Same old thing

I'm getting burned out on the heavy grapefruit notes that are so prominant in all the pale ale's nowdays. Can anybody recommend a hop(s) substitution that will be a refreshing change.

Bravo hops look interesting to me. Supposedly, they impart apple and pear.

Palisades is also supposedly a good one. Spicy and Floral.

I dont always get so much fruit from Chinook, but others seem to.

willamette. It's derived from fuggles, so it's got an earthy thing going on that is really nice in pale ales. It's cheap, too! I think I paid $7 a pound for it.

Northern brewer is another one. It's got a slightly minty but woody flavor that I just love. You could do a 100% northern brewer hopped APA and have a nice beer, like Anchor Steam beer but an ale instead of a hybrid.

I'd also think about Mt. Hood. Denny Conn uses it in late hopping for his Wry Smile IPA, and it's awesome. It's not the traditional citrusy hops flavor you'd expect, and I love that.

I have a simple Willamette Ale conditioning right now. Thanks for your suggestions guys. I'll probably start my next batch this weekend.

It's really easy to find hops that aren't predominately grapefruit. Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Summit, Amarillo, CTZ, and Simcoe can all possess grapefruit elements of varying strengths. You have a lot of other options to go with if you avoid these hops. For APAs and IPAs, you could test the New Zealand varieties. They're fruity, tropical, and grassy at the same time. A sort of blend between the newer American hops and the proven Noble hops.