American hop combos

[user 341102]

I’m no noob, but primarily brew German beers. Lately, I’ve been drifting toward classic American pale ale and a few west coast IPAs. I’m well acquainted with noble hops and English varieties. Not a fan of the juicy hops that taste like fruit, though. Outside of Amarillo, cascade, centennial, and chinook, I’m a bit out of my element on American hops. What some good American hop combos you all use?

 

[wepeeler]

For a West Coast IPA/Pale Ale, I tend to love Cascade by itself or in combo with Columbus, Citra and Mosaic. For hazies I love an all Citra, all Simcoe, or any combo of Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Cascade, Strata. Not a fan of Amarillo at all. Same for Centennial.

 

[OleBrewing]

I think the three c's you mentioned are pretty much the classic american pale ale stuff. other than nugget. depends what you mean by "classic". Pre brew pub explosion or the older founders of american craft beer. I am still partial to summits apa as it is a very great representation. for ipa two hearted ale gets my vote.

all the other stuff on market is bleh maybe a few good examples but not many. but i prefer a nice balance of malt and bitterness for taste and subtle texture for mouth feel.

 

[SanPancho]

If you wanna brew like it’s 1993 you can probably just look up old recipe books and go through them to list the hops. You won’t find them all, as growers abandon them when they fall out of popularity, but it’ll give you a good list. After that you can always search online for them and see what’s recommended as a substitute. most hop sellers seem to give a few subs/alternatives as part of description.

 

[user 341102]

Right. So, stick with classic C hops and throw in a bit of mosaic, simcoe, Ciara or strata if I feel like getting crazy. Might need to throw on some Nirvana and pretend it’s 1993 all over again.

Avoiding Amarillo will certainly save some hops money!

My last pale ale got a ton of dry hop matter in the keg when I transferred. Probably need to use a bag or filter when dry hopping.

 

[tracer bullet]

Reply

Right. So, stick with classic C hops and throw in a bit of mosaic, simcoe, Ciara or strata if I feel like getting crazy.

You got it!

I used to dislike Simcoe, but either it's changed a little or I have. I am not a Chinook fan. A little tired of Amarillo due to a local brewery using it so often. Cascade and Centennial are, after all these years, quite delicious. A little Mosaic is yummy, I'm not really a Citra fan.

If I have a point at all it's just to try them out. Even doing all Cascade, all Centennial, a mix of the two (and in various proportions) can each give you quite different beers.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I have strong feelings about some american hops. My absolute favorites are cascade and simcoe, either alone or together. I also love willammette by itself in a cream ale, stout, and brown, or combined with cascade in pale or amber ales

I do not like Centennial it tastes like soap to me. I don't really like citra or mosaic in west coast IPA, I like them in NEIPA and in small doses for more sessionable pale ales.

Columbus/chinook/amarillo I like but have less experience with

 

[user 341102]

Here's the beer that (finally) convinced me to like IPA. It's local for me, so I'm not sure I want to clone it, but glad to see how well it agrees with the comments here:

https://www.westsixth.com/burningdaylight

 

[AmarikinBrew]

If you can find ULTRA hops, fantastic nobleness anywhere in the brew!

 

[user 341102]

I’m not familiar with Ultra, but I have her half-sisters, crystal and Mt. Hood in my garden. They’re destined for a Kölsch (I know about the name) in the near future...

 

[lumbergh]

I made an all crystal wheat ale last summer that was amazing. I've always liked cascade with most otter hops

 

[day_trippr]

I don't think the likes of Citra or Mosaic or similar uber fruity hops belong in a wcipa. I stick with the classic business-like American hops for that style...

Cheers!

 

[CascadesBrewer]

What some good American hop combos you all use?

Centennial might be my favorite classic American hop. I really like using Columbus on the hot side to add in some classic American hoppy character. I have also found that Chinook can work really nice as both a late boil and a dry hop addition. Citra and Simcoe are real rockstars that work very well in classic IPAs and Hazy IPAs. I made a West Coast Pilsner with Citra and Simcoe and it took me back to about 10 years ago when those hops were featured in just about every IPA.

I am not a massive fan of Mosaic in an American IPA, though I know lots of West Coast IPAs these days include Mosaic. I have a love hate relationship with Amarillo. It seems rather variable. I ended up with 2.5 lbs of Amarillo in my freezer that I hope has that bright orange character I love. Idaho 7 is a hop that might work well. Strata has been on my list of hops to try.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

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[AmarikinBrew]

I made an all crystal wheat ale last summer that was amazing. I've always liked cascade with most otter hops

Whare kin eye git sum them dar otter hops?