Favorite 'Subtle' Hop for Light Lager?

[MrHersbrucker]

I'm starting to brew more and more light lagers, and I'm having trouble finding a delicious, yet subtle hop that doesn't overpower the malt. I do like herbal and 'clean' flavors, like Hallertau, but sometimes find it a little too spicy, unless I use very trace amounts late in the boil.

Anyways, just looking for your opinions, what are your favorite 'light' hops to use? I know this forum has a lot of 'hop heads' on here who might like to have their face pucker with every sip, but maybe a few of you have dabbled on the light side?

 

[Weezy]

Sterling
Willamette
Might fit your bill

 

[z-bob]

Mt Hood is my new favorite. Gonna try Sterling when this bag of Mt Hood is finished, and Weezy already mentioned Willamette...

Dr. Rudi (a.k.a. Super Alpha) smells like it might be a good hop for that, and kind of different. Very "clean"

 

[Weezy]

Mt.Hood is a good choice for the style but might have that spicy noble taste he's trying to get away from.

Perle
Saaz
Sylva

 

[Morrey]

This may or may not interest you enough to give it a try, but I have started using Yakima Valley bittering extract at 60 min for a very neutral IBU addition. I use about 1mL at 60 for every 10 IBU's I wish to impart at that point or from that particular addition. Then I'll use Saaz, Willamette, Tettnanger or Hallertau (my suggestions for your question) for the later additions for the flavors, aromas and IBU's they impart. If the bittering is done in a fairly neutral way as described, most Noble hops play nicely toward the end of your boil or FO.

 

[bigplunkett]

Willamette and tettnang

 

[jamina1]

My very first brew I was really scared of getting an overly hoppy beer, so I made a cream ale with Willamette and it was really good. Not too hoppy but it tasted like okay beer!

 

[imasickboy]

If you're trying to avoid any hop characteristics other than the bitterness, use either the extract, or a high alpha hop that will only require a small fraction of an ounce. Magnum comes to mind, and should need somewhere between an eighth and quarter of an ounce.

 

[Jim311]

My homebrew shop was out of a hop I needed for a light lager and gave me Mt. Hood instead. We'll see how that turns out.

 

[meatcleaver]

Anything German and noble or not too far from it. If you just want bitterness w/o hop character a single 60 minute addition is all you need.
My favorite is tettnang, its quite floral when used late but is clean at 60.
Spalt is nice too, but more spicy like saaz when used late in the boil.
For more economical hop use bitter with Perle or Magnum @ 60. Both are clean & smooth.

 

[behindthetimes]

Hersbrucker & Strisslespalt.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Try Summer (Australian Saaz). It has very faint stonefruit type aroma and flavour, without much spice. I use it for most of my lagers and Belgians instead of noble hops.

 

[Norselord]

Heineken is made with Cascade ... or so Doogie Howser keeps telling me...

 

[Steveruch]

ultra
vanguard

 

[RedlegEd]

I'm starting to brew more and more light lagers, and I'm having trouble finding a delicious, yet subtle hop that doesn't overpower the malt. I do like herbal and 'clean' flavors, like Hallertau, but sometimes find it a little too spicy, unless I use very trace amounts late in the boil.

Anyways, just looking for your opinions, what are your favorite 'light' hops to use? I know this forum has a lot of 'hop heads' on here who might like to have their face pucker with every sip, but maybe a few of you have dabbled on the light side?

Hi. I've used Ahtanum as a flavoring hop in several of my beers, to include light lagers. It's similar to Cascade & Amarillo, but with usually lower AA % and has a nice citrus/floral character. Ed

 

[jmcquesten]

Haven't seen Magnum mentioned yet. It's a great high alpha, neutral flavored hop. For a light lager, you could probably get away with a half oz or less for the whole beer. You can use it for bittering and if you still want an aroma or flavor addition, it pares well Hallertau or anything similar.

 

[Desert_Sky]

Saaz and Willamette

 

[MrPowers]

I usually use american Sterling or German Hersbrucker.

 

[cyberbackpacker]

Santiam too is nice!

 

[MrHersbrucker]

Very cool, lots of great replies. Sounds like I have a few new ones to try, Williamette was mentioned a few times, looks like I'll just have to find more room in my freezer for all these hops

 

[z-bob]

Anyone try Sorachi Ace? I bought one ounce of it; gonna split it and use for both bittering and aroma in a cream ale.

 

[MrHersbrucker]

Ace has a lemon-like flavour, can get a little oniony if used in excess. Not sure how it would stand alone, could be nice in a light lager, might be best paired with another fruity hop, like Summer, if you're doing a cream ale.

 

[shellsbells]

Anyone try Sorachi Ace? I bought one ounce of it; gonna split it and use for both bittering and aroma in a cream ale.

I tried Sorachi Ace recently in a lager SMASH and in a version of Cream of Three Crops (paired with kazbek hops & a Kolsch yeast). Both were good, but I especially liked it in the lager. It was nice and light and lemony. I've used it in some other brews (pale ale and saison)and luckily never got any onion flavour from it. I think it's a pretty awesome hop

 

[z-bob]

Thanks. Mr Hersbrucker had me worried, LOL. I added 1/2 ounce at 20 minutes and 1/2 ounce at 5 minutes today, so it ought to be pretty subtle. But there's no place to hide in this beer if I screw something up, it's just 80% Belgian pils and 20% rice.

 

[Norselord]

Thanks. Mr Hersbrucker had me worried, LOL. I added 1/2 ounce at 20 minutes and 1/2 ounce at 5 minutes today, so it ought to be pretty subtle. But there's no place to hide in this beer if I screw something up, it's just 80% Belgian pils and 20% rice.

That's about twice as much ch as I use in light lagers. I typically use 0.5oz bittering, and 0.5 in some late additions.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Heineken is made with Cascade ... or so Doogie Howser keeps telling me...

Proof that you can still make sh!++y beer with good ingredients.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I do a lot of German lagers where I want a subdued hops presence, and I use a lot of Spalt and Tettnanger. I prefer them both to Hallertau.

 

[z-bob]

That's about twice as much ch as I use in light lagers. I typically use 0.5oz bittering, and 0.5 in some late additions.

The 20 minutes were for bittering; there was no 60 minute hops. If I put them in earlier, it would be too bitter. I could have used a different hop for bittering and saved a half ounce of Ace for later, but I wanted to single-hop it.

 

[Norselord]

The 20 minutes were for bittering; there was no 60 minute hops. If I put them in earlier, it would be too bitter. I could have used a different hop for bittering and saved a half ounce of Ace for later, but I wanted to single-hop it.

OK that makes sense - you are only gonna get like 15-25% utilization at that time. You still do a 90-minute boil though, right?

 

[z-bob]

It was a very vigorous boil for about 70 minutes. (an hour but I didn't start the timer until after it had boiled for awhile and I skimmed all the hot-break scum off the top)

 

[bigplunkett]

Simco nice and subtle.

 

[Lefou]

Proof that you can still make sh!++y beer with good ingredients.

Thank you for that informed opinion.
Now tell me what you think of what they're putting on the OUTSIDE of the bottle.
http://www.weaselzippers.us/341062-have-a-cold-heineken-with-a-side-of-open-borders/

 

[MrHersbrucker]

Thanks. Mr Hersbrucker had me worried, LOL. I added 1/2 ounce at 20 minutes and 1/2 ounce at 5 minutes today, so it ought to be pretty subtle. But there's no place to hide in this beer if I screw something up, it's just 80% Belgian pils and 20% rice.

That should turn out nice, I should've been more specific, when I say a lot I mean ipa levels, sounds like your brew should be nice and flavorful.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Thank you for that informed opinion.
Now tell me what you think of what they're putting on the OUTSIDE of the bottle.
http://www.weaselzippers.us/341062-have-a-cold-heineken-with-a-side-of-open-borders/

Don't care what's on the outside. When I buy beer, the only thing that counts is what's on the inside of the bottle.
And my informed opinion (informed by drinking too many crappy Heinekins when it was the only thing available) is that it's crappy beer. Maybe in Europe it's good, but when it comes to the US, it's pre-skunked. Every. Single. Bottle.

Actually I've heard they do pre-skunk it because that's what American Heineken drinkers expect.

In either case, I would now rather drink Bud or Miller Light than Heineken. At least it's going to be FRESH tasting mass-produced swill.

 

[Lefou]

A couple things.
I read what was on the bottle.
First off, it's printed on green glass. Green glass and hops is a major fail to me. Oddly enough, I've run into people who actually like that particular off-flavor, but I'm not one of them. This particular brand isn't the only one I've found out there with bad production control and lousy hopping.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Green glass and hops is a major fail to me. Oddly enough, I've run into people who actually like that particular off-flavor

That's what I'm saying. I've read (don't remember the source, and I'm sure Heineken would never admit to it) that they know their fans in North America like their product specifically because of its flaw (skunkiness) and not only don't do anything to correct it, but knowingly and actively ship skunky (most of us would consider it spoiled) beer.

 

[KIC-8462852]

Maybe in Europe it's good

No, it's quite terrible, even when fresh.

 

[Cayuga-Brewer]

Try Teamaker, .5% AA. I have been using it for dry hopping. Lots of hop aroma with no significant bitterness

 

[Mainer]

I'm a fan of Sterling and Crystal. They have a noble-ish profile with a little of that Hallertau spiciness, but also give a little more gentle New World pine and fruit than the true German varieties.

 

[Lefou]

Try Teamaker, .5% AA. I have been using it for dry hopping. Lots of hop aroma with no significant bitterness

Never heard of this and will have to look it up. Sounds surprisingly mild.