Getting a Taste for Hop Contribution

[Flando]

For a long time, I have been wanting to figure out a good way to taste the way hops contribute to beer. More specifically, I would like to see a how a specific hop variety contributes flavor and bitterness at each phase of the boil (bitterness, flavor, aroma, and dry). The reason I haven't done so yet is because a) I usually use many different hops in a single beer recipe, b) I don't have enough cash to brew as much as I would like, and c) even if I used a single hop, the multiple additions (60 min, 20 min, 10 min, 0 min) would come together at the end making it difficult to discern each addition's unique contribution.

So I was thinking of a way to do this "scientifically." What if I just boiled a small pot of water and added a specific single hop addition for a total boiling time of 60 minutes. Then I could take small samples from the pot at each of the intervals and taste them after I cooled them, making notes in a journal. As I took out each sample, they would be in reverse-time order from traditional wort boiling hop additions. To make this clearer, I would add hops and do the following
1) 1st sample at 0 mins (consider flame out hops contribution)
2) 2nd sample at 5 mins (consider aroma hops contribution for 5 min boilng time)
3) 2nd sample at 20 mins (consider flavor hops contribution for 20 min boiling time)
4) 3rd sample at 30 mins (consider flavor hops contribution for 30 mins boiling time)
5) 4th hops addition at 60 mins (consider bitterness hops contribution for 60 mins)

I would probably use some old DME I have laying around too to get a better idea of the contribution with respect to a sweet malty background, keeping OG low. I have also read that the malt helps in the extraction/conversion of alpha acids.

While it won't give me what the final product will taste like, I think this might help me a lot in qualitatively building my understanding of hops varieties and their effects on a beer. Does this make sense? Is this a good idea? Is this a bad idea? Any other suggestions?

 

[halite]

Sounds like neat experiment. Why not make it with small sample batches of extract, do three 5 litre batches on the stove top. Steep a small amount of crystal in each and then do your different hop additions:

60 minute bittering addition in Extract 1
30 minute flavour/bittering addition in Extract 2
5 minute aroma addition in Extract 3

This would give you a much more realistic idea of the hop contribution as it would replicate what you would be doing in an actual brew. You could fement them in large plastic water bottles.

 

[Flando]

Good idea. That would be a much more complete way of tasting the actual results in a finished beer. Thanks!