Old World hops with the strongest flavor?

[Bosh]

I have a huge amount of love for Old World hops such as Saaz and Golding. I just wish I could dial up their intensity a bit.

What are some good hops that pack a punch and are floral/herbal/earthy/spicy and has as little of the fruit/pine/dank that defines American hops as possible. I'm not talking about percent AA, it's easy to get as many IBUs as I want by putting in something neutral and strong at the start of the boil, just want something that can give me more of a punch in the teeth Old World flavor the same way that a lot of modern c-hops have a lot more intense flavor than Cascade but are part of the same broad category of taste.

Meanwhile I'll enjoy the hell out of my un-American Pale Ale (low OG and IBUs, malty German grains, low attenuation English yeast and a bunch of late addition Saaz, it's a thing of beauty).

 

[m00ps]

Comet is definitely a candidate. Its not european, btu when it first came out, no one liked it because it was too dank and assertive in its grapefruit character. Now, decades later with the obsession with powerful hops, its coming around again

 

[Bosh]

Comet is definitely a candidate. Its not european, btu when it first came out, no one liked it because it was too dank and assertive in its grapefruit character. Now, decades later with the obsession with powerful hops, its coming around again

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of "middle school" hops like Northern Brewer that get ignored because people either want to really traditional stuff (Saaz etc.) or cutting edge stuff like Citra.

But it seems that Comet has a lot of grapefruit flavor. Don't really care where the hops are grown just looking for stuff that fill the same broad niche as EKG/Saaz (i.e. hops flavor that isn't dominated by fruit/citrus/pine) with a bit more efficiency in late addition flavor intensity per oz terms.

 

[Aristotelian]

Sterling is described as a stronger version of Saaz. I have some in my freezer but haven't used it yet, but from the description it could hit the mark for you.

http://beerlegends.com/sterling-hops

 

[Hanglow]

Pilgrim and Admiral are more potent british hops.

 

[dyqik]

Bramling Cross is a UK hop (a 1927 cross between Golding and a wild Manitoban hop) with a distinctive lemony to blackberry flavour - it's definitely identifiable in most brews, particularly as a flavour hop, at about a 20-10 min addition.

 

[paperairplane]

Aurora

 

[JKaranka]

Bramling Cross and Brewers' Gold both have a blend of British and US hop character, with a clear blackcurrant note. I really like Northdown which comes across as minty and fruity (still floral). Progress is more traditional floral and earthy stuff, you might really want to try that. First Gold is good as well; people often comment on its orange-peel type flavour but I get it more earthy and herbal.

You might want to also try Pilgrim and Jester if you want punchier hops tending more to new world. It's worth mentioning Endeavour (mellow, fruity, complex) and Minstrel. I've made several beers with Minstrel and it's a bit like a less aggressive and more fruity version of Brewers' Gold. You get a bit of that EKG style orange rind, a bit of blackcurrant, some earthy and floral notes. Short of grapefruit (unlike Pilgrim and Jester).

 

[Bosh]

Bramling Cross and Brewers' Gold both have a blend of British and US hop character, with a clear blackcurrant note. I really like Northdown which comes across as minty and fruity (still floral). Progress is more traditional floral and earthy stuff, you might really want to try that. First Gold is good as well; people often comment on its orange-peel type flavour but I get it more earthy and herbal.

You might want to also try Pilgrim and Jester if you want punchier hops tending more to new world. It's worth mentioning Endeavour (mellow, fruity, complex) and Minstrel. I've made several beers with Minstrel and it's a bit like a less aggressive and more fruity version of Brewers' Gold. You get a bit of that EKG style orange rind, a bit of blackcurrant, some earthy and floral notes. Short of grapefruit (unlike Pilgrim and Jester).

Thanks for the detailed run down. Will order a couple pounds from hopsdirect for my mom to bring over when she comes to visit the grandkids.

My own house style seems to be gravitating towards American with heavy English influences so modern English hops are very welcome.

Wil check out aurora and others as well, like the idea of Northern Brewer mixed with continental since it has some punch but isn't fruity at all. There's also Junga which is NB crossed with a Polish hop that sounds interesting.