Amarillo, Cascade, Falconer's Flight

[mopowers]

Of these three hops varieties/blends, is one better suited for bittering?

I bought a lb of each because they were on sale and am trying to find recipes worth trying, but most I've seen all for something else for bittering.

Anyone have a decent all grain APA/IPA recipe for these hops varietals.

 

[beernutz]

I have used all of those for bittering and they all work fine. IIRC Falconer's flight is a blend of different C hops including cascade so you have some overlap.

I would tend to use Amarillo and FF for aroma because for me they're more expensive and I've made enough cascade aroma beer to last a lifetime at this point.

 

[pittbrewing]

A local brewery did an ipa with falconers flight and denali. Absolutely delicious. I would try a hazy ipa with the amarillo and falconers flight, with the cascade for bittering.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

In theory any hop can work for bittering. A lot of times certain hops aren't recommended for bittering because they cost more and are better served as flavor/aroma while using cheaper hops for bittering.

You also buy a small amount of the "clean" bittering varieties like warrior or magnum, and do some batches with those just for comparison. Everyone's taste preferences vary.

 

[mopowers]

In theory any hop can work for bittering. A lot of times certain hops aren't recommended for bittering because they cost more and are better served as flavor/aroma while using cheaper hops for bittering.

You also buy a small amount of the "clean" bittering varieties like warrior or magnum, and do some batches with those just for comparison. Everyone's taste preferences vary.

This is very good information. Thank you!

What do you mean by 'clean' bittering? How does the bittering properties of magnums differ from say, the three I mentioned?

 

[VirginiaHops1]

This is very good information. Thank you!

What do you mean by 'clean' bittering? How does the bittering properties of magnums differ from say, the three I mentioned?

Some think certain varieties like magnum or warrior offer a cleaner or maybe less harsh bitterness compared to bittering hops like Columbus or chinook. I've used Columbus quite a lot to bitter and don't mind it. I've also used magnum and liked that as well.

 

[cefiro355]

I'd use Cascade for bitter, and mix the other 2 for flavor and all 3 for aroma additions.

 

[Qhrumphf]

This is very good information. Thank you!

What do you mean by 'clean' bittering? How does the bittering properties of magnums differ from say, the three I mentioned?

Some hops can lend flavor and aroma carryover even if added just as bittering (although at lower levels than if added later, and not always the same character). Chinook, Kent Goldings, and Fuggles come to mind. Others can lend a harshness/coarseness (in the past attributed to cohumulone, though thats been disputed) to the bitterness. Amarillo, IIRC, was in that camp. Some other higher alpha American hops too. The "clean" bittering hops like Magnum are known for a smooth, clean bitterness with no character carryover (enough so that late hopping with Magnum doesn't even provide much character). Plus Magnum is cheap.

You could bitter with Falconers as it tends to be pretty high alpha, or Cascade. I'd save the Amarillo for late hops. You'll definitely have to use more Cascade, which has it's own potential drawbacks.

Personally, I'd bitter with Falconers, and use FF and Cascade late boil, and all three after the heat cut/dry hop (no Amarillo in boil but a heavy FO/WP dose).

 

[VirginiaHops1]

This is very good information. Thank you!

What do you mean by 'clean' bittering? How does the bittering properties of magnums differ from say, the three I mentioned?

Taste is extremely subjective to take it with a grain of salt, but I thought I'd add to this, now that I've been drinking my last batch a little. My last batch had amarillo and centennial added at 15 minutes(no 60 min bittering charge). The one before that had magnum at 60 minutes and nothing else in the boil. Both had significant whirlpool additions but at fairly low temps(160-170). IBU calculations were about the same, I actually think the first one with magnum had slightly higher calculated IBUs.

The one with magnum has a much less assertive, probably smoother bitterness. The 2nd batch isn't overly bitter, but it's just a little more noticeable and lingers a bit longer. I think them both but being they're NEIPAs I prefer the first one.

 

[mopowers]

Thanks for the input guys. We ended up doing a falconers flight IPA. It was a super basic grain bill - 11.5 lbs of 2-row, 0.5 lb crustal 15, 0.5 lb carapils, and 0.5 lb dextrose because I had it. Bittered with 0.5 oz of magnum for 6o mins, 1.5 oz of FF at 20 mins, 2 oz of FF at 5 mins, and 1 oz of FF at FO. It got down to 70* within 5 mins. No whirlpool or hopstand. I'll dry hop with another 2 oz of FF for 4 days. Since I'm still relatively new to brewing, I kinda just want to see what the FF adds. Hopefully it's not FF overkill.

Or maybe it'd be worthwhile to dryhop with the amarillo to spice it up a tad?

The blowoff tube is going crazy right now with the WLP090 at 67*F. I overpitched with a 1.6L starter. It was bubbling after only 6 or so hours.

 

[WesBrew]

I had a hazy IPA at local brewery finished with FF and it was really good. I always use warrior for bittering and use the fancy fruity hops to finish.

 

[pittbrewing]

Thanks for the input guys. We ended up doing a falconers flight IPA. It was a super basic grain bill - 11.5 lbs of 2-row, 0.5 lb crustal 15, 0.5 lb carapils, and 0.5 lb dextrose because I had it. Bittered with 0.5 oz of magnum for 6o mins, 1.5 oz of FF at 20 mins, 2 oz of FF at 5 mins, and 1 oz of FF at FO. It got down to 70* within 5 mins. No whirlpool or hopstand. I'll dry hop with another 2 oz of FF for 4 days. Since I'm still relatively new to brewing, I kinda just want to see what the FF adds. Hopefully it's not FF overkill.

Or maybe it'd be worthwhile to dryhop with the amarillo to spice it up a tad?

The blowoff tube is going crazy right now with the WLP090 at 67*F. I overpitched with a 1.6L starter. It was bubbling after only 6 or so hours.

I'm sure it will be delicious. I love FF