Can You USe Bittering Hops to Dry Hop (or add for flavor/aroma)?

1. So-called "bittering-only" hops can be used for flavor/aroma additions, fo sho. They may not lend as complex a profile as those varieties that are typically used for flavor/aroma, but they will do the trick no doubt.
2. You can back-load the hops, but 40 minutes is too long in the boil to add much flavor or aroma---you'll get pretty much the same affect on aroma/flavor that you would if you added it at 60 mins, but with less AA extraction. If you want to go this route, you should severely back-load your schedule, as in during the last 20 minutes. However, this also requires a ton more hops to reach your desired IBU level, which is not really efficient in these days of inflated hop prices. I'd add what you need at 60 or 90 to get a certain IBU level, then back-load moderately from 20 till flameout. My hop sched for The Destroyer of Worlds IIPA was as follows:

   Amount     Name                              Form    Alpha  IBU  Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1.50 oz.    Cascade                           Whole    5.75  15.3  Mash H
  3.00 oz.    Galena                            Whole   13.00  92.7  60 min.
  1.00 oz.    Willamette                        Whole    4.10   5.9  20 min.
  2.00 oz.    Willamette                        Whole    4.10   7.1  10 min.
  1.00 oz.    Willamette                        Whole    4.10   1.9  5 min.
  0.50 oz.    Willamette                        Whole    4.10   0.4  2 min.
  2.00 oz.    Willamette                        Whole    4.10   0.0  0 min.
  2.00 oz.    Cascade                           Whole    5.75   0.0  Dry Hop

BierMuncher said:

So a follow-up question…for the 12%-14% alpha hops, do I run the risk of over-bittering with 10, 5, 0 and dry-hop additions? I love the smell of nugget and am tempted at times to just toss a handful of pellets into the secondary for a week. Do I not need to be concerned about scaling back on high alpha’s for these additions (understanding that “some” bitterness may be extracted even at 10 minutes)?

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Evan! said:

If you have a brewing program, you could just adjust your bittering additions down to compensate for the increase during later additions.

To take your example (Nugget)---let's say you're working with a 1.060 OG beer. For every 1/4 oz of 11.2% AA Nugget hops you add at 15 minutes, you raise your IBU by 5.8. At 10 minutes, every 1/4 oz raises it by 4.2. At 5 minutes, 2.3. At flameout, 0. Adjust your bittering additions accordingly.

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ohiobrewtus said:

… Looking at the styles that you normally brew you'll want to pay close attention to these calculations to continue to achieve balance in mid-to-low gravity brews.

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