Any really good hop references you use?

[Hwk-I-St8]

I would like to expand my hop repertoire but a couple things make me somewhat cautious about being too adventurous. I brew a lot of IPAs and that's where I want to branch out first.

First, in my experience, when blending hops some hops really dominate. For example, mixing Galaxy and most other hops evenly leads to mostly Galaxy flavors because it's so potent. I'd love a reference that talks to the relative "strength" of various hops to help come up with a good place to start with ratios.

Second, most hop descriptions are pretty vague. I realize it's all subjective, but more tasting notes would be cool (especially multiple comments from knowledgeable brewers/beer aficionados ).

Anybody know of a really solid source to learn more about hops?

 

[kev211]

When I first started brewing I used the hop flavor wheel all the time. I still use it, albeit not as frequently, but it really is a fantastic resource. I also really like the BYO chart as it gives very distinct flavor profiles and gives alternate use hops. I dont know that anything gives relative "strength" of the hops but I think that may be something that is just learned over time from tasting, experimenting, etc.

 

[Vandulus]

I'd recommend Hopslist as a good resource for a number of varieties including newer ones. You also might want to check out BSG, Yakima Valley and YCH Hops for varities that can't be found on Hopslist.