columbus? really??

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Polboy

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I have to say i found hop i dont like, i made amber ale where i used columbus in late additions and little bit for dry hopping, it has this bad after taste that close to smoky/burn flavor, i really thought its from rather large crystal 60 addition. Then i made IPA, use it again for aroma/flavor together with cascade and in one carboy for dry hopping (the other dry hop with saaz). One with saaz is ok, has this aftertaste but its subdued and its definitively drinkable, batch dry hopped with columbus us just terrible, i wasnt able to drink hydro sample, i hope it will improve with time and carbonation. Isn't evil twin made with columbus?, whats wrong with mine? did i just discover meaning of word pungent?, anyone had similar experience or i got bad hops?
And final question is this terrible aftertaste shows when columbus is used as bittering only? if yes i have 8oz left to give away or trash
 
I love columbus. Carbonation makes a difference also. Do you like other beers hopped with columbus? Its a supercharged cascade similar to drinking a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
 
I'm not a columbus fan, although using for bittering seems to be ok. I heard someone describe columbus as "dank and harsh", especially in dryhopping, and I would agree with that statement.
 
I *think* I like Columbus. I'll find out soon! Just did a SMaSH a few days ago. CTZ/Pilsner:

12.5# German pils malt. Hop additions (all 12.8% AA):
14g @ 20 min
21g @ 15 min
28g @ 10 min
35g @ 5 min
42g @ 0 min (WP for 20 min)

Ferment US-05 at 68-70

I'm hoping it's more than just a smokey/burn flavor beer. It's definitely going to be pungent, but with 100% late additions I was hoping to just get crazy aromas and flavor. :) smells great do far!
 
Polboy said:
Isn't evil twin made with columbus?

Yes and no. The evil twin kit from NB is bittered with Columbus, but the recipe off of Jamil's website doesn't have a bittering addition, (at least not the traditional 60 minute bittering addition) so no Columbus. I much prefer the recipe from his website, but don't think it has anything to do with Columbus, as I bitter a lot of my beers with it.
 
I do a SMASH with Columbus that is quite pleasing. 60,10,5,2, dry hop style; nothing bad about it... Not like Summit anyhow :p
That being said, I generally try to keep Columbus in the early additions when building a multihop pale ale, just because there are other hops that showcase a little better in the tail end.

$.02
 
hym, dont know how to take this, i guess i will give it one more try but only for bittering additions, smoky/burn flavor i pick up would go well in porter or stout so i will try to brew that (but common description for this hop as citrusy ect doesnt go well with porter so im still confused by columbus)
 
Polboy said:
I have to say i found hop i dont like, i made amber ale where i used columbus in late additions and little bit for dry hopping, it has this bad after taste that close to smoky/burn flavor, i really thought its from rather large crystal 60 addition. Then i made IPA, use it again for aroma/flavor together with cascade and in one carboy for dry hopping (the other dry hop with saaz). One with saaz is ok, has this aftertaste but its subdued and its definitively drinkable, batch dry hopped with columbus us just terrible, i wasnt able to drink hydro sample, i hope it will improve with time and carbonation. Isn't evil twin made with columbus?, whats wrong with mine? did i just discover meaning of word pungent?, anyone had similar experience or i got bad hops?
And final question is this terrible aftertaste shows when columbus is used as bittering only? if yes i have 8oz left to give away or trash

Hmmm. I think I like Columbus. It's Galena I hate. Super pissy. Definately f'd up my last big IPA with them, I think. Kinda bummed. But im letting em mellow out a few months, maybe they'll improve. BTW: got about 10oz whole leaf nicely stowed away if anyone's into em...
 
Simcoe turned on me. I used to get all the piney cat pee characteristics. Suddenly it started smelling like garbage to me. I though I was getting infections in my beer until I realized it was only in my pale ales and IPAs. Then I isolated it down to just the beers with Simcoe in them. I sought out some commercial examples that use Simcoe heavily, and sure enough, garbage aroma. I don't know what it's about, but I have found one other brewer who experiences that hop the same way. It kinda ruined my trip to Hill Farmstead yesterday. Sux.
 
I think I bought some bad Simcoe last year. Every beer I made with them smelled like BO. Quite unpleasant....
 
damn im glad i can only taste smoky/burn flavors in my beer, i would definitively dump BO, onion and garbage beer, and with prices on simco i would be pissed
 
have yet to use colombus as a late addition hop or dry hop in anything light. I did use 3 ounces to dry hop a giant imperial stout a while back but i can barely taste it.
 
I LOVE Columbus...my Rye IPA has been described as a "Columbus delivery vehicle"! But that doesn't mean everyone has to like them. We each have subjective, personal tastes. Some people love Fuggles, for instance. I think they taste and smell like dirt and wouldn't have them anywhere near one of my beers. But that doesn't mean they're bad hops. OK, maybe they are....;)
 
I love Columbus Hops as well. Great all purpose hop in my book. What makes them even better is that they are available everywhere and dirt cheap, double bonus!!
 
"This is what you people get for liking hoppy beers.

Enjoy your grassy onion trash."


HAHAHAHA! This coming from someone with multiple sour beers in their fermenters and bottles seems quite comical/ironic to me.
 
I used up the last of my Simco and Amarillo a few weeks ago in a DFG 60 clone, so I am trying to come up with a more common variety to dry hop with. Split a cream ale into 3 batches and dry hopped one with Columbus, another with Chinook, and the third with Willamette. This was bottled today. Tasting the hydrometer samples, the Columbus was not good, the Chinook was OK, and the Willamette was pretty good. All three had Willamette for the 60 min and 30 min hop additions. I will let you know how they turned out in a few weeks.
 
runningweird said:
have yet to use colombus as a late addition hop or dry hop in anything light. I did use 3 ounces to dry hop a giant imperial stout a while back but i can barely taste it.

Last night I drank some ambers I made w/ just Columbus & Cascade. Awesome combination. Don't be afraid to try Columbus, they're great hops. Use caution with them Galenas, tho.
That being said, I'm actually really enjoying an IPA right now w/ tons of Galena late additions bottled over a month ago. Piney, for sure, not as much piss as I expected....whatever.
Beer is life & life is good!
 
I like it. I'd call it resinous and piney, and unforgivingly bitter. I can see how it might be a challenge for some, particularly lupulophobes east of the Rockies.

IIRC, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA is primarily hopped with Columbus -- or used to be.
 
I used up the last of my Simco and Amarillo a few weeks ago in a DFG 60 clone, so I am trying to come up with a more common variety to dry hop with. Split a cream ale into 3 batches and dry hopped one with Columbus, another with Chinook, and the third with Willamette. This was bottled today. Tasting the hydrometer samples, the Columbus was not good, the Chinook was OK, and the Willamette was pretty good. All three had Willamette for the 60 min and 30 min hop additions. I will let you know how they turned out in a few weeks.

Just wanted to follow up on this. Surprisingly, after bottle conditioning, I thought the batch dry hopped with Columbus was the best. A very deep hop taste. The Chinook was good, a little brighter in taste. The Willamette had very little additional hop character, but made a great BMC.

I have another 3 container primary Cream Ale going now. Tempted to dry hop all three with Columbus.
 
Pliny has a lot of Columbus in boil and dry hop. It's one of the best DIPAs on the planet. I love Columbus personally. Even in dry hop.
 
To get a good impression of Columbus as a dry hop, try some Deviant Dale's IPA.

It is like being hit with a 2X4 made of Columbus hops. ;)

As mentioned earlier in this thread, it is piney and resinous. It also blends very well with citrus leaning hops. Try it with Cascade, Centennial or any of the New Zealand hops.

I am presently drinking an IPA made with Columbus and Zythos hop blend. OUTSTANDING!!
 
I generally like Columbus, I don't like how it's grouped as CTZ, Columbus to me does not taste the same as Zeus.
 
I generally like Columbus, I don't like how it's grouped as CTZ, Columbus to me does not taste the same as Zeus.

Genetically, Columbus, Zeus and Tomahawk are identical. The flavor differences are terroir, or where they're grown. Even different batches of any one of them differ based on location. Columbus _may_ be more consistent since it's a proprietary version that's only grown on one farm.
 
I want to update that after some aging in the bottles columbus is not that bad, im not gona use it for dry hopping but i can see that there is something in its flavor that ppl may like, i even made dipa again with columbus but only for bittering additions, samples tasted nice
 
Favorite dry hop. I dunno if it's because of the pungent, piney goodness and depth, or maybe it takes me back to some earlier times- as a dry up it smells like a danky, resinous, fresh new bag of....................................................................hops, of course.
 
I love columbus in a pale ale or IPA - and complements rye beers well like Denny mentioned before. I have an amber rye that is 100% columbus and its great.
 
Genetically, Columbus, Zeus and Tomahawk are identical. The flavor differences are terroir, or where they're grown. Even different batches of any one of them differ based on location. Columbus _may_ be more consistent since it's a proprietary version that's only grown on one farm.

Actually they different. Tomahawk and Columbus are the same, Zeus just got lumped in because of it's similarities. It is not the same. I think it has a bit more citrus, IMO
 
I'm planning to brew a Columbus and Centennial IPA here soon. I love Avery Hog Heaven and it's all Columbus I believe.
 
I'm planning to brew a Columbus and Centennial IPA here soon. I love Avery Hog Heaven and it's all Columbus I believe.

It sure is. If you didn't know, Avery released HB recipes for a number of their brews recently.

http://averybrewing.com/brewery/recipes-for-homebrewers/

I made a simple PA and used all Columbus hops and it came out nicely. IIRC, 5.5% ABV, 50 IBU, mashed at 152 or so with just some pale malt and a bit of crystal 60 for color. It was a bit more English PA on flavor but not as malty.
 
For me, Columbus adds a resinous, coating feeling to the finish of the beer I don't care for. Almost all of the IPAs I end up not caring for have a large portion of CTZ in the late additions or dry hop.
 
I love Columbus/CTZ- My house IPA uses some CTZ late in the boil and a carpet bomb of it in the dry hop. Almost makes people pucker on first taste :)
 
A couple of years ago, I organized a blind tasting where I made a base pale ale and split it into 4-5 different batches, each dry hopped with different varieties. Also in the mix were about 4-5 different commercial pale ales. The overwhelming favorite was the one dry-hopped with CTZ.
 
I'm excited to see results saying CTZ were good in dry hopping. I just did a SMaSH with Maris Otter and CTZ, 42 ibu, all late hop additions. I will do 1 oz dry hop pellets of CTZ the last week of fermentation.
 
A couple of years ago, I organized a blind tasting where I made a base pale ale and split it into 4-5 different batches, each dry hopped with different varieties. Also in the mix were about 4-5 different commercial pale ales. The overwhelming favorite was the one dry-hopped with CTZ.

Im really surprised, i can see this hops flavor as an "acquired taste" (it took me some time to like olives and even longer to enjoy liver so i could probably enjoy "pungent" taste), what was your testing crowd?
 
Im really surprised, i can see this hops flavor as an "acquired taste" (it took me some time to like olives and even longer to enjoy liver so i could probably enjoy "pungent" taste), what was your testing crowd?

A group of friends, and my wife, who BTW was the only person who didn't like the CTZ beer as her favorite. I wouldn't call them beer nerds by any stretch, but they like beer and have discerning palates. My wife is probably the outlier in that she doesn't like anything even remotely bitter. She's all about blonde ales, Belgians, and similar styles that are very low IBU. Her favorite was the pale ale that I had dry-hopped with Willamette. I want to say it was a group of 6-7 people total doing the tasting.
 
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