Most "floral" hops

I heart Bridgeport IPA for its delicate floral/lychee character. I WANT THAT IN MY MOUTH, so bad I'll brew a freakin' fruit beer (with canned lychees) if I have to, but I'd rather just find the right hops to focus in on that flavor and smell. Bridgeport reportedly uses Cascade, Chinook, Goldings, Crystal and Ahtanum -- do any of those have that awesome rose and lychee thing? I've used Cascade, Chinook, and Goldings but I haven't gotten that particular note from any of them, so it's gotta be either Crystal or Ahtanum....

If I do brew a lychee beer, I was thinking of Magnum, Chinook and Centennial because that's what I have, and I assume they would match with the lychees.

I'm not familiar with the beer your referring to but I used some whole leaf EKG this weekend and that was about as floral as I've smelled.

magnj said:

I'm not familiar with the beer your referring to but I used some whole leaf EKG this weekend and that was about as floral as I've smelled.

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+1 on the unfamiliarity. another +1 on the floral qualities of EKG. I really would have thought that the EKG would have been responsible if it were a late addition and/or dry hopped (especially dry hopped)

I've always thought of Crystal and Hallertal as floral, but Styrian Goldings has a lot of that germanium/rose aroma.

I was really hoping you guys wouldn't say Goldings because their, uh, "topsoil" note gets old fast for me. I guess Styrians don't count, maybe I'll try some of them.

This chart is kinda pushing my thinking towards Ahtanum:

944play said:

I was really hoping you guys wouldn't say Goldings because their, uh, "topsoil" note gets old fast for me. I guess Styrians don't count, maybe I'll try some of them.

This chart is kinda pushing my thinking towards Ahtanum:

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Try stone Pale Ale, I think it is finished with all Ahtanum maybe you will pick out the same flavor/aroma.

Both Crystal and Ahtanum will give you floral notes. Willamette is another.

FYI If you are looking for a non-hop lychee boost, try elderflower extract or the flowers themselves! St. Germain liquer is made from the flowers and it is amazingly lychee-esque. I live just a couple blocks from the BridgePort brewery/pub, I can go try a bunch of "investigative" pints if you need. Or talk to the brewer. Have you emailed in yet? I guess you have the hop list already tho...

I was going to ask the same question myself. I like floral hop aromas. I read somewhere that cascade is floral so I was going to buy some of that. Then I came across this:

Murphy & Son Limited – Hop Varieties and their Brewing Characteristics

I hope it's of some use.

When I found this, I immediately thought of this thread. I've spent about 20 minutes trying to find it. I used the search engine to no avail so trawled through each section looking for "floral hops".

Fiddlesticks! In this very section, there's a sticky with a link to even more detailed hop information.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/ingredient-guides-redux-107308/

Good luck with your floral IPA. Do post your recipe. I'd like to have a go at it myself.

Phil

I guess the simple thing would be to brew a Bridgeport clone recipe and trust that whoever formulated it has a palate like mine. I did find this clone recipe (from Beer Captured(?)):

10lb 4oz 2-row
10oz C40
.75 Chinook 60
.75 Golding 15
.75 Cascade 15
.5 Cascade 1
.5 Crystal 1
.5 Golding 1
.5 Cascade dry
WY1056

Ahtanum is conspicuously absent.... I have a feeling the AHS clone kit is based on the same recipe.

Have you emailed in yet?

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Great idea! Just did.

I'll have to get my hands on some elderflower extract. If I brew with it, the beer has to have a Pliny pun name.:fro:

Ithaca Flower Power (obviously supposed to be floral) is Simcoe, Palisades, Cascade. The Palisades and Cascade are fairly floral, not so sure about simcoe. The simcoe was probably used as bittering.

Okay, got some elderflower extract. Disappointed. Just smells like booze. I'll get some BMC and mix up some trials though.

Also picked up four cans of lychees and opened one. I hydro tested the syrup - it's 1.090, double what I was expecting! I'll have to mash really high to have any body left after US-05 goes to town.:cross:

Here's my tentative (SWAG) recipe, just using hops I already have:

8lb 2-row
2lb Munich 6.5L
12oz C40L
40oz canned lychees in fermenter

.5oz Magnum 14.4% pellets 60min
.5oz Chinook 10.5% whole 20min
.5oz Centennial 10.1% whole 10min
.5oz Chinook 10.5% whole 10min
.5oz Centennial 10.1% whole 1min
1oz Centennial 10.1% whole dry-hop

1pk US-05

Single infusion 156-158F
1.053 effective OG, 1.011 FG, 5.6% abv, 52 IBU, 7 SRM

Don't skip the Ahtanum!

1 oz. at flame out would be great. It definitely imparts some floral aromas and flavor. You would be surprised how much an aroma hop can affect the taste. Just smelling the floral notes as you take a drink imparts some flavor.

I also think all that Centennial may add too much grapefruit citrus flavor. I would kill the .5 oz Centennial @ 1 min and make it 1 oz. Ahtanum.

The lychees freak me out in the fermenter, but I know what you mean, I had some Captain Lawrence IPA which had that flavor and it was awesome. Things like that just never seem to leave the flavor you want after fermentation though.

OMG I loooove the hop-o-meter on that site! Why does no body ever tell me about these things?

steelerguy said:

Don't skip the Ahtanum!

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Great...:cross: I'll have to order them, or find an excuse to go to Berkeley.

steelerguy said:

I also think all that Centennial may add too much grapefruit citrus flavor. I would kill the .5 oz Centennial @ 1 min and make it 1 oz. Ahtanum.

The lychees freak me out in the fermenter, but I know what you mean, I had some Captain Lawrence IPA which had that flavor and it was awesome. Things like that just never seem to leave the flavor you want after fermentation though.

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That's what I fear, so I think I'll take a conservative approach to this and split the batch after primary. I'll put half in a corny with dry hops and half in a carboy with lychees. That way I'll have a couple gallons of a nice pale ale as a baseline to see what the fruit does.

I bought the grist, but I upped it to 10lb of 2-row. This should be a 1.060 beer before adjunct.

Ahtanum are floral and good for dry hopping. Also, Amarillo have a wonderful floral note.

beerkrump said:

Ahtanum are floral and good for dry hopping. Also, Amarillo have a wonderful floral note.

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I was going to suggest Amarillo whole leaf if you can't find Ahtanum whole leaf. I brew an all-Amarillo IPA once a year and the nose is just great. Don't dry hop with plugs; IMHO, it just ain't the same.

Rhoobarb said:

I was going to suggest Amarillo whole leaf if you can't find Ahtanum whole leaf.

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Looks like none of the usual suspects has whole Ahtanum. I'll probably be making a big AHS order pretty soon, so I'll get Ahtanum pellets for DH.

I like Amarillo, but I get basically apricot and pineapple from them.

It looks like Brewmasters Warehouse carries them:

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/products/Ahtanum-Plugs-1-oz-AromaFlavor-Hop-5-AA-0101946

If you were still interested in finding them.

Philsc said:

I was going to ask the same question myself. I like floral hop aromas. I read somewhere that cascade is floral so I was going to buy some of that. Then I came across this:

Murphy & Son Limited – Hop Varieties and their Brewing Characteristics

I hope it's of some use.

When I found this, I immediately thought of this thread. I've spent about 20 minutes trying to find it. I used the search engine to no avail so trawled through each section looking for "floral hops".

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I like the link you provided...helpful in making decisions, especially when trying to formulate an IPA recipe to my liking!

Brewed tonight. Efficiency was not what I wanted at 66% for 1.057 OG.

I use Willamette in Biermuncher's Bridgeport IPA clone...I think you should try the Elysian's Avatar IPA, he used Jasmine flowers in the boil, but also used Ahtanum as well...and I definitely get "floral" in that beer...

that being said, I've never used ahtanum before, much less seen it for sale in my lhbs...

Picobrew said:

FYI If you are looking for a non-hop lychee boost, try elderflower extract or the flowers themselves!

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I went to a West Sonoma County ex-hippie-type bar last night that had elderflower syrup - THAT is the real deal! I think this is the brand, Darbo from Austria:

944play said:

I went to a West Sonoma County ex-hippie-type bar last night that had elderflower syrup - THAT is the real deal! I think this is the brand, Darbo from Austria:

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That syrup sounds good, I'll have to try that! Get your hands on some St. Germain if you haven't already: