Base hops

[Darren Birkett]

I understand the concept of base malts and speciality malts, especially in the conversion of a recipe from AG to extract.

Reading about hops, and the way in which bitterness/aroma/flavour are imparted at different temperatures...it seems that any hops added at FWH or start of boil will contribute primarily bitterness, rather than any of their own unique flavour or aroma (the subtext being that maybe it doesn't matter what hop you use for this)

So I'm wondering, do folks have a 'base hop' that they use for bittering - perhaps one that gives the most bang for buck in terms of alpha acids - and use maybe more expensive hops for later flavour/aroma additions at flameout/whirlpool/dry stage?

 

[cefiro355]

I recently switched to using Magnum for bittering on every beer I brew, unless it's a specific smash beer (although even then I'll probably use Magnum and save the other hop for later additions.) I used to mix things up, I used Cascade a lot for bittering when I first started, which works fine but it's a little on the soft side for bitter. I've used Columbus/CTZ and don't like the flavor it imposes, unless going for a West Coast style so after hearing from so many people about Magnum, I've used it 3 or 4 times and it's the perfect neutral bitter hop (for me at least). So my advice get some Magnum and give it a go

And as an example I used Magnum @ 60m for bitter, and then Galaxy @ 30-20-10-0 and then Dry Hop and it comes out fantastic.

 

[Miraculix]

+1 for Magnum.

I also like the ctz hops, but Magnum is the cleanest imo.

 

[Dgallo]

+1 for Magnum.

I also like the ctz hops, but Magnum is the cleanest imo.

Yes base hop exist but it completely up to the brewer. For example,Trilium brewing uses a base hop blend on the hotside and only switch up their dryhops for many of their beers. I really like Columbus, simcoe, and magnum as bittering hops. On the opposite of what some people claim, I have found slight characteristics come through even when added at 6omins. Columbus seems to have a dank/earthy component to the bitterness, simcoe a more resin like nite, and magnum seems to be the cleanest of the bittering hops. So I’ll use one or the other based on the style or what I’m trying to achieve

 

[tegman]

+1 for Magnum

 

[ncbrewer]

I've found two beer styles that taste very different to me when using different bittering hops. German Hefeweizen needs noble hops to taste right. And British Brown Ale needs an English (or English tasting, like Willamette) hop. These are my opinions. But Charlie Papazian agrees. From Home Brewer's Companion, page 53 "The kind of hops you use as bittering hops does indeed influence the character of beer."

 

[Abrayton]

+1 for magnum with a few style exceptions

 

[JimRausch]

I like using Warrior for 60 minute bittering addition, and I usually add it 1stWH.

 

[kh54s10]

I too use Magnum for bittering for a clean bitter. You can use others and will get different characteristics from each. Maybe more or less harshness to the bitter. I do believe you get some flavor out of bittering hops. I have done similar recipes that had only 60 minute hop additions, most of the difference would be from the malts but I believe the hops also contribute.

 

[MGamber]

I like Vic Secret at 10 minutes as a first addition, Warrior if it's going to be a full boil addition.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

One of these days I need to do a side by side of a couple hops added at 60 minutes to judge the impact for myself. I have been using Columbus/CTZ as a generic bittering hop for my Pale Ale/IPA batches. It is a cheap and versatile hop that can also be used for late hop and dry hop additions. I recently picked up an 8oz bag of Warrior thinking that I would try it out as a generic bittering hop. For a lot of beers I find myself using less than an oz of a hop like East Kent Goldings at 60 minutes.

I heard some talk on a podcast (from Stan Hieronymus?) about high Cohumulone hops. There has been talk that high Cohumulone hops ad a "harsh" bitterness, but Stan was saying that studies show that high Cohumulone hops just add "more" bitterness hinting that you could use less of those hops to get the same level of bitterness.

 

[tellyho]

My base hop is often what I have in surplus in the amount necessary to get the bitterness I want.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

My base hop is often what I have in surplus in the amount necessary to get the bitterness I want.

I have been curious about a strategy of using older hops for bittering...or mixing some of those 1/4 oz leftover packs together (or even 1 to 2 oz left from an 8 oz bag). My worry has been 1) my understanding is that aa% degrades over time, so I am not sure if I can predict the bitterness level and 2) my goal with most batches is to brew the best beer I can, so I don't want to risk a batch to save $2.

 

[histo320]

I don't specifically use a base hop but have probably used Warrior a d Centennial more than other hop.

 

[FatDragon]

As others have said, Warrior and Magnum are the dominant neutral bittering hops. Going straight to an extract like HopShot is another option that has its advocates, especially among pros.

 

[SW Ohio Keith]

I've thought about this a few times, but never did it. I'm following, and now I'm also inclined to try.

 

[mashpaddled]

Characteristics other than alpha acids definitely contribute to the character of a bittering addition. You should think about that during recipe design especially for beers using large bittering additions (whether that is because you target high IBUs or using a lot of low alpha hops to reach moderate IBUs). You can take out the guesswork for most styles by using a hop with a clean bittering character like magnum or warrior. Even a hop in the upper single digits of aa% can work fine if it has a neutral bittering character.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Characteristics other than alpha acids definitely contribute to the character of a bittering addition.

Any suggestions on what characteristics to consider?

do folks have a 'base hop' that they use for bittering

I will use East Kent Goldings for bittering darker styles (browns, porters, stouts, ...). Many of my recent (small batch) APA/IPA recipes have been single hop (Centennial, Citra) - which avoids having to re-seal a partial package of hops.

 

[Darren Birkett]

Thanks everyone. It seems that Magnum is a popular 'base hop' to add bitterness without too much specific flavour/character, allowing later added hops to shine. This works for me ... in my local brew shop Magnum is £2/100g versus £6/100g for something like Simcoe.

Many of my recent (small batch) APA/IPA recipes have been single hop (Centennial, Citra) - which avoids having to re-seal a partial package of hops

Some of what inspired this question is that I'm also embarking upon a single hop pale ale series, in order to learn the flavour and characteristics of the various hops that I like. It got me thinking about whether it was actually worthwhile using the 'expensive' hop in the start of the boil. Whilst accepting that it wouldn't be a 'single hop' ale, if all I'm getting from the FWH/start addition is the bitterness and everything else gets boiled away, maybe it would be acceptable to make a beer with something like Magnum for bittering and then the star hop later on for all the flavour/aroma.

Slight aside @BrewnWKopperKat, do you have a good basic recipe for a single hop pale that I could nick?

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks everyone. It seems that Magnum is a popular 'base hop' to add bitterness without too much specific flavour/character, allowing later added hops to shine. This works for me ... in my local brew shop Magnum is £2/100g versus £6/100g for something like Simcoe.



Some of what inspired this question is that I'm also embarking upon a single hop pale ale series, in order to learn the flavour and characteristics of the various hops that I like. It got me thinking about whether it was actually worthwhile using the 'expensive' hop in the start of the boil. Whilst accepting that it wouldn't be a 'single hop' ale, if all I'm getting from the FWH/start addition is the bitterness and everything else gets boiled away, maybe it would be acceptable to make a beer with something like Magnum for bittering and then the star hop later on for all the flavour/aroma.

Slight aside @BrewnWKopperKat, do you have a good basic recipe for a single hop pale that I could nick?

It doesn't boil completely away, it's just muted and shifted towards the more resinous parts of the particular hop flavour. The stronger the flavor of the specific hop is in general, the stronger it will get through at bittering additions. That's why Magnum is so often used as bittering, it just does not have much flavour on its own in general. Whereas a citra used at 60min would certainly impart some of its characteristics, even as a bittering addition.

For single hop ale, which btw. Is a great idea to get to know the hops, I would only go with 15 min or later additions, and really only use the one hop you are interested in. Use a really simple grain bill, best would be actually a smash and a clean yeast like us05. Beer will be great and you will learn a lot.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

a good basic recipe for a single hop pale

A quick survey of 'grain bill' ideas I've considered and/or tried (no personal observations in this reply).

I've brewed California Magnum Blonde (from the book Experimental Brewing). A Magnum SMaSH: pale malt (vs ''two row' malt), hops at 60/20/0, but no dry hops.

80% 'two row', 20% Munich: http://hopwhisperer.blogspot.com/2013/12/single-hop-beers-part-1.html . Variations: Vienna in place of Munich; 90%/10% ratio; 10% crystal 20/40 in place of munich. If you are brewing smaller batches, Munich, Vienna, and Pale Ale DME arrived around 2015.

The blog (started in 2013) uses a variation of "15 minute pale ale". BBR introduced a "Hop Sampler" series in 2018. It's a SMaSH, but one could do the variations previously mentioned. As another variation, there is also a "hop steep sampler" approach ("no-boil" DME, just pasteurize the wort).

 

[Soulshine2]

I understand the concept of base malts and speciality malts, especially in the conversion of a recipe from AG to extract.

Reading about hops, and the way in which bitterness/aroma/flavour are imparted at different temperatures...it seems that any hops added at FWH or start of boil will contribute primarily bitterness, rather than any of their own unique flavour or aroma (the subtext being that maybe it doesn't matter what hop you use for this)

So I'm wondering, do folks have a 'base hop' that they use for bittering - perhaps one that gives the most bang for buck in terms of alpha acids - and use maybe more expensive hops for later flavour/aroma additions at flameout/whirlpool/dry stage?

FWIW and IMO - everyone has their own personal taste when it comes to a "base hop" as you call it . I would venture to guess its more of a "go-to" hop ... Mine happens to be Hallertauer (Mittelfreuh) . I like a German style beer more than others. Not overpowering but has a nice clean taste to it and I know what to expect when I use it.

 

[Soulshine2]

dang, from the posts ...looks like I might have to use Magnum a little more often.

 

[friarsmith]

I'll jump on the wagon too ...Magnum for most lagers and Warrior for my occasional American Ales. FWIW, for a 60 minute bittering addition, I usually have in mind a desired IBU target and get ~75% of the target from Warrior or Magnum, then ~25% from whatever aroma/flavor variety I plan to use as a late kettle addition or dry hop. I think the dash of aroma/flavor hops early in the boil gives you the full spectrum of that variety and perhaps accentuates the later additions.

 

[brewbama]

I am another Magnum user. So much so that I bought a pound of it. I like 20 IBU at 60 for most beers.

 

[Abrayton]

I am another Magnum user. So much so that I bought a pound of it.

+1 I also buy it by the pound and keep it vacuum sealed in the freezer.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Some of what inspired this question is that I'm also embarking upon a single hop pale ale series, in order to learn the flavour and characteristics of the various hops that I like. It got me thinking about whether it was actually worthwhile using the 'expensive' hop in the start of the boil. Whilst accepting that it wouldn't be a 'single hop' ale, if all I'm getting from the FWH/start addition is the bitterness and everything else gets boiled away, maybe it would be acceptable to make a beer with something like Magnum for bittering and then the star hop later on for all the flavour/aroma.

I have been working towards this myself. I have been doing a number of 3/4 gal hop sampler batches (based on 1 lb of DME and 1 oz of hops). It has been very educational to isolate hops that I think I "know" and see what they really add to a beer. I think I have done maybe 8 so far. I am then thinking of doing 2.5 gal or 5 gal Pale Ale batches, but I might lean towards making them 2 hop combo batches.

My current Pale Ale is my first go (Simcoe + Amarillo). I am not quite sure how much I like the beer, though it is improving after a few weeks in the keg. I formulated a recipe without Crystal (76.2% Pale Malt, 19% Munich Malt 15L, 4.8% White Wheat Malt), though I kind of miss a little sweetness from the Crystal in a Pale Ale. I added 36 IBU of Columbus at 60 min (0.6 oz), then 0.5 oz each Simcoe/Amarillo at 15 min and again at flameout, and 1 oz each Simcoe/Amarillo dry hop.

My general plan is to use a standard grain bill and bittering hop, and swap in single or duo hops following the same pattern. In theory, the Columbus for bittering will even out the bitterness across a batch using 6% hops and 14% hops, at least to some degree. The 15 min additions do add a chunk of bitterness. (I like the spicy hop flavors that come from late boil additions.)

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Reading about hops, and the way in which bitterness/aroma/flavour are imparted at different temperatures...it seems that any hops added at FWH or start of boil will contribute primarily bitterness, rather than any of their own unique flavour or aroma (the subtext being that maybe it doesn't matter what hop you use for this)

So I'm wondering, do folks have a 'base hop' that they use for bittering - perhaps one that gives the most bang for buck in terms of alpha acids - and use maybe more expensive hops for later flavour/aroma additions at flameout/whirlpool/dry stage?

To a first approximation, it doesn't make a huge heap of difference what you use for bittering.

To a second approximation, it does make a difference, but those differences are fairly subtle and there's no "right" answer, just personal preference. Around 50% of people prefer the "rougher" bittering you get with something like Target, 50% prefer something smoother. Hops with a lot of alpha-humulene and beta-caryophyllene can impart a bit of that woody/spicy character into the beer even as a bittering hop, but some people like that. A number of people prefer traditional low-alpha hops for bittering, and I must admit I tend to bitter with EKG but that is more to do with a house rule that EKG has to go into everything I brew....

But yes, historically hops were valued entirely on their alpha content (the bang for buck you refer to) as that was all that brewers cared about. So it makes sense to use cheap hops for bittering and then pay premium prices for fancier aroma hops as late additions. There's not too much difference between the major modern ones, it comes down more to the fact that people tend to use their local super-alpha - so in Europe Magnum and its successor Herkules are more common, in the US CTZ and Warrior get used - and our equivalent in the UK is Admiral, but you won't find it talked about on a US-biased board like this because very little Admiral leaves the UK. But it's typically about the same price per kg as Magnum with slightly higher alpha content so more bang for buck - and of course its price and supply should be less affected by Brexit than imported hops.

in my local brew shop Magnum is £2/100g versus £6/100g for something like Simcoe.

That's unusually cheap, both it and Admiral are typically around the £3/100g mark in retail packs. As mentioned in passing above, the other option is alpha extract which doesn't work out much more expensive (and potentially allows you to reduce the length of the boil) - cleaner, and good enough for the likes of Cloudwater....

I'm also embarking upon a single hop pale ale series, in order to learn the flavour and characteristics of the various hops that I like. It got me thinking about whether it was actually worthwhile using the 'expensive' hop in the start of the boil. Whilst accepting that it wouldn't be a 'single hop' ale, if all I'm getting from the FWH/start addition is the bitterness and everything else gets boiled away, maybe it would be acceptable to make a beer with something like Magnum for bittering and then the star hop later on for all the flavour/aroma.

My standard formula for hop/yeast testing is a SMaSHish - 1.048 of 100% Maris Otter (I did grow up on Boddies after all) with a standard 30 IBU of bittering (EKG in my case) and then 100g hops spread from 10 minutes through to dry hop. 18litres split into 4xgallon for the "stronger" hops, 13.5 litres split into 3xgallon for the more subtle hops, and use the splits to ferment with different yeast combinations.

 

[Darren Birkett]

But yes, historically hops were valued entirely on their alpha content (the bang for buck you refer to) as that was all that brewers cared about. So it makes sense to use cheap hops for bittering and then pay premium prices for fancier aroma hops as late additions. There's not too much difference between the major modern ones, it comes down more to the fact that people tend to use their local super-alpha - so in Europe Magnum and its successor Herkules are more common, in the US CTZ and Warrior get used - and our equivalent in the UK is Admiral, but you won't find it talked about on a US-biased board like this because very little Admiral leaves the UK. But it's typically about the same price per kg as Magnum with slightly higher alpha content so more bang for buck - and of course its price and supply should be less affected by Brexit than imported hops.

Awesome info, exactly what I was looking for

That's unusually cheap, both it and Admiral are typically around the £3/100g mark in retail packs

I double checked. Magnum is £2.40 for 100g (and is the cheapest hops they do), and they don't even supply Admiral

My standard formula for hop/yeast testing is a SMaSHish - 1.048 of 100% Maris Otter (I did grow up on Boddies after all) with a standard 30 IBU of bittering (EKG in my case) and then 100g hops spread from 10 minutes through to dry hop. 18litres split into 4xgallon for the "stronger" hops, 13.5 litres split into 3xgallon for the more subtle hops, and use the splits to ferment with different yeast combinations.

My current Pale Ale is my first go (Simcoe + Amarillo). I am not quite sure how much I like the beer, though it is improving after a few weeks in the keg. I formulated a recipe without Crystal (76.2% Pale Malt, 19% Munich Malt 15L, 4.8% White Wheat Malt), though I kind of miss a little sweetness from the Crystal in a Pale Ale. I added 36 IBU of Columbus at 60 min (0.6 oz), then 0.5 oz each Simcoe/Amarillo at 15 min and again at flameout, and 1 oz each Simcoe/Amarillo dry hop.

These are actually quite similar in approach, though as an extract brewer for now I'd be using just LME or DME for the malt. Thank you, I might try something like this then for my hop testing series, using Magnum for my base hops.

 

[thaymond]

I have been using Nugget a lot for my easy drinking beers, and Zeus for my IPAs as my base. Everything starts there for me. It's what I like.

 

[Immocles]

I use warrior to bitter my pale ales. Ive also used palisade with some nice success since I somehow acquired a lot of it.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I double checked. Magnum is £2.40 for 100g (and is the cheapest hops they do), and they don't even supply Admiral

Could just be a temporary thing, last year's heatwave cut yields by up to 30% and merchants fill their contracts with the big brewers first which can mean availability for homebrewers gets a bit spotty. But those prices sound like a "do a few varieties cheaply" kind of place, rather than the full range offered by the likes of BrewUK and Malt Miller.

Admiral is nice, some people like it for late additions too, it's got a bit of an orangey thing going on although it's not strong.

If you're doing extract then using alpha extract as well will knock 45 minutes off your brewday...

 

[Kharnynb]

I Used to use Magnum a lot for bittering, but nowadays I prefer to just use up the hops that I've bought for late additions.

It does depend how they sell things, over here, 30 gram packs are almost 60% cost of a 100 gram pack, so I don't see the point in buying small packs or having 20 odd packs with a bit of some hop.

As for smash, my favourite recipe is:
5 kg of vienna (viking malt in my area, cheap and good)
100 g of whatever hop you want to try, spread over 60, 20 and 5 minute additions to get about 25 ibu's
1 pack of danstar Nottingham, ferment at 20 degrees Celcius
Tune for your system to make about 22 liters of beer.