmi9191]

Hall mit.. used it in euro lagers, dark ales, apa and ipa.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

If was permitted only one hop. Cascade. All the way through. Which is a bonus because I've got to know it fresh home grown.
I trust it to not get boring.
Basically I like the spectrum in the fruity range.

edit: that really doesn't answer the question asked though. Actually that question, I mucked up.
One hop for all styles?
Most probably a neutral style bittering hop that could be used in any beer. I choose Magnum for that.

 

[LAGERFRENZY]

Motueka does a lot for my beers. It is a fine bittering hop but it also has sweeter qualities as a late addition. I've used it both in Lagers and Ales and it has never disappointed.

 

[MHB]

I'm going to agree that there isn't a perfect hop that will do all the jobs, for all the reasons mentioned above - and its just silly as saying just one jam, bread, pizza, scotch, coffee... tho in the case of coffee I could live on a good single origan Ethiopian for a fair fraction of eternity.

If I had to choose just the one it is probably going to be Simcoe, surprisingly clean bitterness at lower IBU's, that classic American resinous bitterness in APA+ if you pile it in, good taste and smells great.
Mark

 

[damoninja]

POR h34r: FTW

RIP

 

[Bribie G]

My overall favourite hop is Aurora, "super Styrian" although it isn't actually related to Styrian Goldings. It's relatively high Alpha but great on the nose as well.

If I only had one hop available (don't laugh, when I first started brewing in Australia in the 1970s we home brewers only had one hop and you don't need to be a genius to work out which one) it would be Aurora.
Makes a great finishing hop for TTL styles and goes well in lagers.

Currently doing a Vienna SMASH with Vienna and Aurora.

Also on clearance at CraftBrewer, no affiliation, I guess as with many hops they tended to get overlooked in the race to try the new varieties. Do yourselves a favour and try some while they are at the good price.

 

[shacked]

Northdown is that hop for me.

Also like Motueka. I've used it in saisons, Belgian pales, lagers, APAs.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

My overall favourite hop is Aurora, "super Styrian" although it isn't actually related to Styrian Goldings.

That's good to know. I had half a mind to do an Aurora / Aurora Smash, based purely on the name. I'll definitely give it a crack now.

 

[Dave70]

POR h34r: FTW

I know it leaves me almost universally embittered.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Your all just bitter about POR