3 Floyds Pride & Joy(ish) ***Noob Attempt***

I need a few thoughts or opinions. This is my second ever brew and I decided I was going to experiment a little...after all, necessity is the mother of invention. I want to try to do something similar to 3 Floyds Pride and Joy. I'm a big fan of IPA's and tasty session beers and want to try to marry the two.

For those that aren't familiar with 3 F's P&J, here is the description quoted from their site...

So, what I've decided to do is order a basic "mild" ale kit and hop things up a bit on my own. I've got a nice malty, mild ale kit on the way from NB...LINK...as well as 4 oz of Cascade leaf hops. I was planning on making the recipe as is except for tossing in 2 oz of Cascades near the end of the boil and then dry hopping with the other 2 oz about a week before bottling. I would like to get a hint of flavor/bitter from the Cascade, but not the full profile. I'm using them primarily as a supplement in flavor and a full hit of aroma.

Now here comes the part where I need a little help. At what point in the boil would it be reccomended I add the 2 oz of Cascades to get a hint/supplement of flavor and a blast of aroma? I was thinking at 5 minutes (or less) left on the clock, but would appreciate the input from those more experienced than I.

Thought...opinions???

 

Okay, after a little more reading, I think I may have been a little overzealous by ordering 4oz of Cascade. I'm thinking maybe I should do a late addition of 1oz and then maybe 1oz of dry hop. On the bright side, I will have 2 oz to use on something else.

Anyone have any ideas? I don't want to overpower the original flavor of the mild ale, just compliment it with the flavor of the Cascade, but provide a lot of the Cascade aroma. I definately don't want to turn it into an IPA.

 

Hops added at the beginning of the boil will contribute bitterness. Hops added near the end of the boil will contribute flavor and aroma. I'm assuming you also intend to add whatever hops are included in the kit while brewing so I would recommend adding about 1/2 oz of the cascade hops at the end of the boil (10-15 mins) along with the kit hops if you're looking to boost the hop flavor/aroma characteristics of your finished beer. As for dry hopping I'd say one ounce should do the trick though I would probably try to get the recipe nailed down, since you're already experimenting with additional hop additions during the boil, before going too crazy with dry-hopping. I find it's better for me to adjust one variable at a time when tweaking recipes, just easier to get things dialed in imho. That way you can brew more batches and also have a good excuse to drink more beer (R&D).

 

I like where your head is on the R&D tip.

Yes, I am planning to make the kit exactly as suggested except add Cascade toward the end of boil and possibly to dry hop. The recipe includes 1oz of fuggle for the full 60 min boil. I just want to compliment or add to it with a bit of Cascade, but mostly get the Cascade aroma.

I really don't have any experience in the hops department, but I think I would have rather went with Citra (based on description and what I'm trying to achieve), but they were out of stock.

 

Sounds like a plan... Let us know how it turns out. I think the cascades will be fine and give you a good idea of how late hop additions will affect the finished product.