How do I get that floral bomb from Centennial hops?

[Picobrew]

I LOVE the extremely floral tasting single-hop centennial beers. iijakii also mentioned this effect in another thread and it got me thinking. I have brewed with Centennial a number of times and have never ended up with a very floral beer. Usually it's citrus, grapefruit, etc. I know sometimes if grapefruit or citrus flavors go far enough, they can end up very floral, but I don't know how to make this happen. The best fresh hop beer I had this year was Cruxtennial from Crux Fermentation Project, all Centennial, and so so perfumey.


Does anybody have any advice on how to make the floral pop from Centennial? Yeast combo? Hopping/dry hopping schedule? Pellets vs Whole cone?

 

[xjedifishx]

I'd be interested as well. Love a good floral taste.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Try focusing on a big hop stand and dry hop. Use just enough early hopping to get your IBUs. Then give it a good 3 oz hop stand for 30 min at 175F and 3 or 4 oz dry hop for the last 5 days in the fermenter. The hop stand will give you the flavor and some aroma and the dry hop will give you lots of aroma. Use a nice neutral yeast like US-05 to let the hop flavor and aroma shine.

 

[m00ps]

2nd the hopstand addition. IME to get anything close to what you taste and smell commercially you need 2-3 times what I normally see people putting in their IPAs here. Its all late hopping whirlpool additions and dry hopping

 

[Yooper]

Centennial has been funny that way for me as well.

About 8 years ago, I made a "little bastard"- a smaller more approachable Arrogant Bastard-ish beer. I used mostly centennial hops. When I first opened the beer, I remember posting that this beer "tastes like ****ing flowers!"

The centennial was definitely floral. With a bit of time, it did get better but it still had a floral quality.

Since then, even 100% centennial beers I make seem to be more citrusy than floral.

I'm not sure if it's the hops themselves have been lacking the floral quality, or if my palate doesn't pick it up any more. As a BJCP judge, I'd like to think it's not my palate, though!

 

[Homercidal]

I've never gotten anything but grapefruit from Centennial.

I do remember listening to a seminar given by Stan Heironymous on hops. He talked about a brewer who was trying to recreate an aroma. He added more hops and more hops but just couldn't get the aroma he wanted. it was suggested that he back OFF the amount of hops. When he did, the aroma he wanted came through.

The theory is that when there is so much of an aroma our senses perceive it differently than when there is a lesser amount. This is due to the molecules fitting properly into our receptors.

I may be mistaking this for flavor, now that I think about it. But the point I want to make is that mixing different hops AND using varying amounts *can* influence the drinker's perceptions, and in ways you might not expect.

 

[iijakii]

Yeah I dont think it's technique, but I could be wrong. Huge hop stands and dryhops are standard for me and I've never brewed a floral beer with Centennial.

I'm wondering it's just due to varying strains and some turn out more floral than others.