Hop addition designs

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hoppybrewster

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Someone splain to me how to decide when and what hops to use when designing a recipe. What are the identifying factors bittering/aroma/flavoring hops? Is it merely the acid levels? What?
 
Oh man, that's a broad subject.

The style of beer has a lot to do with the kind of hops you use. Some styles dictate the hops and some leave the door wide open. Probably, the best thing you could do is Google "brewing hops" and read some of the many articles you'll find.
There are charts available to give you an idea of what hops do when added at different times during the brewing process, flavor profiles, substitutions, etc. Makes for interesting reading.

You might also want to search out articles on late hop additions, First Wort Hopping, Dry hopping, etc. Everything you need to know is available on the internet.

Bob
 
BobBailey said:
Oh man, that's a broad subject.

The style of beer has a lot to do with the kind of hops you use. Some styles dictate the hops and some leave the door wide open. Probably, the best thing you could do is Google "brewing hops" and read some of the many articles you'll find.
There are charts available to give you an idea of what hops do when added at different times during the brewing process, flavor profiles, substitutions, etc. Makes for interesting reading.

You might also want to search out articles on late hop additions, First Wort Hopping, Dry hopping, etc. Everything you need to know is available on the internet.

Bob

I get all that. What I don't get is is there certain hops that only get used on the front end or the back end, middle or dry hop.
 
hoppybrewster said:
I get all that. What I don't get is is there certain hops that only get used on the front end or the back end, middle or dry hop.

Not necessarily. I decide the same way I decide on spices when I'm cooking--smell & creative instinct. Sometimes I lose big, but usually comes out great!
 
I have some of those in my other browser,but it's got a glitch. Dang start.search.com thing,hidden file. Damn,I got a ton of stuff in that one too. Anyway,go to the hop retailers on line,like freshops.com. some of the beer calculator & trouble shooting sites have them,or links to them as I remember.
Some high AA% hops are only good for bittering,having little flavor to contribute. Other's may not be quite as high,used for bittering,but can be used later in the boil for flavor as well. It's usually the low AA% hops that are used late in the boil for flavor & aroma. Or for dry hopping.
There's no set in stone rules for hops. It's kinda like using spices,herbs,& fruit for flavoring,depending on which hops you use,& in what combination. The beer's malt profile can also change the flavors & aromas the hops present. I've had that happen before.
 
Is it true you should only dry hop in the secondary? The best IPA I make I throw in the hops in the primary after 3 days, bottle 3 weeks later.
 
A lot of us dry hop in primary,but only after FG is reached. The yeast has settled pretty well by that point,& less yeasties for the hop oils to cling to & settle out, & then only for a week.
 
As for when certain hops are used, there isn't really a set rule, it is mainly done by preference. Some people prefer say to use summit only as bittering because they detect an onion/garlic flavor if used later in the boil. Or some people don't use simcoe as a 60 minute addition because it is one of those harder to find hops and they don't want to "waste" its potential on just bittering.

However, there are a couple of things that can be helpful to know about a hop variety. I'm sure you are already aware of the alpha acids. But more importantly (well, flavor/aroma wise) is the percentage of essential oils by weight. The higher this percentage, the more bang you will get weight wise out of flavoring and aroma additions. This is why the same amount of one hop can overpower another flavor/aroma wise.

Overall, there are a variety of things to take into consideration, but the best thing to do is experiment. Make a ton of 1 gallon sMash batches and really get a feel for what each hop has to offer. You can't read online or have anyone tell you how your palate will react. Some people rave about lima beans, some don't, know what I'm sayin?
 
unionrdr said:
A lot of us dry hop in primary,but only after FG is reached. The yeast has settled pretty well by that point,& less yeasties for the hop oils to cling to & settle out, & then only for a week.

I'm about to get yelled at by alot of brewers but I've made between 20-30 batches by now and quite awhile ago I stopped using my hydrometer. Am I going to burn in hell now? In my mind the OG doesn't matter cuz there's nothing you can do to fix it if it's wrong and I don't measure the FG cuz I let it sit in the fermenters quite a long time and whatever it is it is. I make really good beers according to many, they suck it right down. Am I a bad person? ha ha
 
Yeah,yer gunna burn...better put on your asbestos funderwear! :D It's just better to get an OG/FG if you want to get more consistent results when re-brewing the same recipe. It's called standardization by chefs I've known. Part of it,anyway.
 
unionrdr said:
Yeah,yer gunna burn...better put on your asbestos funderwear! :D It's just better to get an OG/FG if you want to get more consistent results when re-brewing the same recipe. It's called standardization by chefs I've known. Part of it,anyway.

Well, I've re-brewed many recipes and it seems as long as I keep my procedures, addition times and pitch temps the same I'm golden. Some of my early recipes were off but it wasn't cuz I don't use a hydrometer.
 
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