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carter840

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Hi Everyone,

So I just ordered a bunch of hops and am looking to brew an IPA. I am hoping to get a better understanding of the hops listed below so I can best utilize their uniqueness and deliciousness. I'm not looking for recipes, but rather a discussion on what each of the following hops is best for, and how to best use them. All hops are in pellet form.

Amarillo
Simcoe
Warrior
Citra
 
warrior bittering

amarillo simcoe and citra flavor aroma

a good hop sched

warrior 60 min
simcoe 15 min
amarillo 10 min
citra 5 min
 
A general rule of thumb (though you should experiment and do what you like best) is to use the higher AA hops for bittering an the lower AA hops for flavor and aroma. But that's just what I go by as a staring point. If you love the smell of warrior, for instance, then dry hop with it!
 
Glynn said:
warrior bittering

amarillo simcoe and citra flavor aroma

a good hop sched

warrior 60 min
simcoe 15 min
amarillo 10 min
citra 5 min

Quick question, why the simcoe, then amarillo, then ending with citra? Would having equal parts of all three at 15, 10, and 5 achieve similar results? Just trying to get a better understanding of popular aroma hops and how to use them.
 
its basically a matter of personal preference any of thos hops could be switched around. each of thos hops work well together. simcoe is piney, amarillo is grape fruity and citra is more of a tropical fruit. i like the flavor simcoe/amarillo imparts with the aroma that citra gives

for insance this sched gave a great grapefruit nose and flavor to my red ale

Cascade pellet [6.20 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 7 10.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Palisade [7.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 9 11.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade pellet [6.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 6.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra pellet 1 [13.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 8.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra pellet 1 [13.90 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade pellet [6.20 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra pellet 1 [13.90 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs

this one was more of a tropical fruit flavor/aroma in my dipa

.50 oz Warrior [16.00 %] - First Wort 120.0 min Hop 5 23.9 IBUs
3.00 oz Amarillo pellet [9.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 34.1 IBUs
2.00 oz Simcoe pellet [12.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 23.3 IBUs
3.00 oz Palisade [8.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 12.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo pellet [9.20 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe pellet [12.90 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 ml] Yeast 13 -

first dry hop addition
1.00 oz Amarillo pellet [9.20 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days
1.00 oz Simcoe pellet [12.90 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days

second dry hop addition
1.00 oz Amarillo pellet [9.20 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days
1.00 oz Simcoe pellet [12.90 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days
 
You've got my favorite combo of hops my friend.

I like to bitter with warrior, then add a mix of Simcoe and Amarillo at 20 mins, 15 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins, and flameout. Then dry hop with all 3 for about 7 days.

Mix those hops with a small amount of honey malt and you get an amazing IPA!
 
I'm glad I posted this because frankly it confirms what I thought was the case. That said I do have to ask a question about bittering hops. Does it really matter what you use? Obviously higher alpha acid content will give more IBUs, but would using more of a lower lower AA hop have an effect on flavor in any way?

Personally I think that hops are one of the most difficult parts of brewing to master. Ever batch is varied and everyone's additions are also varied. For example if I had an once of simcoe at 5 mins left in the boil it might take me 35 minutes before I have chilled and strained my wort into the fermenter. Another brewer might not have a chiller and it might take him (or her) 2 hours before they are at temp and in the fermenter. I assume that a difference like this could have a large effect on all hop additions work for people.
 
carter840 said:
I'm glad I posted this because frankly it confirms what I thought was the case. That said I do have to ask a question about bittering hops. Does it really matter what you use? Obviously higher alpha acid content will give more IBUs, but would using more of a lower lower AA hop have an effect on flavor in any way?

Personally I think that hops are one of the most difficult parts of brewing to master. Ever batch is varied and everyone's additions are also varied. For example if I had an once of simcoe at 5 mins left in the boil it might take me 35 minutes before I have chilled and strained my wort into the fermenter. Another brewer might not have a chiller and it might take him (or her) 2 hours before they are at temp and in the fermenter. I assume that a difference like this could have a large effect on all hop additions work for people.

You can certainly use lower AA hops for bittering but you would need to use them in higher quantity if you want to get high IBU. That's usually why higher AA hops are used for bittering. After an hour of boiling there's not much flavor or aroma left. At the 15 minute mark is about when you want to add flavor hops because there's not much time to extract bitterness but enough time to reduce aroma. Then aroma hops are added within the last 5 minutes before flame-out. At that time there is virtually zero bitterness, a little flavor, but mostly aroma (as with dry hopping). As for you point about cooling times, that's a good point, but I would not let it distract you. It is the boil time that really matters when you talk about bitterness and flavor. But wrt aroma, the contribution continues into the fermentation vessel - unless you strain out the hops bits.
 
The other thing about hops considered "clean" for bittering is the cohumulone content. The lower it is the cleaner and less harsh the bitterness is. Warrior is an excellent bittering hop for this reason. When considering other lower AA hops for bittering, I suggest looking at this. Of course the other thing that can impact the harshness is your water chemistry.

In terms of flavoring/aroma hops, you've got some very popular ones. Amarillo tastes like pure tangerines to me, and is best used with another hop to balance it, and Simcoe is a great one. It is also citrusy, but with a pine backbone which will balance the Amarillo well. Citra as stated can put a twist in there as it is a tropical, mango-type flavor. All in all, you can make some great beer with what you have.
 
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