Genius or exercise in futility?

So I just bottled a 2.5 gal batch of an experimental all-Citra IPA. It's just a Two Hearted clone with Citra in place of Centennial. I have some leftover Simcoe, so tomorrow I'll brew the same recipe, just all Simcoe this time.

Then it hit me - what if I do the same thing with all Amarillo too? When they're all ready, could I then get a six pack of Two Hearted and sit down for some experimentation? Pour a glass of 1/2 Two Hearted and 1/2 all-Citra and get an approximation of what a 50/50 blend of Centennial and Citra would be like in a recipe? Or pour a 1/3 Two Hearted, 1/3 Simcoe and 1/3 Amarillo, and ... well, you get the picture.

I know it won't be a perfect example of what those combinations will be like, but it sounds to me like a fun little experiment.

It's like you're making a beer malbec! A malbec is a blended wine, where they take the juice from several different varieties of grapes and blend them together. I say go for it and let us know how they taste. Hell, it's your beer. Feel free to taste test them side-by-side or blended and see which tastes the best to you.

Worst case scenario, I wind up with a case of all-Citra, a case of all-Simcoe, and a case of all-Amarillo, all of which sound great. (And a sixer of Two hearted. )

aiptasia said:

It's like you're making a beer malbec! A malbec is a blended wine, where they take the juice from several different varieties of grapes and blend them together. I say go for it and let us know how they taste. Hell, it's your beer. Feel free to taste test them side-by-side or blended and see which tastes the best to you.

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The Malbec grape is a thin-skinned grape and needs more sun and heat than either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to mature.[5] It ripens mid-season and can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to claret blends. Sometimes, especially in its traditional growing regions, it is not trellised and cultivated as bush vines (the goblet system). Here it is sometimes kept to a relatively low yield of about 6 tons per hectare. The wines are rich, dark and juicy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbec

Keeping the recipe the same and changing the hops is a good way to determine the different hop flavors and characters.

This is how I came up with my house ale.

There are going to be a LOT of combinations. I'm a huge hop-head, so I'm pretty excited about this experiment.

aiptasia said:

It's like you're making a beer malbec! A malbec is a blended wine, where they take the juice from several different varieties of grapes and blend them together.

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You're thinking a meritage, not a malbec. Malbec is a grape variety just like Cabernet or Merlot.

btw, there is more genius in doing this than futility. You'll learn a lot about what each of these hops brings to a beer by doing this. It's going to make you a better brewer and I suspect each beer will be really good separately & in combination.

I spent last summer doing a lot of SMASHes (btw, a Munich/Centennial SMASH is incredible) so I think I'll spend the winter playing around with hops. Thanks, all! Cheers!

oops, I stand corrected.

Update: Carefully labeled, of course.

By the end of this, you wont need labels. You will be able to tell them apart as you pour the bottle into the glass I bet.

I wont prejudice what your opinions will be, but be sure to post back when you have observed results. Try them when the beer is young and still a bit cloudy then again when you have had some bottles sitting in the fridge for 1 month or so and they pour crystal clear.

I'll stay tuned for this...

What did you SMASH Munich/Centennial recipe look like? Sounds interesting and like something I need to try!

Subscribed. I'm really interested to hear how this experiment goes! I'm sure you'll learn a lot about the subtle differences

To O.P.: absolute genius! I've got three smashes as well--done to test out FWH--and I may borrow your idea. I have Amarillo, Glacier, and Columbus. Drinking lots of highly hopped beers... What part of that is NOT genius???

Mr_Pear said:

What did you SMASH Munich/Centennial recipe look like? Sounds interesting and like something I need to try!

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Not sure if I'm clear on your question. SM= single malt (Munich in this case) And SH= single hop (Centennial). Do you mean how much grain & hops?

"All your home brew are belong to us!"

Thanks all! I figure these'll be ready in 4-5 weeks. Someday, I'll have to repeat this with Ahnatum, Soriachi Ace, Cascade, etc.

Mr_Pear said:

What did you SMASH Munich/Centennial recipe look like? Sounds interesting and like something I need to try!

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It's nothing but Munich, mashed for 75 mins at 150 for a post boil OG of 1.050, then one 60 minute addition of Centennial up to about 40 IBU. It was just okay after three or so weeks in the bottle, but at five weeks, WOW!