Tropical IPA hop schedule

Im planning my next ipa recipe and just got 100g (3,52oz) packages each of Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka, Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra.

Maltbill is going to be something simple like:

85% palemalt
5% münich
5% biscuit
5% cara60l

But what about the hops?

Not an expert, but most people stay away from Citra for bittering and leave it as aroma/flavor. My last Citra IPA did well in comp and the judge said "passionfruit" flavor, so that's definitely a hop you should feature as flavor/aroma. Haven't worked too much with the other hops.

I haven't used the NZ hops before so I may not be much help, but...
If you're looking for tropical I'd use as much Citra and Riwaka at 15min - to whirlpool as possible, dry hop with more Citra/Amarillo, and skip the Simcoe unless you need it to boost the IBUs early in the boil. Simcoe is very "piney" to me. I really like Simcoe, it just doesn't seem tropical. Also, I'd keep the IBU/SG ratio around 0.8. I think with these hops and the tropical theme it would be better to showcase the flavor and aroma more than the bitterness.

No idea what to do with Nelson Sauvin. Just know it's supposed to be grapey.

I've used Riwaka in a SMaSH and it has a bright orange flavor and aroma. I'm curious to try Calypso

If you want something tropical, I say go with citra. I'm drinking a glass of all-citra IPA as I post this...tastes of delicious mango. Many of my friends have noted it is unlike any IPA they have had before.

Im finally planning to brew this. Hop schedule looks like this:
60min: Simcoe for 30ibu
10min: 40g/1,4oz Riwaka + 15g/0,5oz Nelson Sauvin+15g/0,5oz Amarillo
5min: 20g/0,7oz Citra+ 15g/0,5oz Nelson Sauvin+15g/0,5oz Amarillo
0min: 25g/0,88oz Citra+25g/0,88oz Riwaka+15g/0,5oz Nelson Sauvin+15g/0,5oz Amarillo
Dryhops: 25g/0,88oz Citra+25g/0,88oz Riwaka+15g/0,5oz Nelson Sauvin+15g/0,5oz Amarillo

Im just thinking is this a bit over the top, or too complicated? will the taste and aroma be kind of "indistinct"?

I would do constant hoping of cirtra, amarillo, ahtanum, and sorachi ace. DH with an ounze each too.

0.5 oz each Citra, Amarillo, Ahtanum, Sorachi Ace
Bitter with something like Chinook
Late addition with 0.5 oz each
DH with an oz each

I did an NZ IPA a while back that used columbus for bittering and amarillo/motueka/nelson sauvin for additions from 25 min to flameout that turned out fantastic. It definitely put off a hugely tropical flavor and aroma...so much that I used it to marinade mango/pineapple/pork/chicken shish kabobs with some habanero/mango hot sauce for a beer dinner I put together for a few friends. YUM!

I can't speak for the riwaka, but the rest of your hops sound great together, maybe with the exception of simcoe as others have said. I'd either leave it out or possibly just use it as a dry hop.

Only one I haven't used is Riwaka. I have an imperial saison with Citra & Nelson right now that is amazing. Very tropical. Bittered with an oz of Nelson, 2oz Citra & 1oz NS @15 and 2oz Citra @5.

You'll certainly be loaded up with flavor and aroma on this bad boy. I say go ahead and make it and if you think it's too muddled you can simplify on the next attempt.

Love Citra!

I used citra the last few times for pale ales, I was originally wanting to get summit and my LHBS was out but said he picked up some leaf citra that I should try. I used half for bittering and the other for dryhopping with cascade. Liked it so much I bought more and used more citra for dryhopping!

BrewThruYou said:

Not an expert, but most people stay away from Citra for bittering and leave it as aroma/flavor.

Click to expand...

Citra actually is a great bittering hop because it is low-cohumulone, and high alpha acid. With that said, you're right: it is very hard to find right now, and it's aroma has no substitute, so makes very good sense to not use it as a bittering hop. =) Warrior or Magnum are both great bittering hops, much easier to come by, and aren't known for their unique aroma. Simcoe is in the same boat as Citra. Great bittering hop, but it's impossible to find right now, and there's no good substitute for it's aroma.

For the OP:

That's a good number of aroma hops for one batch, you might lose some of their nuances. Maybe narrow in on two to three varieties for this batch. If you want something tropical, Citra is the obvious choice, it's known for tropical fruit aromas. Amarillo to me smells like orange and apricot. Simcoe is a mix of grapefruit and pine. I've never working with nelson sauvin or riwaka.

I'd personally use something like CTZ, Chinook, Warrior or Magnum to bitter with, then add a mix or Citra, Amarillo, and NS or Riwaka heavily during the last 15 minutes of the boil.

Ok, I have magnum, so I'm gonna use that for bittering and save the simcoe for something else.

So here is the final recipe, tomorow is the brewday.
15l/3,96 gallons

3kg/6,6lbs pale ale malt
0,5kg/1,1lbs DME
0,4kg/0,88lbs Münich malt
0,25kg/0,55lbs Cara60
0,15kg/0,33lbs Carapils
0,15kg/0,33lbs Biscuit malt

hops:
60min 0,5oz Magnum
20min 0,7oz Riwaka+0,7oz Citra+0,35oz Nelson Sauvin+0,35oz Amarillo
10min 0,7oz Riwaka+0,35oz Nelson Sauvin+0,35oz Amarillo
5min 0,7oz Riwaka+0,7oz Citra+0,35oz Nelson Sauvin+0,35oz Amarillo
0min 0,7oz Riwaka+0,7oz Citra+0,35oz Nelson Sauvin+0,35oz Amarillo

Mash at 152F/60min, Yeast: Safale US-05
+ Dry hops (Havent decided it yet)

I just ordered some of these same hops, how did it turn out? What would you do different?

nuttermcbutter said:

I just ordered some of these same hops, how did it turn out? What would you do different?

Click to expand...

Wow.. Got to think a moment, I brewed this beer two years ago.
Now I'd use only Riwaka with Amarillo, or Nelson. Yes the beer was good and it had very nice tropical/grapefruit aroma. But.. Nelson slightly dominated over the other hops and overall it was a waste of good aroma hops.