So this is my forth beer to brew and I had some hops and yeast already so I ordered some extract and some grain to do a partial mash. I'm just getting into Ipa styles and wanted to make one. My question is I have 1oz. Willamett 1oz. Cascade and 1oz falconer's flight 7c's which would be better to bitter with and which for aroma?
which hops to bitter
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Billybrewer09
Well-Known Member
The cascade would be the best of the 3 to bitter with, but for an IPA you are going to need more hops anyway.
I would suggest buying some magnum or Columbus for bittering and more cascade and FF 7C's for flavor and aroma.
I would suggest buying some magnum or Columbus for bittering and more cascade and FF 7C's for flavor and aroma.
High alpha hops are the best bittering hop options for IPAs because you don't need to use a lot of them. Of the three you have on hand, Falconer's 7Cs has the highest alpha %, but it's also primarily used as a late and dryhop addition because of it's pleasant aroma... not so much for bittering. I suggest you get some Warrior or Columbus. They are both my favorites for bittering IPAs and higher alpha than any of the hops you have available at the moment.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
Bitter is bitter is bitter. There are not different "flavors" of hop bitter, only IBUs, so 40 IBUs of Hop A as a 60 min bittering addition is exactly the same as 40 IBUs of Hop B as a 60 min bittering addition. Most of the commerical breweries do the same high AA hop extract as the bittering addition in all of their brews (in different proportions, of course).
So that said, you'll use less of the higher AA hops to get the same bittering IBUs in your beer, but higher AA hops are often more expensive. Cascade is about as cheap as hops get, so I'd probably use that as the bittering addition.
The flavoring and aroma contribution of hops are definitely unique to each strain, so you have to read up on the characteristics of the hop and figure out where you want their contributions to show up.
Cascade is a great all purpose hop, while Williamette and Falconer's Flight are definitely more specialized hops, so I'd also want to save those for their intended purpose. Williamette is best as a fruity/floral aroma hop and Falconer's Flight is great as either a flavoring or aroma addition for it's florals.
I'd use the Cascade as bittering, FF as flavoring, and Williamette as aroma.
If you really want to, though, FF is such a high AA hop that you could use it for bittering and use about 1/2 as much as the lower AA Cascade, then make the Cascade the flavoring hop and use the extra 1/2 fo the FF as a dryhop.
Lots of options. Just look up the hops and see where they fit best, then use them for their best characteristics.
So that said, you'll use less of the higher AA hops to get the same bittering IBUs in your beer, but higher AA hops are often more expensive. Cascade is about as cheap as hops get, so I'd probably use that as the bittering addition.
The flavoring and aroma contribution of hops are definitely unique to each strain, so you have to read up on the characteristics of the hop and figure out where you want their contributions to show up.
Cascade is a great all purpose hop, while Williamette and Falconer's Flight are definitely more specialized hops, so I'd also want to save those for their intended purpose. Williamette is best as a fruity/floral aroma hop and Falconer's Flight is great as either a flavoring or aroma addition for it's florals.
I'd use the Cascade as bittering, FF as flavoring, and Williamette as aroma.
If you really want to, though, FF is such a high AA hop that you could use it for bittering and use about 1/2 as much as the lower AA Cascade, then make the Cascade the flavoring hop and use the extra 1/2 fo the FF as a dryhop.
Lots of options. Just look up the hops and see where they fit best, then use them for their best characteristics.
I don't mean to open up a can of worms, but imagine Pliny the Elder bittered at 90/45/30 with Sorachi Ace and Fuggles instead of Columbus and Simcoe. It would be a completely different beer. So there are different flavors going on early in the boil. It's not just a blank slate of bitterness.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
Worms everywhere!
I have heard tons of anedoctal evidence to your point, claiming that there are different shades of bitter.
I have also seen experiments that show that as long as you have an appreciable amount of flavoring/aroma character, it is virtually impossible to distinguish the "character" of the bittering addition.
Take it for what it's worth, but it makes sense to me. I think the hop variety of the bittering addition is pretty unimportant when there is any appreciable flavoring/aroma character.
I have heard tons of anedoctal evidence to your point, claiming that there are different shades of bitter.
I have also seen experiments that show that as long as you have an appreciable amount of flavoring/aroma character, it is virtually impossible to distinguish the "character" of the bittering addition.
Take it for what it's worth, but it makes sense to me. I think the hop variety of the bittering addition is pretty unimportant when there is any appreciable flavoring/aroma character.
IL1kebeer
Well-Known Member
That would be a fun experiment. Make 2 batches with the only difference being the bittering hop (same aau but different type of hop) and see if a difference can be detected.
If I done it that way would I put in the cascade at start of boil and both the others at the end of boil if I wasn't going to dry hop?
Sorta. Cascade at the beginning for sure. Then FF7C at about 15-20 minutes, and the Willamette in the last 5 minutes.
That's 15-20 for the start of boil? Or the end?
burningbushbrew
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He meant from the end
Yeah, sorry about that. I realized a bit later (on my way to work, actually) that I'd worded that rather badly.
Its fine I just wanted to make sure. Thanks everyone
Billybrewer09
Well-Known Member
Personally i would get a couple more ounces.
