I may have become a hop head

I still remember when I tried my very first Stone IPA and commented on how magnificently hoppy it was (not necessarily in a good way). I was rather intimidated with the strong hop nose and what I thought at the time was a maddening amount of hops.

From there I tried the DFH60 and then kind of left the IPAs to themselves as I didnt think that I really enjoyed them too much. Somewhere along the line, I picked up a 6er (and later a couple more 12ers) of Sierra Nevada PA. Very tasty, nice (mild) hop profile, but I think that this may be what set me off on a hop headed journey. My last Stone IPA tasted very yummy, but like a Mexican platter - not hot enough. Is there a such thing as 'TOO MUCH' hoppiness for a beer? I love spicy food, and my wife gets pissed when I am dumping the habinero sauce on my plate and I almost see hoppy beers as this. Will I burn my lips off with a more than hoppy beer?
-Me

 

There's a limit to how much bitterness the human palate can detect. IIRC, at anything above around 100 IBUs, you can't taste the difference.

But hey, if you like hoppy beers, then brew some hoppy beers! If you find yourself in Richmond or DC, you should try some Randallized DFH. The DFH website lists some of the bars and brewpubs that have Randalls. If you're a hop head, you might get a kick out of that bad boy.

I do love a good IPA or IIPA from time to time, but it's not an every day thing for me. I guess I'm just more of a malt head.

 

Man, I'm with you. When I started brewing, it was wheat beers and reds and some kind of caramel cream thing. Now, I look at a pound of hops and think, "Yeah, that ought to be close." We'll probably both be talking about sours next year.

 

As a fellow hop-head, I will sadly say "yes." At some point, the hops just get too out of control. At what point is that? Well, I dunno -- cuz I haven't found it yet!!

I was just thinking today - I drink iced tea every morning, and was wondering what it would taste like if I added in some cascade...hell, I have 4 lbs in the freezer....

 

The MoJo IPA is the hoppy happy beer that converted me into a hop head!

 

AZ... Ever just go ahead and eat a cone? How about a pellet?

Unfortunately, I can say that it isn't as awesome as you would hope.

They do smell great though. I'm going to plant some rhizomes this year outside my bedroom window so I smell them in the morning. We'll see how Mrs. uwjester feels about hops in September.

 

actually, yes - whenever I brew, I chomp on a pellet at each addition.

Columbus is my favorite, followed by Cascade. Warrior is a bit too strong. I know, I know, I'm sick....

 

I might do that as well next brewday... I have always been in love with the smell of hops, I just didnt know HOW infatuated I might become.
-Me

 

Heres a funny hop story for you. So I'm on my way back from the LHBS and have me some Amarillos and some Magnums and am sniffing the 1 oz bags at a stop light. The people next to me look at me with this horrified look on their face. I get back to the office and realize why... think about it, a guy, sniffing a snall bag of small green stuff. Totally thought there was a drug deal going on in the car next to them. I got the last laugh, cause I sniffed those bags all day :rockin:

 

I love it! Another person converted into a hophead. I, like you, was not a big hop fan for a while. Somewhere along the line my cousin brought some hoppy homebrew (Hopzilla) by my house and I liked it. Still a bit on the hoppy side for me, but I enjoyed it. As my pallette evolved, I got more and more addicted to the flavor of the hop. Now I am so into hoppy beers, anything else just doesn't do it for me. I still like other types of beer and they are still good, but not as satisfying for me.

Try the Stone Ruination IPA. By far, my favorite hoppy beer (100+ IBUs). As the name (and label) suggests, it is ruinous to your pallette. After one of those, if you drink another IPA it tastes watery. A great beer for the hop lover.

 

Mmmmm, I am sucking one back right now and I will admit that it is very tasty! I think Im going to follow it up with a regular Stone IPA just to kind of compare in my mind. Ill tell you what - that first whiff of the SR IPA took me back to the first time I smelled an IPA and was taken aback by that beautiful smell. Only issue is its like 5+ bucks per 22oz of this brew. Im gonna have to brew me an IPA now. This could very easily become a daily drinker!

I do have a pale ale in the keg right now dry hopping, that might have to suffice (when its ready). Damn it... Now I dont feel like brewing other beers. Im sure this phase will pass - At least Im getting finer tuned beer tastes as to what I like and dont like. (And REALLY like)
-Me

 

Man, I remember my "moment" when I realized how great hoppy beer was. It wasn't until I started homebrewing. The first batch I brewed with my friends, they were about to put the first hop addition into the kettle. I asked if i could smell the hops. My life was never the same!

 

I ate a hop pellet (cascade) on my last brew day and thought it would be great for the astronaughts...Maybe I really just wanted an IPA at the time, but it really reminded me of a powdered/freeze dried IPA! Just like that astronaught ice cream.

 

You're lucky, They go for like $8.50 per 22oz here in the Boston area.
If I'm lucky enough to find a store that sells them by the 6 pack, they are $17.99. I'm brewing a Ruination clone next.

 

I love the sig....lol and Hops, oh but of course!