When I Hear 'c Hops' I Reach For My Revolver

[Bribie G]

Yup not a fan of the American ales I have tried so far, however there's a mini comp on in March at BABBs and I reckon I shouldn't really knock what I haven't tried, so I'm going to run up two American Ambers tomorrow. I've had no difficulty in formulating a grain bill, and I've bought out Sully's hop stash as his brewery is mothballed for a few months and I have:

Columbus and Northern Brewer

Chinook

Amarillo and Cascade.

I was thinking of doing a different hop list for each brew and would appreciate any comments:

#1- Columbus 90 mins, Chinook around 20 mins, late addition(s) of Cascade
#2 - Northern Brewer 90 mins, Chinook around 20 mins, late addition(s) of Amarillo

In the experience of Amerigophiles on forum who brew ambers, would such hops go together or would it be 'cleaner' to use just two hops per brew?

I'll be using liquid American Ale yeast.

Any comments appreciated. Might turn my tastebuds, who knows

 

[Cocko]

Hey Mate,

I am a big fan of APA's and in my experience chinook as a flavour addition is a bad choice... obviously subjective to personal taste but it can get very grassy, particularly over time.

I would suggest using chinook for you bittering and cascade or amarillo for the rest. Chinook and Cascade are a match made in heaven....

I am drinking my house APA atm, which is a SNPA style: Chinook @ 60, perle @ 20 and cascade 5, 0 and dry... :icon_drool2:

All Amarillo is a popular choice, as the good doctors JSGA recipe proves. I haven't brewed with Northern Brewer but was at a micro in the USA in Jan and they used all northern brewer in their steam beer and I must say, I will be using it very soon as it was an extremely nice drop!

anyway 2c.

Cheers

 

[beersatan]

I have made 70-80IBU all chinook beers and loved them but do find chinook or columbus used for flavour/aroma can be pretty in your face. Both pretty high AA and 15-20 minute additions have added a lot more bitterness than planned in my beers and both have full on flavour.
I'd suggest using your columbus or chinook for bittering and the cascade and/or amarillo for the rest.
Like Cocko, I'm a big fan of chinook for bittering and a couple of doses of cascade to finish it off. If that combo doesn't float your boat then it would seem C hops are not for you.

 

[Bribie G]

Thanks, Chinook it is - I actually bought some about this time last year and used a smallish dose in a SMASH Cerveza (Solly Cerveza in the Database) and it turned out great, even got rave reviews from a dedicated Corona drinker

I'll look at using the Columbus for bittering in brew #2 and keep the NB for a later brew. :icon_cheers:

 

[BrenosBrews]

Columbus is pretty intense so limit use - what sort of quantity are you looking at using?

I'm along the same lines as Cocko; use your Chinook for bittering then late additions of Cascade in one and late additions of Amarillo in the other. Depending on how much of each you have of course.

Never used Northern Brewer so can't really comment.

 

[seemax]

Chinook can be in your face when used for late additions and dry hopping ... delicious in my mind

Cascade and Amarillo are excellent choices for smooth flavour/aroma.

Take your pick for bittering... I like Columbus (Tomahawk), Magnum, Simcoe.

I can't get enough of american hops... not to say I don't enjoy an ESB or Porter, but my taste buds seem to always go back to that instant hit of citrus and grapefuit.

 

[chappo1970]

Amber hop burst Bribie!

Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade. :icon_drool2:

Go big go bold! That's the Yanky way!

Apparently we have an American judge over here last year and he said that our APA's etc lacked hops LOL! :lol:
I think Ross was the host IIRC?

Anyway you may as well give up now Bribie I have the BABBS comp in the bag h34r:

Chap Chap

 

[bradsbrew]

Amber hop burst Bribie!

Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade. :icon_drool2:

Go big go bold! That's the Yanky way!

Apparently we have an American judge over here last year and he said that our APA's etc lacked hops LOL! :lol:
I think Ross was the host IIRC?

Anyway you may as well give up now Bribie I have the BABBS comp in the bag h34r:

Chap Chap

Williamette, Chinook, fuggles and cascade will be used in my entry. I'd love to tell you the order,amounts etc.... but i wont. Oh guess the suprise yeast.

Brad

 

[glaab]

gotta agree with chappo...Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade. :icon_drool2:
I find late chinooks is grassy too. I like using the yanks 20min rule in APAs where
2/3rds of the iBUs must be added in the last 20min. gotta go get anothr beeeer.. :icon_drool2:

 

[ACB]

If you're into fruity hops go for Citra - a new seppo variety that tastes a lot like a fruit salad!

 

[Sully]

Williamette, Chinook, fuggles and cascade will be used in my entry. I'd love to tell you the order,amounts etc.... but i wont. Oh guess the suprise yeast.

Brad

And guess what addition I put in it before it make BABBs... h34r:

 

[bradsbrew]

And guess what addition I put in it before it make BABBs... h34r:

Couldnt be worse than the beers you took home, nothin like a late salt edition B)

 

[brettprevans]

Pliny clone. Will find recipe and post. It's sooo awsome

 

[chappo1970]

Couldnt be worse than the beers you took home, nothin like a late salt edition B)

Heading to Sully's tomorrow so I'll be sure to chexk ya brews in top condition for the comp.

 

[manticle]

Yup not a fan of the American ales I have tried so far, however there's a mini comp on in March at BABBs and I reckon I shouldn't really knock what I haven't tried, so I'm going to run up two American Ambers tomorrow. I've had no difficulty in formulating a grain bill, and I've bought out Sully's hop stash as his brewery is mothballed for a few months and I have:

Columbus and Northern Brewer

Chinook

Amarillo and Cascade.

I was thinking of doing a different hop list for each brew and would appreciate any comments:

#1- Columbus 90 mins, Chinook around 20 mins, late addition(s) of Cascade
#2 - Northern Brewer 90 mins, Chinook around 20 mins, late addition(s) of Amarillo

In the experience of Amerigophiles on forum who brew ambers, would such hops go together or would it be 'cleaner' to use just two hops per brew?

I'll be using liquid American Ale yeast.

Any comments appreciated. Might turn my tastebuds, who knows

Northern Brewer is a pommy hop yes?

I've not experienced columbus but chinook, cascade and amarillo I'm familiar with.


As others have suggested, chinook late or on its own can be very resinous. I would have said piney (as in pine not pineapple) rather than grassy though.

Like you Bribie, I have a preference for malt driven beers with a background bitterness rather than super fruit salad in a glass.

However there are some American style beers that do a great job of accentuating the hops while retaining a strong malt backbone. A lot of the American styles originate from English ones so why not take a tried and true pommy bitter recipe from your own repertoire and sub in some American Hops?

Cascade and amarillo definitely work together. I have some fresh chinook flowers I'll probably couple with amarillo in a soon to be brewed beer. Cascade and centennial are good together for a hoppy summer thirst quencher too.

 

[BrenosBrews]

Northern Brewer is a pommy hop yes?

I've not experienced columbus but chinook, cascade and amarillo I'm familiar with.


As others have suggested, chinook late or on its own can be very resinous. I would have said piney (as in pine not pineapple) rather than grassy though.

Like you Bribie, I have a preference for malt driven beers with a background bitterness rather than super fruit salad in a glass.

However there are some American style beers that do a great job of accentuating the hops while retaining a strong malt backbone. A lot of the American styles originate from English ones so why not take a tried and true pommy bitter recipe from your own repertoire and sub in some American Hops?

Cascade and amarillo definitely work together. I have some fresh chinook flowers I'll probably couple with amarillo in a soon to be brewed beer. Cascade and centennial are good together for a hoppy summer thirst quencher too.

Northern Brewer is originally from England but is mainly grown in Germany and America.

Your suggestion of taking a bitter recipe and subing American hops is a good one as there is already some English micros using American hops, Durham Brewery being one.

I've been thinking of brewing a United IPA. Malts all from United Kingdom, hops all from United States.

 

[bconnery]

Everyone has brewing answers, but not a single person's worried Bribie has a revolver, and that's he's reaching for it?

Challenger starts with C

 

[bum]

but not a single person's worried Bribie has a revolver, and that's he's reaching for it?

I think he's overreacting a bit anyway. Chops are yum as.

 

[pbrosnan]

Yup not a fan of the American ales I have tried so far, however there's a mini comp on in March at BABBs and I reckon I shouldn't really knock what I haven't tried, so I'm going to run up two American Ambers tomorrow. I've had no difficulty in formulating a grain bill, and I've bought out Sully's hop stash as his brewery is mothballed for a few months and I have:

Columbus and Northern Brewer

Chinook

Amarillo and Cascade.

I was thinking of doing a different hop list for each brew and would appreciate any comments:

#1- Columbus 90 mins, Chinook around 20 mins, late addition(s) of Cascade
#2 - Northern Brewer 90 mins, Chinook around 20 mins, late addition(s) of Amarillo

In the experience of Amerigophiles on forum who brew ambers, would such hops go together or would it be 'cleaner' to use just two hops per brew?

I'll be using liquid American Ale yeast.

Any comments appreciated. Might turn my tastebuds, who knows

Sorry about your aversion to US styles, they are probably the best going around ATM (and Belgium of course). I'm brewing a lot of these and I find that Simcoe and Chinook work well together. I'm currently drinking a Chinook and Simcoe brew fermented with 1968. Also I think some caramel malts won' go astray, anything from crystal to cararoma, helps top leaven the hops. I must admit that I find most UK beers a bit on the limp side, excluding things like the stuff those two Scotsman produce. Best beer I had in the UK was SNPA.

 

[bconnery]

My jokes aside Bribie I'd consider Centennial, all the Cascade flavour but retains it bit better in my book.
Cascade and Centennial together is a great match.

Or, depending on how worried you are about style, I made an Amber with D Saaz and Cascade and it was quite american and absolutely fantastic to drink.
Recipe just for interest is below...

Recipe: DC AAA
Brewer: Mooshells
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Amber Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Size: 35.00 L
OG: 1.054 SG
FG: 1.011
Estimated Color: 27.0 EBC
Estimated IBU: 35.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 70 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3500.00 gm Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 65.12 %
1200.00 gm Munich I (Weyermann) (14.0 EBC) Grain 22.33 %
350.00 gm Carared (Weyermann) (47.3 EBC) Grain 6.51 %
125.00 gm Amber Malt (85.0 EBC) Grain 2.33 %
125.00 gm Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 2.33 %
75.00 gm Pale Chocolate Malt (Thomas Fawcett) (689.Grain 1.40 %
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30 %] (Dry Hop 4 days) Hops -
15.00 gm D Saaz [4.40 %] (Dry Hop 4 days) Hops -
5.00 gm Nelson Sauvin [12.60 %] (45 min) Hops 7.0 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30 %] (20 min) Hops 6.9 IBU
15.00 gm D Saaz [4.40 %] (20 min) Hops 4.8 IBU
15.00 gm D Saaz [4.40 %] (15 min) Hops 4.0 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30 %] (15 min) Hops 5.7 IBU
15.00 gm D Saaz [4.40 %] (10 min) Hops 2.9 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [6.30 %] (10 min) Hops 4.1 IBU
1 Pkgs Northwest Ale (Wyeast Labs #1332) Yeast-Ale

65C mash.