hops??
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Hmmmm. That's a great question. The easy answer is to just brew a lot, and then you'll know. But I think that's too simplistic.
As a rule, a good place to start when pairing hops is to consider other recipes. Even if you're not copying a recipe, looking at them to see what other brewers do is a good idea. What I mean is this- if "everybody" is using C-hops (cascade, chinook, centennial, etc) for American pale ales and IPAs, that's a good indication that it's a good combo.
Another thing to consider is the heritage of the hops. For example, challenger hops, fuggles, East Kent goldings, etc are UK hop varieties. So if I was thinking about an English pale ale, I'd probably use a British hop variety or two. The same is true with a German lager- German hops would fit well, but cascade hops from the US would be odd and out of place.
As far as plugs, pellets, whole cones, etc, it really doesn't matter a bit. I use whatever is available at the best price. The differences are nominal.
As a rule, a good place to start when pairing hops is to consider other recipes. Even if you're not copying a recipe, looking at them to see what other brewers do is a good idea. What I mean is this- if "everybody" is using C-hops (cascade, chinook, centennial, etc) for American pale ales and IPAs, that's a good indication that it's a good combo.
Another thing to consider is the heritage of the hops. For example, challenger hops, fuggles, East Kent goldings, etc are UK hop varieties. So if I was thinking about an English pale ale, I'd probably use a British hop variety or two. The same is true with a German lager- German hops would fit well, but cascade hops from the US would be odd and out of place.
As far as plugs, pellets, whole cones, etc, it really doesn't matter a bit. I use whatever is available at the best price. The differences are nominal.
Make a simple beer that's a style you like. I highly recommend a recipe kit from one of the big online suppliers for your first batch.
I always recommend people start with an extract and steeping grains batch before jumping into all grain. You should make sure your sanitation and process is nailed down, and that you genuinely like the process of brewing. With that said, many people have successfully jumped straight into all grain.
I would start with whatever style of beer you like to drink, within reason, of course. Something fairly straightforward with a little faster turnaround. As a new brewer you are going to want to taste your creation, I know I did, so something that needs a lot of aging or a lager would probably not be a good choice.
There are no rules on when or if to go to all grain. I did one extract batch, one partial mash and then went all grain. That worked for me, but it all depends on what you have for equipment, space and resources (cash). Not that you need to spend a lot of money, I picked up a used turkey fryer off from Craigslist, a cheap cooler for a mash tun and found a good deal on an eight gallon stainless kettle and it is what I am still using.
There are no rules on when or if to go to all grain. I did one extract batch, one partial mash and then went all grain. That worked for me, but it all depends on what you have for equipment, space and resources (cash). Not that you need to spend a lot of money, I picked up a used turkey fryer off from Craigslist, a cheap cooler for a mash tun and found a good deal on an eight gallon stainless kettle and it is what I am still using.
i learned a lot about hop pairing through beersmith when i started. some people paired hops, said they didn't taste so good. others paired, said they were great
HeavyKettleBrewing
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lumpher said:
It really is a matter of opinion, freshness/storage, and process. Some hops do better late in the boil and some earlier. Like Yooper said, brew more often. Citra and Simcoe would not be consistent with an English Ale although I would probably drink pond water if it were infused with Citra. Insert gratuitous Citra plug here.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
Most hops generally fall into one of two basic categories, Fruity hops or Earthy hops. My basic rule is that I don't mix the two, but have no problem mixing within the categories, depending on what character I want in the final beer.
Also, some hops are better used to bitter, while others are better used as aroma/taste hops. It is generally a bad idea to use a bittering hop as an aroma hop, and vice-versa, though some hops are more flexible than others.
Here's a good reference of the character of each hop, and what beer styles they fit best in:
http://www.brewsupplies.com/hops_reference_chart.htm
Also, some hops are better used to bitter, while others are better used as aroma/taste hops. It is generally a bad idea to use a bittering hop as an aroma hop, and vice-versa, though some hops are more flexible than others.
Here's a good reference of the character of each hop, and what beer styles they fit best in:
http://www.brewsupplies.com/hops_reference_chart.htm
I've found that pellet hops get bittering a bit more at lower times than raw hops do. I assume it's because of the pelletizing process crushing the lupulin glands in the hop cones. But I do use both at the usual stages. I just found that I prefer pellets for more bittering,raw hops for flavor/aroma. The raw hops seem to me to be a bit mellower with a bit more depth of flavor.
