Best NEIPA hop combos

[couchsending]

For me Hill Farmstead is the reference for some of the best hop combos...

Personally I’m not a huge fan of the kitchen sink method where breweries just throw everything in there. Mosaic/Citra/cashmere/Idaho7/Citra cryo, etc etc etc.

I tend to prefer the 1-3 hops beers the best. You can actually pick out there varieties and the beer doesn’t just present as muddled juice.

I tend to throw in something more traditional just to add some generic hop flavor/aroma. To me this is what I actually like about a lot of the core Treehouse beers. The yeast eaters tend to overpower the hop aroma but they always have some “traditional” hop flavor. I know Nate uses a bunch of warrior and magnum. I don’t think it’s just for bittering either. I think there’s some of it in the WP and DH just to add dimension.

columbus, magnum, warrior, nugget, centennial, chinook, etc. all great hops to blend in at smaller ratios for additional depth and complexity.

Brewing a Nelson/Riwaka beer today with just a touch of warrior.

 

[Dgallo]

Brewing a Nelson/Riwaka beer today with just a touch of warrior.

This is an amazing combo. I did a triple that used this as the majority of the beer and did a NZ Pilsner with this combo that took gold. I’ll add score sheets here so you have a reference) I only used 3 oz of hops un total with the beer but this combo was a dank fruity grape. Came off as Grand daddy purp smells. Musky grape with dankness. Great combo. Let me know how is stands in a more hoppy style.

 

[Spin711]

This is an amazing combo. I did a triple that used this as the majority of the beer and did a NZ Pilsner with this combo that took gold. I’ll add score sheets here so you have a reference) I only used 3 oz of hops un total with the beer but this combo was a dank fruity grape. Came off as Grand daddy purp smells. Musky grape with dankness. Great combo. Let me know how is stands in a more hoppy style.

Congrats on the gold! I saw that on the website when checking results and thought it was an interesting combo. I’m going to be brewing a pale ale as well with this combo as I have a lot of Nelson to use.

I too follow Hill Farmstead to see what combos they’re putting out. I’ve enjoyed citra strata from OH, but haven’t been able to hit the right quantities of strata when brewing it. It comes off as extremely vegetal/grassy for me. I think it’s the high oil content and the amount I’m using.

 

[Dgallo]

Congrats on the gold! I saw that on the website when checking results and thought it was an interesting combo. I’m going to be brewing a pale ale as well with this combo as I have a lot of Nelson to use.

I too follow Hill Farmstead to see what combos they’re putting out. I’ve enjoyed citra strata from OH, but haven’t been able to hit the right quantities of strata when brewing it. It comes off as extremely vegetal/grassy for me. I think it’s the high oil content and the amount I’m using.

Thanks brother. Its a great combo. I did 1.25 to .75 ratio of Nelson to Riwaka in the Pilsner and 1:2 in the ipa

 

[jturman35]

Going to give this another shot and see what happens. I’m really wanting the sabro to punch through!

 

[Clyde McCoy]

For me Hill Farmstead is the reference for some of the best hop combos...

Personally I’m not a huge fan of the kitchen sink method where breweries just throw everything in there. Mosaic/Citra/cashmere/Idaho7/Citra cryo, etc etc etc.

I tend to prefer the 1-3 hops beers the best. You can actually pick out there varieties and the beer doesn’t just present as muddled juice.

I tend to throw in something more traditional just to add some generic hop flavor/aroma. To me this is what I actually like about a lot of the core Treehouse beers. The yeast eaters tend to overpower the hop aroma but they always have some “traditional” hop flavor. I know Nate uses a bunch of warrior and magnum. I don’t think it’s just for bittering either. I think there’s some of it in the WP and DH just to add dimension.

columbus, magnum, warrior, nugget, centennial, chinook, etc. all great hops to blend in at smaller ratios for additional depth and complexity.

Brewing a Nelson/Riwaka beer today with just a touch of warrior.

Mind sharing the complete recipe of your Nelson/Riwaka batch?

 

[MrPowers]

Has anyone tried the combos:
Vic Secret + Idaho 7
Idaho 7 + Summit
Idaho 7 + Summit + CTZ

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Has anyone tried the combos:
Vic Secret + Idaho 7
Idaho 7 + Summit
Idaho 7 + Summit + CTZ

I have not had any of these combos but really like Idaho 7 myself. The last combo is most intriguing to me because I have some simcoe (summit substitute?) and Columbus hops to spare

 

[Dgallo]

I have not had any of these combos but really like Idaho 7 myself. The last combo is most intriguing to me because I have some simcoe (summit substitute?) and Columbus hops to spare

I feel like the last two will just be purely dank. I personally don’t like dank notes to be my primary flavor but I do love dank supportive characteristics so I’d have to rock some Citra in there

 

[MrPowers]

I feel like the last two will just be purely dank. I personally don’t like dank notes to be my primary flavor but I do love dank supportive characteristics so I’d have to rock some Citra in there

The one time I used I7 in a single hop I didn't get any overly dank character from it. It was straight up orange. But hops do vary lot to lot so maybe I just got a fruitier lot of it.

I'm thinking of those combos because I have a lb each of CTZ, I7, Vic Secret, Summit, Enigma, Nelson, and Strata in the freezer.

Right now leaning toward doing the Trillium Recipe with CTZ/Vic Secret, the trillium recipe with I7/Vic Secret, or my recipe with I7/Summit.

I will probably keep the Nelson, Enigma, and Strata to use in my single hop recipe. I do 10g batches, so 1 lb is perfect for a NE pale ale.

 

[MrPowers]

I have not had any of these combos but really like Idaho 7 myself. The last combo is most intriguing to me because I have some simcoe (summit substitute?) and Columbus hops to spare

I think I7 + Simcoe + Amarillo would make an amazing combo.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I don't get dank from Idaho 7. I get some pine and also that black tea thing. I think it's a cool hop.

 

[Dgallo]

The one time I used I7 in a single hop I didn't get any overly dank character from it. It was straight up orange. But hops do vary lot to lot so maybe I just got a fruitier lot of it.

I'm thinking of those combos because I have a lb each of CTZ, I7, Vic Secret, Summit, Enigma, Nelson, and Strata in the freezer.

Right now leaning toward doing the Trillium Recipe with CTZ/Vic Secret, the trillium recipe with I7/Vic Secret, or my recipe with I7/Summit.

I will probably keep the Nelson, Enigma, and Strata to use in my single hop recipe. I do 10g batches, so 1 lb is perfect for a NE pale ale.

I’ve never gotten orange or fruit forward notes from Idaho7 in any beers I’ve tried with it but def earthy/tea/resin. That said I’ve had extremely orange forward centennial so I know the lot can make s big difference. Now summit I’ve only ever got dank with some citrus. That’s pretty much the same with CTZ.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all those hops. Just putting them together seems like they all have similar earthy dank tones without any bright pop to them.

 

[MrPowers]

I’ve never gotten orange or fruit forward notes from Idaho7 in any beers I’ve tried with it but def earthy/tea/resin. That said I’ve had extremely orange forward centennial so I know the lot can make s big difference. Now summit I’ve only ever got dank with some citrus. That’s pretty much the same with CTZ.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all those hops. Just putting them together seems like they all have similar earthy dank tones without any bright pop to them.

Sounds like I’ll have to crack this bag of I7 open and see if it’s smelling as orange forward as the last bag I had before I make any decisions! I will note, the last time I used I7, I did a significantly heavier dose in the whirlpool than I did in the dry hop. It was a 10 gallon batch of pale ale, approx 1.055og, and I used about 10oz in the whirlpool and 6oz in the dry hop. I've since heard speculation that due to I7's specific oil content it tends to work better on the hot side and in the whirlpool than as a dry hop.

Regardless, right now, leaning toward the one of the combos with Vic Secret to bring in some fruitiness.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

All this talk and back/n/forth on what idaho7 brings to the table is making me wanna finally do a single hopped pale ale myself. Ive brewed with I7 several times but all were in combination with other hops but all with great success. Based on hop profile descriptions, i think i know what idaho 7 has to offer but...theres only one way to find out I guess lol.

 

[couchsending]

As with every hop they tend to vary from lot to lot, grower to grower. I’ve got some I7 Hop Hash from 2018 that’s so insanely Orange + Machine oil. Maybe the most potent hop Product I’ve put in a beer. Got some 2019 from Hop Heaven that’s really black tea / earth. Got some from YVH that’s similar but a bit less earth. Got some hand selected stuff from someone with good contracts that has almost no earthiness. Just a bit of black tea and mostly floral tangerine.

Waiting for the Cryo to be packaged for homebrewers!!

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I think I7 + Simcoe + Amarillo would make an amazing combo.

I have a simcoe / amarillo on tap now that is nearly kicked but was a favorite with myself and wife. Agree that I7 paired with them might be great! Might have to try this combo out. Perhaps I'll go heavier with I7 on hot side and tame it down on cold side so it doesn't overshadow the simcoe amarillo dry hops.

 

[jturman35]

Absolutely can use Motueka in DH - I prefer in low quantity though so that that it blends. In a six gal batch I typically use 9-10oz pellets, for motueka I would use 1.5-2oz of the blend.


NHC Entry
Boil: None
WP: 3oz each: Citra, Bravo, I7 180* for 30min (65IBUs)
DH - soft crash to 58* 24hrs, add hops keep at 58* 24hrs, cold crash to 36* for 48hrs then transfer

• 1oz Citro CRYO
• 1oz Mosaic CRYO
• 4oz Galaxy
• 2oz Strata
• 2oz Bru-1

I went slightly heavier than normal in dryhop - Taking into account that Cryo is double regular pellets this equated to 12oz total or 2oz/gal. In my experience 4oz galaxy is minimum needed to boost the mouthfeel by way of the polyphenols (I think that the cause? - Also I never get hop burn from Galaxy when soft crashing first). I wanted that mouthfeel and since Galaxy is a top 5 hop for me, I just added the other four from my top five list and went essentially equal parts.

Yeast: Barbarian (Conan)

Malt:
75% GP
11.5% Flaked Oats
5.8% Chit malt
5.8% Flaked Barley
2.2% Honey malt

I am not exaggerating - this recipe is a "whale" and can stand up to anything out there.

What is the batch size for this? I get 116IBU's using BS3 in the whirlpool for a 6 gal batch.

 

[couchsending]

Stop worrying about IBU calculations. They’re totally irrelevant in heavily dry hopped beers. And the likelihood that the Bersmith “calculation” is actually correct for your gear is slim to nil.

Try a specific method and adjust from there.

 

[DrinkFresh]

Anyone have favourite NEIPA hop combos without Citra?

Asking, as Im running out! But have plenty of other hops, particularly Mosaic, and would love to get a brewing.

Was thinking maybe going for a single hop with Mosaic, in style of:
https://otherhalfbrewing.com/beer/ddh-double-mosaic-dream

Or perhaps a dual-hop combo?
- Mosaic + Motueka
- Mosaic + Vic Secret
- Mosaic + Galaxy

Or maybe add a third to the mix?
- Mosaic + Galaxy + El Dorado
- Mosaic + Amarillo + Cascade

Cheers!

 

[MrPowers]

Anyone have favourite NEIPA hop combos without Citra?

Asking, as Im running out! But have plenty of other hops, particularly Mosaic, and would love to get a brewing.

Was thinking maybe going for a single hop with Mosaic, in style of:
https://otherhalfbrewing.com/beer/ddh-double-mosaic-dream

Or perhaps a dual-hop combo?
- Mosaic + Motueka
- Mosaic + Vic Secret
- Mosaic + Galaxy

Or maybe add a third to the mix?
- Mosaic + Galaxy + El Dorado
- Mosaic + Amarillo + Cascade

Cheers!

Mosiac, Simcoe, Amarillo is quite good!

 

[couchsending]

Strata Centennial Amarillo
Strata Centennial Chinook
Strata Simcoe Mosaic

Mosaic Nelson
Mosaic Azacca El Dorado
Mosaic Amarillo

Galaxy Nelson
Galaxy Amarillo

Mosaic Amarillo

Nelson Motueka Amarillo
Nelson Motueka


It’s endless really

Been adding Amarillo and Centennial in small amounts to beer lately and really enjoying what it does. Adds complexity and generic “hopiness” without flattening the dominant hop.

I have always associated Centennial with beers that have piles of C60 so I had really never used it. Amazing how good it can be when you ditch the heavy crystal. Been using the Bell’s select stuff. It’s really really good.


Going out on a limb here and gonna say Strata > Citra.

 

[Dgallo]

Anyone have favourite NEIPA hop combos without Citra?

Asking, as Im running out! But have plenty of other hops, particularly Mosaic, and would love to get a brewing.

Was thinking maybe going for a single hop with Mosaic, in style of:
https://otherhalfbrewing.com/beer/ddh-double-mosaic-dream

Or perhaps a dual-hop combo?
- Mosaic + Motueka
- Mosaic + Vic Secret
- Mosaic + Galaxy

Or maybe add a third to the mix?
- Mosaic + Galaxy + El Dorado
- Mosaic + Amarillo + Cascade

Cheers!

I love Single hop mosaic beers. I’ve also been lucky and have ben getting really good batches of mosaic lately

I do a lot of lineage pairing with mosaic since they work so well

Mosaic Simcoe

Nugget Mosaic Simcoe

 

[DrinkFresh]

Awesome suggestions—seems theres some great options for a sans-Citra NEIPA!

And looks like I can't really go wrong with single, dual, or triple hop combo of:

Mosaic + Simcoe + Amarillo

Any thoughts on ratios when doing a combo of 2 or 3 hops?
Should I go with equal amounts? Do all 3 in whirlpool, then dry hopping with just 1 or 2?

 

[MrPowers]

Awesome suggestions—seems theres some great options for a sans-Citra NEIPA!

And looks like I can't really go wrong with single, dual, or triple hop combo of:

Mosaic + Simcoe + Amarillo

Any thoughts on ratios when doing a combo of 2 or 3 hops?
Should I go with equal amounts? Do all 3 in whirlpool, then dry hopping with just 1 or 2?

The Mosaic, Simcoe, Amarillo beer I did was (10 gallons packaged volume): 8oz Mosaic Whirlpool, 2oz each of Simcoe/Amarillo Whirlpool, 6oz simcoe dry hop, 4oz mosaic dry hop. I would have added more Amarillo to the dry hop, but I ran out!

 

[couchsending]

When it comes to ratios I almost never go 50/50 or 33/33/33. Smell the hops, pick the variety that smells the best and lead with that one.

Or save the one that smells the best for the dry hop and go higher percentage on the hot side with the ones that aren’t as punchy. You get way more bang for your buck in DH than in WP.

 

[MrPowers]

When it comes to ratios I almost never go 50/50 or 33/33/33. Smell the hops, pick the variety that smells the best and lead with that one.

Or save the one that smells the best for the dry hop and go higher percentage on the hot side with the ones that aren’t as punchy. You get way mite bang for your buck in DH than in WP.

I like this method. Sometimes I will do that, especially when I am working with hops I don't know as well. I find some hops work better hotside, some work better coldside, and some work well for both (depending on what you're going for of course).

For example, when I'm going for juicy; I prefer El Dorado, Idaho 7, and Columbus as layering hops in the whirlpool because they add a nice full, rounded, mouth coating base layer to the hop character. They don't seem to offer as much pop to the aroma when you use them in the dry hop.

Then I prefer some varieties like Simcoe, Apollo, and certain southern hemisphere hops (some lots of galaxy, etc...) in the dry hop because it helps avoid certain flavors like excessive pineyness and polyphenol astringency that you get using them in the whirlpool. However, they can add a nice dank undertone or fruit character in the dry hop.

Then you have the classics like Citra, Mosaic, galaxy (some lots), nelson, etc... that work really well whether you use them hot side or cold side.

 

[DrinkFresh]

I realized Im also low on Amarillo and Simcoe (!) …

Went for a combo of Mosaic + Motueka with a lil bit of Vic Secret in a 5.5-6% ABV NEIPA.

Brewed it today, so will see how it turns out

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I did one with Mosaic, Cashmere, and Mosaic cryo recently. That was pretty good. Some sips I would get the Mosaic blueberry thing but I definitely tasted the Cashmere lemon/lime/citrus in the background.

A year ago I did one with all NZ hops just for fun. Motueka, Wai-iti and Wataku. That one was cool.

There are so many hops out there suitable for NEIPAs. Endless possibilities

 

[DrinkFresh]

I did one with Mosaic, Cashmere, and Mosaic cryo recently. That was pretty good. Some sips I would get the Mosaic blueberry thing but I definitely tasted the Cashmere lemon/lime/citrus in the background.

A year ago I did one with all NZ hops just for fun. Motueka, Wai-iti and Wataku. That one was cool.

There are so many hops out there suitable for NEIPAs. Endless possibilities

Sounds cool! I did something similar earlier this year but with all Aussie Hops using Galaxy, Vic Secret and Ella – definitely fun.

How is Cashmere? Would you try it with a different hop combo or on its own in a NEIPA?

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Sounds cool! I did something similar earlier this year but with all Aussie Hops using Galaxy, Vic Secret and Ella – definitely fun.

How is Cashmere? Would you try it with a different hop combo or on its own in a NEIPA?

I bet that was good. I've only used Vic Secret once in a single hop beer. It was fruity as hell and really good and I want to try it again soon.

I've used Cashmere several times and it's pretty good. One time was a single hop pale ale. It's citrusy but has this limey thing going on. It doesn't seem super potent though.

 

[popquizkid]

You have a nice reserve of hops. I just recently did a TIPA with Riwaka, Nelson, Citra cryo, and Columbus which came out to be in my top 5 combos. Hotside was 3:1:1 Columbus, Citra, Riwaka. Dry hop was 3:2:1 Riwaka, Nelson, Citra. Just one of those combos that are complex. Great fruit notes, earth, and dankness

I made this and just tapped a week ago. This combo is fantastic! Highly recommend it. Lots of dank to balance the fruit,

On a side note -- I also made some water changes based on some past discussion in the NEIPA thread. I think you also mentioned to up chloride by using larger amounts of NaCl vs Calcium Chloride. That made a huge different. When I bumped up chloride using cacl was not a big fan of the results. Really like what NaCl brings to the table.

 

[Dgallo]

I made this and just tapped a week ago. This combo is fantastic! Highly recommend it. Lots of dank to balance the fruit,

On a side note -- I also made some water changes based on some past discussion in the NEIPA thread. I think you also mentioned to up chloride by using larger amounts of NaCl vs Calcium Chloride. That made a huge different. When I bumped up chloride using cacl was not a big fan of the results. Really like what NaCl brings to the table.

I loved that combo. Def one of the best I’ve done. I love that it hits so many flavor profiles in one beer.

 

[Footballandhops]

My favorite so far has been 1:1 CTZ and Citra hands down

 

[skleice]

I made this and just tapped a week ago. This combo is fantastic! Highly recommend it. Lots of dank to balance the fruit,

On a side note -- I also made some water changes based on some past discussion in the NEIPA thread. I think you also mentioned to up chloride by using larger amounts of NaCl vs Calcium Chloride. That made a huge different. When I bumped up chloride using cacl was not a big fan of the results. Really like what NaCl brings to the table.

How high did the Na end up being?

 

[popquizkid]

How high did the Na end up being?

This was the estimated water profile I used:

Ca+2	Mg+2	Na+	Cl-	SO4-2
101	0	50	169	104

 

[Dgallo]

How high did the Na end up being?

I go as high as 77 ppm in ipas and around 85-100 for stouts (depends on the grainbill and ph). Really is a nice profile to elevate flavors

 

[popquizkid]

I go as high as 77 ppm in ipas and around 85-100 for stouts (depends on the grainbill and ph). Really is a nice profile to elevate flavors

I remembered you mentioning Na levels 75-100. Since my levels typically before this batch were around 20 I decide to split the difference for my first attempt at increasing the Na. Probably will keep it that way for a few batches and then eventually try 75.

Thanks again for all the tips.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

had a Grimm Artisanal Ale Hyperfocus beer featuring Eukanot a few months ago. From what I understand about the hyper focus series is that these are truly single hopped DIPA beers. This beer was a beautiful tropical explosion - papaya/passionfruit/etc! But upon looking online, it seems that sensory descriptions for this hop all all over the place. Considering a Columbus/Citra/Eukanot hop combo with Columbus for bittering and a small late boil addition with the whirlpool and dry hop primarily Citra/Eukanot. Has anyone used Eukanot recently? Would love to hear of any recent experiences with this hop. Eukanot has a high total oil content reported to have 2.5-4.5ml/100g for total oil content so it seems pretty potent.

 

[couchsending]

Ekuanot has a really strong green pepper/shrub component to it. Especially the stuff homebrewers get (not close to what Grimm is selecting GM for sure). It doesn’t present itself that bad when used in WP but it’s strong in the DH. However supposedly the Cryo form has much less green pepper character so I’d dry hop with that.