Styrian Goldings hops from LHBS have really low AA

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

grv

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
Messages
155
Reaction score
14
So I am getting ready to brew up Revvy's Leffe Blonde clone, and I bought some Styrian Goldings hops at the local shop. They're labeled as 1.4 AA, when most other listings I've seen for this variety are in the 4.x - 5.x range. I asked the guy at the shop to confirm that the label wasn't a typo, and he said that was really the number. Seems ridiculously low to me.

I bought enough in weight to hit the IBUs in the recipe, but I'm nervous to throw in more than twice the called for amount. It's just a bit of a curve buster compared to adjustments I've made in the past.

Is this variety really that widely variable as far as bittering, or am I in danger of over hopping due to bad information?

I'm tempted to use some Willamette hops I have instead, as they're listed as a good substitute and have a plausible AA rating listed on the package...

Thanks
 
AA can be all over the place. I came into some 10% US Saaz because it was cheap. It's fine, it's just weird for recipes.

The trouble with really low AA in the bittering addition is that you could potentially get some strange flavors if you put a pound of the stuff in to meet your IBUs. As long as you aren't making a Belgian IPA or something you're probably OK, but I'd consider supplementing it with another bittering hop if you have any on hand. How big is the addition you need, by your math? What is your hop schedule?

Edit: Sorry, I see you said Willamette. It's different but similar. If your schedule is all bittering, I think you're fine, save your styrian goldings for a beer where you want that flavor on the flame-out.
 
That makes sense. The Styrian is all bittering, with Saaz later on, so I'll probably use the Willamette this time around and save the Styrian for another recipe. Thanks!
 
Just calculated exactly how much I'd need to adjust. 5 ounces vs. 1.25 ounces. Probably enough to cause the off flavor you're talking about...
 
Well, some people describe a "vegetative" flavor when you get up there in the ounces on bittering additions. I wouldn't be terrified about it, but you have to think that's a lot of plant material. It's also expensive. I don't usually bitter with styrians even at 5%, I think they shine more as a mid-to-late addition.
 
I just ran into the same problem, but I got them mail order, so I couldn't see alpha acid before I bought. I feel ripped off.

Styrians are a great late addition hop but I'd never use them for bittering.

Many brewers use low alpha hops for bittering. It is common for Belgian styles to use hops such as Styrian goldings, Saaz, and Hallertauer for bittering.
 
I got my 1.4% Styrian Golding from Morebeer.com.
their boilerplate text says: We invite truthful, honest reviews ...blah, blah, ... as long as they adhere to the review policy... blah, blah.

So I gave them two stars with a reasonable explanation that I never would have bought them if I had known they were so low in alpha acid.

And they did not post my review, but next day altered their description to say "(Current AA range 1.4-5.5%)"

Kind of sleazy in my opinion.
 
A couple weeks ago I used some 2.3% AA Styrian Goldings bought from Midwest. I was using them, along with some Willamette, later in the boil so I wasn't too concerned with their contribution to overall bitterness. The beer (a kinda sorta Deuchars IPA clone ) has turned out quite nicely.
 
Back
Top