1lb of Zeus Hops Too Much

[Hellfish76]

So through livingsocial (a site like groupon), I was able to get a $20 gift certificate to a LHBS for $10. I ended up getting 1lb of Zeus hops using that gift certificate.

I was thinking of making an imperial IPA using the whole pound and adding 1.25 oz every 5 min with 1 oz left over for dry hopping. I shared this idea with a fellow homebrewer who thought it might be a bit much, but I wanted to see what the board has to say. Is 1lb of Zeus too much for one batch? Alpha is 15.4

I am a hop-head by the way (not that you couldn't probably already tell).

 

[cheezydemon3]

I love the continual hop additions.

Did much the same with 25 oz of homegrown hops. It smells fantastic, bottling this weekend.

Go for it!!!

 

[broadbill]

Its not too much....its just a waste of hops. At 15% AA, I'm guessing you'll be at 100IBUs in no time....and anything over 100IBU you can't taste.

I'm also thinking that it will be a bit one-dimentional since all you are using are the Zeus. The reason people use different varieties of hops is to imparct different hop characteristics into their beer.

But hey, its your beer...do whatever floats your boat!

 

[KingBrianI]

Do that, but wait until about 20 minutes left in the boil to start making your additions. It's called "hop bursting" and it will give you tons of flavor and aroma. And since you will be using so much of a high alpha hop, the bitterness should still get up where you want it to.

 

[prosper]

Zeus is the same strain as Columbus, and Columbus makes a very nice late/dry hop, but 1lb is really a LOT of hops for a single beer.

If I were interested in using all the hops in a single, excessively hoppy beer, I'd go with a 'hop bursting' technique, using 4 oz at 20 minutes, 4 oz at 5 minutes, 4oz at flamout (steep at 170F for 30 minutes), and 4 oz dry hopped. It will still be intensely bitter, and extremely aromatic.

 

[BendBrewer]

5 gallons? 1 pound of 15% aa hops? Yeah, that's way overkill.

I like hops as much as the next guy but that seems like a waste to me and I can't imagine how bitter it is going to be.

 

[PaulHilgeman]

It wont be too bitter. I have brewed plenty of beers where I have boiled 25-30AAU for 60 minutes, which for most wort gravities already puts you at 100IBU.

If anything, throw in 2oz at 60,

Then 1 ounce at 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 0, then use about 3oz Dry and you should be good, that way you will have 5 ounces for use in other beers.

I could go either way, but it is hard to argue with having a 5 ounces of a pretty versatile american hop leftover. With your proposal, you will have a more resinous mouthfeel and probably a little less flavor and a much different aroma. The 3oz that I proposed will really give you that in-your-face aroma... you know those beers that you can smell the hops about 0.5 sec after you pop the cap, that aroma.

 

[Strave19]

It wont be too bitter. I have brewed plenty of beers where I have boiled 25-30AAU for 60 minutes, which for most wort gravities already puts you at 100IBU.

If anything, throw in 2oz at 60,

Then 1 ounce at 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 0, then use about 3oz Dry and you should be good, that way you will have 5 ounces for use in other beers.

I could go either way, but it is hard to argue with having a 5 ounces of a pretty versatile american hop leftover. With your proposal, you will have a more resinous mouthfeel and probably a little less flavor and a much different aroma. The 3oz that I proposed will really give you that in-your-face aroma... you know those beers that you can smell the hops about 0.5 sec after you pop the cap, that aroma.

This is a good plan. When hopbursting I've found its best to still add a bit before the 20min mark. Adding some bittering hops helps reduce the perceived "sweetness" that all the late hop flavor can give you + you save on hops. Even a couple ounces at 30mins would be fine. Pure hopbursting sometimes doesnt give the nice bitter kick that I like along with strong flavor/aroma... just my .02...

 

[Beerrific]

IPA I made a while back with all Zeus. Probably good with 8oz in 5 gallons, but 1lb is a lot.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/king-gods-ipa-131848/