Pick My Hop!

[The Giant]

Howdy

Just wanting to pick everyone's brains for what hop I should use in the below. Been using quite a lot of the fruity hops in my beers of late, particularly Amarillo, NS and Cascade. Looking to try something new.

I've used the Coopers Blonde kit quite a bit when I want to experiment with new flavours and malts. I find its a good base for this. Recipe is very simple:
- Coopers Blonde Kit
- 1.5kg Amber Liquid Malt (previously i've used the pale malt with this kit but again experimenting to see how much difference the Amber makes)
- 500g Light Dry Malt or may steep 250g Caramalt
- US05 yeast and yeast nutrient at around 18degrees

Was looking at just dry hopping with say 20g of something or late boil addition and dry hop. What are your suggestions? Was thinking maybe Chinook or EK Goldings? Dont really want something fruity, looking for something to compliment the amber malts, maybe like traditional English ales??? Something piney/woody. I've done Simcoe before with this same recipe but Pale Malt and liked it a lot so maybe not Simcoe either.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers Steve

 

[loikar]

Howdy

Just wanting to pick everyone's brains for what hop I should use in the below. Been using quite a lot of the fruity hops in my beers of late, particularly Amarillo, NS and Cascade. Looking to try something new.

I've used the Coopers Blonde kit quite a bit when I want to experiment with new flavours and malts. I find its a good base for this. Recipe is very simple:
- Coopers Blonde Kit
- 1.5kg Amber Liquid Malt (previously i've used the pale malt with this kit but again experimenting to see how much difference the Amber makes)
- 500g Light Dry Malt or may steep 250g Caramalt
- US05 yeast and yeast nutrient at around 18degrees

Was looking at just dry hopping with say 20g of something or late boil addition and dry hop. What are your suggestions? Was thinking maybe Chinook or EK Goldings? Dont really want something fruity, looking for something to compliment the amber malts, maybe like traditional English ales??? Something piney/woody. I've done Simcoe before with this same recipe but Pale Malt and liked it a lot so maybe not Simcoe either.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers Steve

Since it's Australia Day tomorrow, how about some Pride of Ringwood?

Or, Why not experiment a little?
Pop into the supermarket and get a bunch of those 7L Plastic water containers.
Use the Water in your brew...
Split your batch into 4 or 5 and use different hops in each.
Use the water containers as fermenters and split your yeast to ferment each one out.

Yes, more time consuming, yes more cleaning and sanitising, yes more expensive, yes more dicking around...

but I think you'll find the results in the tasting priceless.

BF

 

[RustyT]

20g of hallertauer @15min and 12g saaz tea bag, steeped in boiled water and added to the fermenter!

 

[.DJ.]

EKG or Challenger?

 

[The Giant]

Thanks BF but I shudder thinking of having to bottle those different batches. I'm a keg snob now haha
Given how fast it gets drunk around my house I may just do that but a keg at a time!

I recently used Tettnanger in a Wheat beer which I think might be close to Challenger

I would have thought Hallertaur/Saaz would be more close to European Lagers rather than Amber type ales?

Might have to google a hop chart to see what all the flavours I can expect

 

[loikar]

Thanks BF but I shudder thinking of having to bottle those different batches. I'm a keg snob now haha
Given how fast it gets drunk around my house I may just do that but a keg at a time!

I recently used Tettnanger in a Wheat beer which I think might be close to Challenger

I would have thought Hallertaur/Saaz would be more close to European Lagers rather than Amber type ales?

Might have to google a hop chart to see what all the flavours I can expect

Since you're using a blonde kit with the Amber and US05, you could kinda go either way.
I wouldn't suggest Hallertaur or saaz, but maybe Amarillo, EKG or Aussie Cascade.... Maybe B-Saaz (Motueka) to mix it up a bit...

Actually, I like the sound of a Amarillo, cascade and EKG beer, might have to put a recipe together....

BF

 

[_HOME_BREW_WALLACE_]

Cascade all the way. Boil up some of your tin in about 1L of water and throw in about 15g for 15 Mins and 20g for 5Mins. Dry hop in about 5 days prior to bottling

 

[The Giant]

Would like to stay away from the fruity hops at this point. Been using a lot of them at late in particular Amarillo and Cascade.
So much to the point where I've had a couple of pints and gone hmm bit to fruity for my liking! I didnt think I would ever say that!!

EKG is looking like a goer. Anyone know what its like as a dry hop
Chinook could be a goer to just cause I have some lieing around and I know its more Evergreen/Spicy than Fruity

 

[QldKev]

Another EKG fan here but unlike the American hops, I would keep it mild

How about
15g Fuggles at 20min
10g EKG Dry (or flame out)

QldKev

 

[Lecterfan]

My 2c is that chinook is a big flavour and is better blended with something else to round it out (even half the amount of an amarillo or cascade addition behind it can make it a bit smoother), whereas EKG is fine on it's own.

They are very different hops and will give the beer a different vibe - the higher overall oil content of chinook can affect the mouthfeel also (in a good way IMHO) although I don't know how much of that you'll get from just late and post boil additions (possibly very little).

EKG is fine as a dry hop...as long as you like EKG haha (sorry for the tautology but that's the way I'd put it...actually more of a hermeneutic concept rather than tautology I guess).

Just go for it either way!

p.s. as annoying as it is (to do), BF's suggestion of splitting up smaller ferments is really a brilliant way to sample different hops....it only needs to be done once and you will have wrapped your head around a heap of new flavours. I've done it a couple of times to experiment with combos as well.

 

[The Giant]

How could one describe the flavours from EKG? My favourite hop would be Amarillo and/or Cascade

I did like Simcoe though as well which is quite different.

Liking QLDKevs suggestion of Fuggles and EKG I have read they are good together