High Alpha Hops for FWH???

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dirty_martini

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Ive used FWH in my APAs and IPAs for a long time with great results. However, the highest alpha hop Ive ever used was Amarillo at around 8%. It seems the consensus from most sources is that you shouldnt use higher alpha hops. The thing is I want to make an IPA and all of the hops I plan on using are high alpha. Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Summit. Now, I already know not to use summit in FWH (the only time Ive really tasted onion/garlic from summits was when a friend used them for FWH). Citra is a iffy bittering hop. I love the Nelson flavor so I was thinking about using them but they are 12% alpha.

The question is are high alpha off limits completely for FWH, or is it more about the co-humulone levels, beta acids, or any other factor that allows you to use them?
 
I had the same question a few months back and went ahead and FWH with Columbus and it turned out great - my guess is that you just need to be careful not to overdo it by using too much of high alpha varieties.
 
I've done FWH with citra on a saison-esque brew and it worked a treat, really smooth and excellent flavours. Not sure how much that was due to the FWH or the rest of the hop schedule though.
 
I haven;t had a problem using high AA hops with FWH. one of the only troubles with using high AA hops for FWH is that its such a limited quantity that you don't get as much flavor out of it. I'd def go with the Nelson for FWH tho
 
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