Organic APA Hop Help...Pac Jade/Rakau?

So, I am putting together an all organic ale for the National Organic Homebrew Comp. I am using the only organic hops I could find; Pacific Jade and Rakau. I am planning on an American Pale Ale with the following grain bill, one I have used often and my current hop schedule.

Does anyone have any experience with these hops? Advice, wisdom? Thanks, Tim

Original Gravity: 1.053 (1.045 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.010 - 1.015)
Color: 9.22 (5.0 - 14.0)
Alcohol: 5.22% (4.5% - 6.0%)
Bitterness: 40 (30.0 - 45.0)

Ingredients:
8.5 lb Premium Organic GW 2-Row
2.0 lb Organic GW Munich
0.5 lb Organic GW Crystal 40
.5 oz Pacific Jade (Organic) (14.4%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz Rakau (Organic) (11.2%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
.5 oz Rakau (Organic)(11.2%) - added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
.5 oz Pacific Jade (Organic)(14.4%) - added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast
1 oz Pacific Jade (Organic)(14.4%) - dry Hops
.5 oz Rakau(Organic) (11.2%)- Dry Hops




Pacific Jade is described as:14.4% α: Pellet hops are from New Zealand. Suited for use as a bittering hop with some excellent results also being seen in dual purpose applications, with a soft bitterness attributable to the low cohumulone. The citrus aroma and flavour notes work well to temper malt sweetness in “fullish” Ales especially when used moderately as a finishing hop. Pacific Jade is also well suited to balance dryer Lager styles when employed as an “up-front” kettle addition to showcase its bittering qualities.

Rakau:11.2 α: A new variety from New Zealand. It was recently released as result of the dedicated work of Dr Ron Beatson’s research team. The other, Nelson Sauvin, has been on the market for the past ten years and is now proving popular as the new “in flavor” with craft brewers. Both hop cultivars share similar flavor traits with Riwaka, except they are more powerful in bitterness and higher hop oil content. Rakau is a dual-use hop with flavor and aroma similar to passion fruit and mango. It's also a great bittering hop, providing a "soft" bitterness.

I have used Rakau in several brews. I can agree with the notes about tropical flavors. It offers a great aroma when used for dry hopping. Less grapefruity/citrusy than Nelson Sauvin but in a similar vein and very appealing in the nose, if that's your thing.

I think it is wise to use both the Jade and the Rakau as flavoring additions so it doesn't end up one dimensional. But you might be surprised how much bitterness is sneaking in there in the last 20 minutes of your boil.

Just curious, is that Rakau from the 2012 crop or an earlier year?

Let us know what the judges have to say & good luck!

Thanks wileaway. Your suggestion is a good one,and that may have been a beter route. But, I went ahead and brewed as written yesterday. Easy brew, hit gravity right one, sample tasted great. I like the aroma of both hops. Fermenting happily at 65f. Hoping it is competition worthy, and if not, I still have beer!

Sounds good I would have used them both,but Ive only used Rakau,which were good but didnt last too long probably due to its actuall freshness.I think I stored them/recevied them late,but I seen a good potential. Your recipe sounds good,good luck. I thought about sending my all organic pale ale in that contest, but mine was brewed like 6 mo. ago but I do have 3 left,probably will drink them instead because I dont even know how they are right now. It was one of a few of my 100% all organic.Everything else was one or two ingredience shy of being 100%.Hard to do when there isnt an organic honey malt or whatever else malt I was inspired with.

wileaway said:

I have used Rakau in several brews. I can agree with the notes about tropical flavors. It offers a great aroma when used for dry hopping. Less grapefruity/citrusy than Nelson Sauvin but in a similar vein and very appealing in the nose, if that's your thing.



I think it is wise to use both the Jade and the Rakau as flavoring additions so it doesn't end up one dimensional. But you might be surprised how much bitterness is sneaking in there in the last 20 minutes of your boil.

Just curious, is that Rakau from the 2012 crop or an earlier year?

Let us know what the judges have to say & good luck!

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Yes, dry hopping is my thing that is great, I plan to have a big nose on this beer.

Mine are 2011 crop, but stored in nitrogen purged mylar vacuum pack, so I assume they are in good shape.

jonmohno said:

Sounds good I would have used them both,but Ive only used Rakau,which were good but didnt last too long probably due to its actuall freshness.I think I stored them/recevied them late,but I seen a good potential. Your recipe sounds good,good luck. I thought about sending my all organic pale ale in that contest, but mine was brewed like 6 mo. ago but I do have 3 left,probably will drink them instead because I dont even know how they are right now. It was one of a few of my 100% all organic.Everything else was one or two ingredience shy of being 100%.Hard to do when there isnt an organic honey malt or whatever else malt I was inspired with.

Click to expand...

I hear you, I had to make a beer based on what I could get. You still have time to make a simple ale for the comp if you are motivated. I am brewing one more, a simple blonde ale with 2-row and 20 ibu of leftover organic hops. I will have 3 all organic beers: a schwarzbier, the pale ale and a blonde.

I used whole nugget and pellot belgian admirable on that one. I ended up drinking one and looking at my grain bill I used a good amout of wheatmalt in that one making it a little more unusual malt for a pale ale along with victory and munich.But for a 4.6% abv (OG:1.051- FG:1.016) it was very tasty and full of flavor with perfect bitterness and carbonation. I just had about 0 aroma-I didnt use much last minute. Kinda wish I could send it out though. I was thinking of just sending the last two though even if it disqualifies it I wonder if it could still be judged.

Unfortunalty Im not currently brewing because of the season/week long shipping(living in the midwest) just to get the ingredience and I have too much of a pipeline that Im holding off til winter. I really think the heat screws with the hops stability,Ill probably ask for them sent in an ice pack next time. Plus I have to do a one time purchase to buy in bulk to make it worthwhile.

Tasted the pre-dryhopped sample (1.012 FG) and it is very good. I really like these hops. As described, the Pacific Jade gives a super smooth background bitterness. The bitterness is so smooth, that the beer at 40 IBU seems more like a 30 IBU beer (at least from my hydrometer sample). The flavor and aroma is very nice, with mild citrus and tropical fruit mixing well with the malts. I am dry hopping with .5 oz of each hop now and will add .3 oz of each in a few days. I am thinking that these are two hops that are going to quite popular in the US soon.

Good beer. Very unique. The dry hop profile is very different from the standard APA. I am sending in to contest but not expecting to place super high, the malt is a bit thin- thermometer was reading a bit high and it looks like I mashed at 149, instead of 153.

I will use these hops again, and think they will blend well with standard American varieties.

Sounds like you had some success with these hops. I brewed a Pacific Belgian (basically an IPA with only New Zealand hops and a Belgian yeast strain) that featured Pacific Jade heavily in flavor/aroma/dryhopping additions. One thing I read that wasn't listed in your quoted definition of them is a black pepper flavor which really, really came through in my IPA almost to the point of dominating it. Could be it was accentuated a bit with the Belgian yeast but I used a bunch of these hops and really got that as a dominant flavor.

You get any of that in your beer? Just curious.

Could be black pepper? I will have to get back to you on that. No single flavor or aroma is dominant, my brewing buddy who tried it really liked it, but could not really describe the aroma either. Now that I have the black pepper reference, next time I have a pint I will report back.

Cheers, Tim

Yep, some black pepper, but not overwhelming at all. I think the tropical fruit from the Rakau balances any peppery spiciness.

I hAVE A Rakau.nelson UK ipa i forgot about,Im entering it I think. Bittered with Rakau and DH with Nelson. I used almost all GW Pale malt as well. Good stuff too! Still really good at 6 months but kinda overcarbed-nothing distracting though and can pour a glass without foam everywhere. Atleast I know I wont be competing in your category to lose against. Goodluck.

Edit: Just sent my "yeast evaluation samples" out today,Mon. Hopefully they survive a week long journey in warm temps.