Too many hops?

[Idlehanz]

Is there a point where you can use to many varieties of hops in a beer? I have five different ones sitting in the freezer right now and I'm thinking of just throwing together a recipe before they go bad.

I have

4 oz Willamette

2 oz Amarillo

2 oz Chinook

1 0z Saaz

2 oz Simcoe

Is there any reason I couldn't use all five of them in some combination? Does cluttering up my recipe with that many hops make for a beer that tastes "cluttered"?

I know I could use three of them in one and two in another ( and still might ) but I'm not averse to a little experimentation either. That's the whole reason I started homebrewing.

As always, thanks for the advice!

 

[PVH]

No idea what style you're thinking of, so it's hard to offer any advice. You might just pick three or four for the bittering hops and use the remainder for flavor and aroma. That would simplify things for you.

 

[Pommy]

The first thing you need to do when designing a beer is to decide on a particular style or at least the sort of thing you expect to brew. I dont consider that you could ever use too many different types of hops as long as they compliment each other and fit the type of beer you are trying to create. I dont have much experience with american hops yet so I will leave any suggestions up those with more experience with all of these hop varieties. I think that it would be good to have a beer that tastes unique and is difficult to figure out exactly what hops are in it. It just needs to taste good once all those different hops are in there.

 

[Idlehanz]

I honestly didn't have a particular style in mind. I just knew I had a lot of leftover hops. After doing a bit more digging, it appears that most of my hops fit the IPA style.

I'm not so much worried about the style though, I'm just curious if anyone has brewed a beer with this many hop varieties? I'm a noob, obviously, and I just wonder if I can make a a drinkable beer through experimentation of a few malts and these five varieties. I guess anything is possible, I'd just rather not waste all of my hops if I don't need to.


2ND Thought............An IPA of some sorts seem's the best route to me.

So I guess my only question is............Have you ever brewed with 5 varieties of hops? More? Is five to many and will it clutter up the taste?



Thanks all, this noob appreciates it

 

[JOHN51277]

When in doubt........

Follow my avatar!

<---------------

 

[wulfsburg]

When in doubt........

Follow my avatar!

<---------------

ROFL!!!!

He wants to CHEW those leaves in his beer!!!:rockin:

 

[ToddO]

I would use only one for a bittering hop and probably the
chinook - using the simcoe and amarillo for your flavor & aroma etc in an IPA. 2oz of Chinook for bittering might be a bit gnarly for a 5g batch. I would do one. Saaz & williamette are better for lagers and porters respectively.

 

[Pezman1]

I would second the posts about deciding what type of beer you want and then use the hops accordingly.

Better to use just some of the hops than waste money on malt, yeast, and your time on an undrinkable beer.

ToddO's post has some good combos, and I have used wilamette in an Irish red with good results.

If you have them in the freezer, I'm sure you have time to make at least two batches of beer anyway.
Pez.

 

[BeerJorge]

When in doubt........

Follow my avatar!

<---------------

+1. LOL... I'm a hop-head...

 

[snipper_cr]

Do not irritate the Hop gods

\/ \/ \/

 

[HoppyDaze]

I use willamette with amarillo all the time.

Saaz seems to be the only outlier I would be concerned with.

Im kind of an "all hops taste good" kind of guy though...so

 

[r_flagg]

There's no reason you couldn't, but are you familiar with the character each of those hops will give individually? Get an idea for the individual hop character before you start going buck wild mixing hops. If you've already used these hops in other beers, trust your palate.

 

[pericles]

Plenty of beers use lots of hops. Pliny the Elder - which is the chief deity of hoppy beers - uses warrior, chinook, simcoe, columbus, and centennial. Some "hops" are actually hop blends (CTZ, for instance, is often sold as a blend, and not a single hop variety.) Be mindful of what you're using the hop for (bittering/aroma) and their alpha-acid and alpha-oil contents. . . but other than that, there's no reason you couldn't throw MORE hop varieties in there.

 

[SumnerH]

CTZ, for instance, is often sold as a blend, and not a single hop variety.

Columbus, Tomahawk, and Zeus are different trademark names for the same hop varietal. Some stores sell it as "CTZ" generically, but it's not a blend.

 

[pericles]

I've been told differently, but that doesn't mean I'm right; my essential point remains though: many beers use a lot of different hops.

 

[SumnerH]

my essential point remains though: many beers use a lot of different hops.

Yep!

 

[munche]

Sculpin IPA uses something like 8 different hop varieties, too

 

[bdupree]

How long will they last in the freezer? i was thinking a few years

 

[throwbookatface]

I say go crazy - use as much as you want. It's your beer - if you want a really hoppy stout, a watery Belgian, an orange cream IPA, or something else wacky, and you'll like it, why not?

 

[Idlehanz]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll probably make an IPA with them this weekend. I may pass on using the Saaz in it. Everything else will probably go in though, either in boil or in DH.

 

[Pommy]

If it were me I'd throw the saaz in at flameout just to see what happens. Mind you I might have changed my mind in about four weeks when I taste my "brew cupboard spring cleaning pale ale." Thats got 1/2 oz of saaz and EKG @ 10mins and flameout and will have 1/2 oz saaz for a 4 day dry hop. Do what you think is best and the worst that will happen is you will learn something else that you don't like. Agree with your decision to brew a good hoppy IPA too, the obvious choice to me as well.

 

[alexdagrate]

I used to always separate my hops in different styles of beers:

"C" hops went into IPAs, noble hops went into European styles.

Then I brewed some IPAs and CDAs with some leftover hops. 100+ IBUs beers with Simcoe, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Saaz, Tettanger, Willamette, EKG ... all mixed in together at different times in the boil.

Having the earthy & the spicy & the citrusy & the flowery all balance each other out is pretty remarkable. It's at least worth trying out in a batch.

Port Brewing's Hop-15 is probably an extreme example. If I could get my hands on every variety of hop available and make a IIPA with it... I would. But that's outta my range for now.

 

[SumnerH]

Sculpin IPA uses something like 8 different hop varieties, too

Do you have a source that has an accurate list? I'd love to brew a similar beer. Clone homebrew recipes are all over the map, ranging from 2 to 10 different hops, but all the research I've done has the brewery only mentioning Simcoe and Amarillo, and speculation is that it might only have those 2 (even those tidbits are tough to find-Ballast Point is tight-lipped about it from what I can see), though they sometimes distribute it dry hopped with various other hops.

 

[pericles]

Hops do NOT last "a couple of years" in the freezer. Whole flowers in particular will oxidize and stale within a month or two. Pellets will last longer, but not indefinitely; I think I might use pellet hops that were properly sealed and kept in the freezer for a full year, but I wouldn't use them in a beer that was special - they just won't pack the same punch as fresh.

 

[Idlehanz]

So, here's a little something I came up with. I decided not to use the Chinook because I've read a few topics that using a lot is just too "grassy" tasting, and I'm going to have to trust those opinions, for now.

Keep in mind, I've never made my own recipe up, I just kind of borrowed bit's and pieces from other IPA recipe's. I also just made up the hop schedule, so I guess I'll see what happens


Amount Item Type
16.00 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain
4.00 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain
4.00 oz Special Roast (50.0 SRM) Grain


Boil Amount Item Type
60 min 48.00 oz Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract
60 min 104.00 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract
60 min 1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.60 %] (60 min) Hops
60 min 2.00 oz Williamette [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops
45 min 0.50 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (45 min) Hops
30 min 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.60 %] (30 min) Hops
20 min 0.50 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (20 min) Hops
10 min 0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
5 min 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.60 %] (5 min) Hops
5 min 1.00 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (5 min) Hops
2 min 1.00 oz Saaz [5.90 %] (2 min) Hops


OG estimate is 1.091
FG estimate is 1.023

IBU = 63.9

ABV estimate = 8.87

 

[david_42]

I've used seven hops in one beer and it was a 4% lawnmower batch. But the total was less than 2 oz.

 

[Revvy]

I've used seven hops in one beer and it was a 4% lawnmower batch. But the total was less than 2 oz.

Sounds delicious, how did it turn out? Is the recipe posted anywhere?

 

[Noontime]

I say go crazy - use as much as you want. It's your beer - if you want a really hoppy stout, a watery Belgian, an orange cream IPA, or something else wacky, and you'll like it, why not?

+1 on that my friend! Couldn't agree more.

Idlehands- +1 on the IPA...I'm sure it will be delicious!

 

[Idlehanz]

So this is the finished recipe that I did today. The hop's added at the 1 minute mark of the boil I actually added after flameout, and let sit in the pot for 20 minutes before I racked to the carboy.
Here it is, regardless


Steeped at 154 for 30 minutes in 3 gallons

Amount Item Type
16.00 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain
4.00 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain
4.00 oz Special Roast (50.0 SRM) Grain

Sparged with 170 F to make 5.5 gallons

Boil Amount Item Type
60 min 48.00 oz Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract
60 min 96.00 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract


60 min 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.60 %] (60 min) Hops
60 min 2.00 oz Williamette [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops
45 min 0.50 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (45 min) Hops
30 min 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.60 %] (30 min) Hops
20 min 0.50 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (20 min) Hops
15 min 0.50 oz Saaz [5.90 %] (15 min) Hops
10 min 0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
7 min 0.75 oz Saaz [5.90 %] (7 min) Hops
5 min 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.60 %] (5 min) Hops
5 min 0.50 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (5 min) Hops
2 min 0.50 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (2 min) Hops
1 min 0.70 oz Amarillo Gold [8.60 %] (1 min) Hops
1 min 0.70 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (1 min) Hops

Wyeast 1272


OG = 1.091


Hope I didn't get to crazy for my fifth ever batch, but I'm excited about this one. I tasted the sample I used for my OG, and it tasted like carmely sugar. Very sweet. Can't wait.

 

[Idlehanz]

Bottling this tonight. My FG is 1.022

I'll update in a few weeks once I've tried some. I'm going to enter it in a small homebrew competition in mid August.