Adding Multiple Hops At The Same Time

[kevin886]

Hi,

So in most recipes, I see singe hops additions at one time. Is there a reason you don't see more of multiple hops additions at one time? I'm working on a beer that I FWH with Amarillo and then use Simcoe and Mosaic during the boil. Would it be bad to FWH with a blend of those three? Or add Simcoe and Mosaic at the same time during the boil for bittering? Think I wouldn't want to mix too much for the aroma at the end. Thanks!

 

[chezhed]

Many many recipes use multiple hop types at the same time.

 

[kevin886]

Sure, but what's the thinking one way or the other? any pros/cons that you know of?

 

[BigTuna]

Different hop additions during the boil, each at different times will lead to a more complex hop profile. Some people like certain hops for bittering or aroma. You can add different hops at the same time but i would only recommend this starting half-way through the boil. But this being said... Try it. If you don't like it, don't do it again. I'm sure it's not going to be bad. Just do a quick search on hop varieties for bittering vs aroma. That should give you a decent starting point.

 

[LovesIPA]

There are hops that are generally used for bittering only (e.g. Warrior), hops that are used for flavor and aroma (e.g. Willamette) and hops that are dual-purpose (e.g. Chinook). Feel free to experiment, but here are some things to remember. When you boil a hop for an hour, most of its acids have been isomerized into iso-acids. These contribute bitterness but not flavor, regardless of what kind of hop you started with. The key factor to consider with bittering hops is the percentage of alpha-acids. Let's say you're making a beer and for whatever reason you're only using one hop addition. If you used a hop with an AA% of 12%, you would get an IBU level of X. If instead you used a hop with an AA% of 6%, you would need twice as much of that hop to achieve the same level of bitterness. Since hops cost ~$2 to $3 an ounce, most people are shy about bittering an IPA with something like Willamette or Fuggles because it's expensive and very little of that hop's flavor and aroma profiles come through in the finished beer. You might as well just use a high AA% hop like Warrior and get the same result.

For finishing hops, go nuts with different combinations, amounts, and times from the end of the boil. Experiment (or follow tried and true recipes) until you find what you like.