Help with Hops

[SuchSweetThunder]

I'm confused on the designation of "flavor" versus "aroma" hops. I've been trying to do late-hop bursting to get maximal flavor/aroma with less bitterness, but my last few beers have turned out dull in the flavor department. I've added tons of hops in the last 15 minutes (15 min, 10 min, 5 min, flameout). Would dry-hopping increase flavor, or only aroma? Should I be adding more around 15 minutes instead of at 5? I want more characteristic hop flavor in up front.

Thanks!

 

[wardens355]

Depends on the hop varietal, hop age/storage method, and quantity, in my experience. If you're using relatively fresh hops in large quantities 15 minutes and later, you should be getting decent hop flavor/aroma. Dry hopping will help also since taste is linked to smell. What amount of hops are you using in the last 15 minutes, typically? And what varieties haven't turned out the way you hoped? Do you get good aroma? Or lackluster in both aroma and flavor?

 

[paperairplane]

I made a ton of beers in the last 2 years with big late / hop burst additions. And I liked them. But I felt I was missing something in my pale / IPA. And I think it was 30 min addition. I have gone back and am on my 3rd batch adding back in a 30 min and then heavy late additions. We'll see how this goes.

 

[acidrain]

I agree with paperairplane... a balance of late, as well as early and mid hop additions is important. Not to mention hop varieties, etc.
Try first wort hopping... it adds a more mellow bitterness, but you've got to have some bitterness.

 

[Horseshoot]

I get best hop "flavor" (meaning not really bitterness, but not really aroma) at about 30 to 20 minutes from the end of the boil. That has been my experience. After 20 minutes from end it tends towards aroma. I get beat aroma at flame out/ whirlpool or dry hop.

 

[BobBailey]

Try first wort hopping and post-boil steeping.
FWH gives a bit more bittering, and smoother, than the normal bittering addition, plus flavor that comes close to that of a 20 minute addition. Steeping is great for flavor and aroma with the added bonus of bittering as well. Beersmith calculates the IBUs of steeping additions.

Flavor and aroma come from essential oils while bitterness comes primarily from alpha acids. By todays standards I would say that bittering hops would be fairly neutral while flavor and aroma hops would need the character you want in your beer. Hops that are high in AAUs can also be great flavor and aroma hops, depending on the levels and composition of essential oils.

Separating hop varieties into bittering and aroma categories isn't as simple as it used to be. This is a whole new world of hops.

 

[SuchSweetThunder]

Thanks for the info everybody! Life got busy and I was gone for a while.

 

[bobbrews]

I'm confused on the designation of "flavor" versus "aroma" hops.

Any attempt to categorize a hop as such is pure misinformation which has widely been spread because people NEED to fit things into a neat little box in order to demystify the process and alleviate confusion.

The misinformation stems from traditional hopping schedules. Take the IPA for instance... At some point in time, it was widely accepted that there were three opportunities to hop an IPA for maximum benefit:

Bittering additions (90-60 minutes)
Flavor additions (45-20 minutes)
Aroma additions (15-0 minutes, as well as the dryhop)

The bittering addition slot is true. But the information begins to fall apart after that...

What you must understand is that flavor and aroma are closely connected. You really can't taste without your sense of smell. Much of the hop character you are really enjoying in an IPA is due to the presence of delicate, aromatic hop oils/compounds that have not been fully boiled off, since they were added as late additions.

In reality, there is no such thing as a "flavor" addition. You can completely skip this slot entirely and still have an amazing beer. Heady Topper does not boil any hops (aside from a 90 minute hop extract addition) and it is regarded as one of the top beers in the world. Adding hops between 45-20 minutes will only add moderate bitterness and moderate flavoraroma. Why do that when you can add hops at 90-60 minutes for optimal bittering, then more hops at the warm hopstand and dryhop for optimal flavoraroma?... yes, one word since they are so closely connected.

The simple truth is that aromatic hops like Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, etc. will also be very flavorful. Hops like these are high in total oil content and high in the beneficial hop compounds we love in American IPAs. Aroma in an American IPA is at its greatest when a brewer employs a warm hopstand along with a dryhop. A warm hopstand is just that: allowing the hops to "stand" for a given time at warm, but not hot temperatures. The result is greater Myrcene extraction (the boiloff rate of Myrcene is 167F). Myrcene is that American hop compound reminiscent of pine, citrus, fruit <--- you want this in an AIPA!!

Would dry-hopping increase flavor, or only aroma? I want more characteristic hop flavor in up front.

Dry hopping is the most important hopping procedure for a highly flavorful and aromatic IPA. I highly recommend reserving 40-50% of your recipe hops by weight for the dryhop. 25-40% of your hops by weight can be used for the warm hopstand. The rest of your hops can go toward the bittering charge.


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In closing, the best advice is to unlearn 80% of the garbage out there that you have deemed to be truth. Research methods with actual results (instead of internet blabber or marketing notes for a product). Experience is also key when brewing IPAs. Experiment with different methods, ingredients, schedules, hop amounts; learn what your palate enjoys.

When I first started brewing IPAs, I too fell victim to much of the misinformation out there about hops and hopping techniques. Try not to let all of the regurgitated information, charts, graphs, rule you and permanently keep you in this restrictive mold of brewing the same exact way for 20+ years. Learn for yourself. Evolve.