Fresh Hop Beer suggestions

[Methose]

My hops garden is being picked this weekend. I'm inviting a bunch of friends and we're all going in and harvesting the crops!

Does anyone have a suggestion on a recipe that will maximize the fresh taste of wet hops? Something like a pale ale or IPA, or maybe both. I don't have any idea how much we will harvest, have no idea what the AA will be, and also no idea how much water weight will be in them, so it makes it rather interesting to attempt to formulate a recipe.
I brew all grain, in 5 gal batches, but am contemplating the idea to go extract for the simplicity sake of already having a busy day.

Hops are Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook. I have probably more Cascade and Chinook, as the Centennial didn't seem to do that well.

Suggestions Please and Thanks!
:rockin:

 

[m00ps]

Definitely do an IPA. Id suggest a recipe designed around a large hopstand at flameout to get the most flavor and aroma possible from your very own hops. Im not sure the conversion wet to dry, but I usually end up with about a pound of dried hop pellets total for 5gallons in an IPA

 

[Vamptrump]

You should do AG anyway, go pick hops while you are mashing.

Suggestion 1 (variation on my IPA recipe):
11 lb Marris Otter
1 lb Biscuit Malt
.5 lb Honey Malt
1 oz Centennial FWH
1 oz Cascade 15 min
1 oz Cascade / 1 oz Centennial (30 min 175F hopstand)
1/1/1 oz Cascade/Centennial/Chinook 5-7 days

Suggestion 2 - non-bitter Showcase SMaSH, get all the flavor but little bitterness:
11 lb Marris Otter
1 oz Cascade 15min
2 oz Cascade hopstand
3 oz Cascade dry hop 5-7 days

Edit: I love Marris Otter

 

[Methose]

You should do AG anyway, go pick hops while you are mashing.

Suggestion 1 (variation on my IPA recipe):
11 lb Marris Otter
1 lb Biscuit Malt
.5 lb Honey Malt
1 oz Centennial FWH
1 oz Cascade 15 min
1 oz Cascade / 1 oz Centennial (30 min 175F hopstand)
1/1/1 oz Cascade/Centennial/Chinook 5-7 days

Suggestion 2 - non-bitter Showcase SMaSH, get all the flavor but little bitterness:
11 lb Marris Otter
1 oz Cascade 15min
2 oz Cascade hopstand
3 oz Cascade dry hop 5-7 days

Edit: I love Marris Otter

I'm a huge MO fan as well, love the body and flavor.
Most of my IPAs have it as well as a pretty big malt base, but I was a little concerned to not let the fresh hop flavor shine through with one of my standard recipes.


no Chinook?

 

[Methose]

Definitely do an IPA. Id suggest a recipe designed around a large hopstand at flameout to get the most flavor and aroma possible from your very own hops. Im not sure the conversion wet to dry, but I usually end up with about a pound of dried hop pellets total for 5gallons in an IPA

It's hard to say, because I'm not sure of the water weight, but it's around 4:1 wet to dry, from what I read.

I'm with the large hopstand, that will certainly be in the mix.

 

[m00ps]

How much hops do you think youll be able to harvest? If like it would fit in a standard fermentor bucket id toss it all in. You cant go overboard with hopstand hops and youll be glad you got the very best essence of these hops youve worked so hard on

 

[Vamptrump]

no Chinook?

I like the aroma of Chinook, but didn't really feel like blending the pine with the citrus/grapefruit in the flavoring time slots.

 

[m00ps]

I kinda feel the same way about chinook. I like its aroma but not so much its flavor. Probably the high cohumelone%. I mean ill drink an arrogant bastard, but I would rather have something else

 

[Methose]

Suggestion 1 (variation on my IPA recipe):
11 lb Marris Otter
1 lb Biscuit Malt
.5 lb Honey Malt
1 oz Centennial FWH
1 oz Cascade 15 min
1 oz Cascade / 1 oz Centennial (30 min 175F hopstand)
1/1/1 oz Cascade/Centennial/Chinook 5-7 days

Have you added Carapils to this at all? I typically have it in there for the head retention and wondered what you thought about it on this specific recipe?

 

[Vamptrump]

Have you added Carapils to this at all? I typically have it in there for the head retention and wondered what you thought about it on this specific recipe?

I've actually never used Carapils to any of my beers. Head retention has never been a big thing for me.

Even though Carapils isn't supposed to add flavors, I've made it a point to avoid the entire "cara" family, because I loathe toffee/caramel flavors in my beer traditionally (barley wines are an exception to the rule).

 

[Methose]

How much hops do you think youll be able to harvest? If like it would fit in a standard fermentor bucket id toss it all in. You cant go overboard with hopstand hops and youll be glad you got the very best essence of these hops youve worked so hard on

It's really hard to tell how many are ready, and I'm toying with the idea of putting the trellis back up to let the younger ones finish, but then again, I may just pick some of the 'almost ready' ones... such a hard decision.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=536646

I think last year I pulled about 16oz of cascade 16oz Chin, and maybe 4 Cent.

 

[Methose]

I kinda feel the same way about chinook. I like its aroma but not so much its flavor. Probably the high cohumelone%. I mean ill drink an arrogant bastard, but I would rather have something else

I like the earthy tones I get of of it around 15 min mark, but that's for my heavy malt back IPAs and IIPAs.
I'm wanting a little something different here, a bit lighter and 'fresher', so I may go ith that suggestion, or save some Chin for another brew..

 

[m00ps]

so a bti over 2lbs of fresh wet hops....yeah screw it I'd just toss them all in. It may be cheating, but id suggest using some pellets for bittering so you can save all that juicy wet hop character for flavor additions

 

[Jonkl]

Second the flavor-only add. Don't waste fresh hops on bittering, especially when the math involved - in figuring out the AA% and water weight - is little more than a WAG anyway.

Dump it all in the flavor/aroma, and enjoy.

Most importantly, however, don't save it. I've found fresh hop beers don't keep.

 

[Methose]

wow, pics to come, but what a crazy brew / harvest day. Nuts.
I think I over did it with hops on this poor low abv IPA, but only time will tell. I did the following:
1 oz Cent (pellets) at 60
8.2 oz wet Cascade at 15
6.2 oz wet Cascade at 2
8.2 oz wet Cent at 2
with a 30 mins hop stand at 150 deg.

Mash only got me to about 1.053 OG with the grain bill listed from Vamp, but with 10 # MO, rather than 11. I didn't want too much alch, I really just wanted to drink it

 

[Methose]

Pics

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[Methose]

So an update:
This beer came out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.
It has a really interesting melon flavor to it, which I have no idea where it came from on those varieties of hops. Though, I do remember having that taste in last year's wet hop beer.

It's very light, and refreshing, actually much more of a Pale Ale than an IPA, by far. After pulling about 64 oz off the keg, it's really started to pick up in the flavor of hops, and mellowing out a bit on the melon flavor.
I took it to my last homebrew club meeting and received the same feedback: melon, light flavor but very pleasing hope notes, and more of a PA than an IPA.

I think I would prefer a bit more body in the beer, but would be concerned to mask too much of the hop flavor if I ended up with a maltier or sweeter taste.