Mixing Us + Uk Hop 'styles'

[NaughtyPig]

This is probably a classic newbie question... so here it goes...

I've done a few searches around mixing different styles of hops and can't seem to find it being done much. By different styles I mean UK, US, etc... I've noticed a lot of people mixing, say, just US hops. I do get the whole concept of brewing to a particular style, such as an EPA or APA, but really interested if it works mixing styles.

So, is there a good reason why people don't mix hop styles in the same brew? For example, EK Goldings + Amarillo?

Is it just taboo, like ordering lasagne at an Italian restaurant and then adding tomato sauce? (I like sauce on my lasagne though )

Or have people here actually tried it and know for sure it just doesn't work? Or maybe my search skills aren't in form today and I just can't find examples of the mix?!

 

[HarryB]

I don't see any reason why not. I think most people start with a certain concept when they are designing a recipe and that inevitably means that they will use hop styles which are traditionally seen to go together or suit that style.

I've brewed a pale ale with US and German hops and it was great!

 

[tdh]

I agree with HarryB.
My commercial pale ales were nearly always late-hopped with a USA/German hop shandy (e.g. Cascade/Hallertau)

tdh

 

[mje1980]

I've used cascades in a bitter. Worked well. Im also doing a summer bitter with nelson sauvign soon, hoping for yumminess too!.

Try it, though EKG + amarillo i dunno?

 

[MarkBastard]

There are people who home brew any try to match styles / enter comps and all that stuff and there are people that just want to make beer that tastes nice to them.

I don't think there's anything wrong with mixing hops but I'm from the latter camp. Couldn't give a crap about style guidelines, just how good it tastes.

 

[neonmeate]

EKG + columbus - yum
tettnang + cascade - yum
fuggles + amarillo - bleugh

 

[manticle]

This is probably a classic newbie question... so here it goes...

I've done a few searches around mixing different styles of hops and can't seem to find it being done much. By different styles I mean UK, US, etc... I've noticed a lot of people mixing, say, just US hops. I do get the whole concept of brewing to a particular style, such as an EPA or APA, but really interested if it works mixing styles.

So, is there a good reason why people don't mix hop styles in the same brew? For example, EK Goldings + Amarillo?

Is it just taboo, like ordering lasagne at an Italian restaurant and then adding tomato sauce? (I like sauce on my lasagne though )

Or have people here actually tried it and know for sure it just doesn't work? Or maybe my search skills aren't in form today and I just can't find examples of the mix?!

A lot of the styles originated because of precisely tendency to experiment and mix. American pale ales and higher hopped ales have some links to india pale ales and some Aussie pale ales are influenced by american pales etc. Nothing wrong with making up your own thing - just be aware of what the flavours are and what might go with what. What about baltic porters (lager yeast in a porter) or Belgian style american ales?


I guess the thing to be aware of is how well the flavours mix together. If you like the idea of grapefruit and mint then try cascade and fuggles as flavouring hops. If you like the idea of mandarin and grass then try amarillo and saaz. You'll also need to play around with balance as sometimes one will dominate over the other.

One possible way to get your ideas down pat without ruining a brew is to play around with some hop teas. It won't be a 100% accurate indication of the final taste of the beer but it will help work out combos and vague proportions.
I think people like to work with classical combinations because they know they work and they are a great place to start. However it's your beer and you can try anything and everything

 

[buttersd70]

It's a matter of blending the particular flavour profiles. Some flavours work well together, others dont. So it's a matter of reading up on the individual hops in question, and reading the flavour characteristics, and working out wether it would work in concert with another hop, irrespective of the regionality.

As an example, Bramling Cross (English), goes exceptionally well with Styrian Goldings (slovenia). It's a match made in heaven (BC - blackberry notes, SG - vanilla notes....blackberry + vanilla: match. Yum.) Willamette (US, bred from a fuggle) goes very well with many English hops, in English type beers (EKG, Fuggle, etc). Purely because the flavour profiles are complimentary.

It's all a matter of research, IMO.

Basically saying same thing as manticle. Beaten.

 

[mje1980]

Can you really pick up blackberry and vanilla notes in hops?. I mean, they do taste different, but you're doing very bloody good to pick up blackberry and vanilla.

 

[neonmeate]

Can you really pick up blackberry and vanilla notes in hops?. I mean, they do taste different, but you're doing very bloody good to pick up blackberry and vanilla.

i drink a lot more beer than i eat icecream or drink ribena so i say vanilla tastes like styrian and ribena tastes like bramling cross

 

[Bribie G]

A number of traditional UK brewers such as Brains in Cardiff and, apparently, Fullers of London are starting to use some US hops, particularly Cascade, in their newer brews. Brains SA Gold uses Cascade AFAIK.

Yes here we go: linky

 

[buttersd70]

Can you really pick up blackberry and vanilla notes in hops?. I mean, they do taste different, but you're doing very bloody good to pick up blackberry and vanilla.

Well, all flavours are perceptions in taste, really, and in most cases are reminiscent of a pre-existing flavour 'memory', if you will..... With the BC, though....blackcurrant (I said blackberry, but I meant blackcurrant) comes through in absolute spades. No doubt on that one, and many people I know that have used it, pick up on it immediately. Some people don't like that particular hop (although it's one of my personal favourites), cos too much makes the beer taste just like Ribena (in some peoples opinions).....personally, it triggers a response in myself more akin to blackberry (but I totaly understand the blackcurrant reference), rather than blackcurrant....I know another brewer that gets more 'mixed berry' (a la 'fruits of the forrest). I percieve vanilla in styrian; some percieve it differently, and I've had one brewer describe it as 'christmas pudding-like': ie, spicy, slightly fruity.

 

[Pollux]

If you want a real mix up.......

Observe the madness of my freezer clearance hopburst.......

 

[mje1980]

Well, all flavours are perceptions in taste, really, and in most cases are reminiscent of a pre-existing flavour 'memory', if you will..... With the BC, though....blackcurrant (I said blackberry, but I meant blackcurrant) comes through in absolute spades. No doubt on that one, and many people I know that have used it, pick up on it immediately. Some people don't like that particular hop (although it's one of my personal favourites), cos too much makes the beer taste just like Ribena (in some peoples opinions).....personally, it triggers a response in myself more akin to blackberry (but I totaly understand the blackcurrant reference), rather than blackcurrant....I know another brewer that gets more 'mixed berry' (a la 'fruits of the forrest). I percieve vanilla in styrian; some percieve it differently, and I've had one brewer describe it as 'christmas pudding-like': ie, spicy, slightly fruity.

Fair enough mate, i see what you're getting at..

 

[Bizier]

I haven't done it, but I like the idea of rounding out a good pale ale with UK hops to fill some of the gaps that can be left by contrasty US hops, especially mid-boil flavour additions.

 

[ausdb]

American "C" hops like Cascade and Centennial early in the boil and for flavour with a big hit of pommy EKG in the last few minutes or at end of boil is a nice combination. Then split the ferment with some American Ale yeast and an English ale yeast and see what difference that makes as well.

 

[Nashmandu]

This is probably a classic newbie question... so here it goes...

I've done a few searches around mixing different styles of hops and can't seem to find it being done much. By different styles I mean UK, US, etc... I've noticed a lot of people mixing, say, just US hops. I do get the whole concept of brewing to a particular style, such as an EPA or APA, but really interested if it works mixing styles.

So, is there a good reason why people don't mix hop styles in the same brew? For example, EK Goldings + Amarillo?

Is it just taboo, like ordering lasagne at an Italian restaurant and then adding tomato sauce? (I like sauce on my lasagne though )

Or have people here actually tried it and know for sure it just doesn't work? Or maybe my search skills aren't in form today and I just can't find examples of the mix?!

Hey you naughty pig you.

Ive done a fair bit of this mixing of noble hops with american/new zealand hops. The reason i have done it is because noble hops generally have a much cleaner/more focused bitterness than other varieties. Ive think that using noble hops as a base and a small amount of american/ NZ hops at the end (to give the beer a slight lift) works well. However you have to be careful not to overpower the more subtle noble hops. An example of this could be a pilsener with a base of saaz and a touch amarillo etc.