Hops For Raspberry Wheat

[ArkotRamathorn]

Looking for some advice on hop selection and timing for a raspberry wheat. In a way this is my second attempt at this recipe, but I was so bad and new at brewing that I want to retry it with some changes. Will end up around 1.066 with 70% of the grain bill being wheat. I will end transferring the beer onto about 5lbs of raspberries for secondary.

The root of my question is selecting hops to reinforce and compliment the raspberries, as well some fresh mint leaves I will be adding in the last 5 minutes of the boil. I am going to use just a clean bittering hop at 60 minutes to get around 25ibus.

I've boiled it down to 4 different hops to get about 2oz in during the last 5 minutes of the boil. I am vacillating between some New Zealand Motueka, Citra, Northern Brewer, and mosaic. I have 2oz of mosaic in my fridge as it is so I'm thinking of using at least half an oz of that.

Would it be to much of a mish mash if I used half an oz of each? Would all four shine through if all added at the same time or would staggering them a few minutes apart allow the aroma and flavors layer up? Never really done any beers yet that required more than two types of hops so looking to the hop head swamis of HBT.

 

[aiptasia]

Just wait a sec and think about your beer. What flavor are you trying to accomplish in this beer? Are you going to drink it young or will it age for a few months in the bottle? Do you want to feature the raspberries, the mint or the hops? Do you want balance or do you want one or another flavor to "shine through" and dominate. Do you want that to be immediate or down the road?

Describe to me what you want this beer to taste like and when you plan to consume it, and we can better help with the design.

If you want the raspberries and the mint to be the primary flavor, you'll have to use a subdued flavoring hop that doesn't contrast the style. My suggestion would be to use a noble hop variety with mild floral or herbal components such as Saaz, Hallertau or Willamette. If you wanted a little citrus in there, use a little of your citra or Motueka as a late addition or a dry hop (or both).

Another hint: Add twice as much mint as you think you'll need. Mint fades out very fast in beer. If you want your beer to sit until the peak of summer, add three times the amount of mint.

 

[JordanKnudson]

^ +1 to everything aiptasia said.

You might consider Perle hops, which are nice and clean, and just a bit minty (which could compliment that side of what you're doing).

Also, you should think about doing only a bittering addition. The words "raspberry wheat" don't say "hop forward" to me. Not that it couldn't be that way, but I would personally focus on the other flavors you are trying to bring out (aka raspberry, crisp wheat, and mint).

 

[chickypad]

Totally agree with what the others said, I think those hops you listed are going to overpower everything if you use a lot late. I especially like the perle recommendation, that's what I use for my watermelon wheat. I'd say just a single bittering addition, or that plus a small late addition with it or a noble variety.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

So basically there's no real way to balance the citrusy hops to the raspberry? If you tune the hops down couldn't I if served young get the good hop aromas mingling with the raspberries?

 

[JordanKnudson]

Of course you can use the hops that you mentioned, and use them in any way you see fit. It's just that it sounds like you're getting ahead of yourself and getting excited to throw a ton of flavors into one beer. That's not a bad thing per se, but if you do a raspberry mint wheat beer with four strong hop varieties, you might just end up with a mess rather than the cool balance that you were hoping for. My advice is to start simple and focus on your base flavors (and let's be real, a raspberry mint wheat isn't a particularly simple flavor profile in the first place). If you taste the final product and feel that it's still just not enough for you, then brew it again and throw some flameout/dry hops in. But I think you'll be surprised by how good a beer you can make by focusing on your core idea and trying to get that right.

If you absolutely have to add more hops the first time around, then I recommend you go with the Northern Brewer hops. The others are very tropical fruit-oriented and will just be an extra flavor, while I think the NB will add dimension to what's already there. Or, as I mentioned before, try Perle. Save your Mosaic for something where it can be more central.

 

[chickypad]

That was my thinking also - IME late hops with big character detract from the fruit. That being said, I tend to use fairly subtle fruits like watermelon and peach. I would worry most about the mint getting lost. As Jordan mentioned though, in the end it's your beer so you can do what you like.