How would you use extra hops

[nyer]

I just picked up a true brew pale ale kit. I have 1/4 ounce of warrior pellets and 1/2 ounce of ammarillo pellets left over from another recipe. Should I try to use these somehow in the pale ale?

 

[c.n.budz]

What hops does the recipe already come with?

 

[wrangler]

sure, why not?!

 

[c.n.budz]

sure, why not?!

Because it will completely change the beer. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing the matter with some experimentation, but if you're still fairly new to brewing I've always felt that it's a good idea to stick with the kit recipes as they were designed. Those kits are typically designed by pros and messing with them can mess up the balance of the beer.

 

[Beerthoven]

Because it will completely change the beer. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing the matter with some experimentation, but if you're still fairly new to brewing I've always felt that it's a good idea to stick with the kit recipes as they were designed. Those kits are typically designed by pros and messing with them can mess up the balance of the beer.

+1.

Given the hop situation, I'd save those extra hops in the freezer until you know for sure what to do with them. Just tossing them in because you happen to have them doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[FlyingHorse]

Brew and ferment the kit per instructions. Bottle half the batch, and dry-hop the other half for a week with the extra hops.

 

[nyer]

I actually have no idea what type of hops the kit came with, I didn't open it yet. I think I will leave it the way it is and I'll save the hops for another dogfishhead 60.

 

[SteveM]

I'd throw them into the boil, with the Amarillo near the end. 3/4 of an ounce of hops in a five gallon kit will not make a profound difference. But I LOVE Amarillo in almost anything, and I always believe that a pale ale will always be improved with more hops. The pros who made up the kit components are also trying to make something they can sell for a reasonable price, so they would include the least amount of hops that will meet the beer type parameters.

 

[wrangler]

I'd throw them into the boil, with the Amarillo near the end. 3/4 of an ounce of hops in a five gallon kit will not make a profound difference. But I LOVE Amarillo in almost anything, and I always believe that a pale ale will always be improved with more hops. The pros who made up the kit components are also trying to make something they can sell for a reasonable price, so they would include the least amount of hops that will meet the beer type parameters.

my line of thinking exactly

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

I am not sure what they have in it now. THe hop shortage has caused them to change their hops in the kits. The recipe on LD Carlson (English Pale Ale) shows Kent Golding and Warrior. I have an old english plae ale recipe laying around from there I will pull out and see what the hops originally were. I know that glacier was not in there.

You could open the kit and check it out.

 

[HOOTER]

Hops good. HOOTER like hops. Throw them in and call it an IPA.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I'd dry hop with the Amarillo and save the Warrior for another brew.

 

[Jaeger48]

+1 to dry hopping with the Amarillo. The Warrior sounds like it would be best to use as a bittering hop in a future batch.

 

[nyer]

I made the kit last night and guess what, I totally forgot what hops came with it. They were a strange name and not very common. I'm going to wait until I go to secondary and I'll sneak a taste. Maybe then I'll decide to dry hop. I don't really want this one overly hopped, I'm planning to keep this on tap for the summer so I can try to get a few non-beer drinking relatives (they drink coor's and keystone!!!) started on something with a little flavor.

 

[TexLaw]

I'd throw them into the boil, with the Amarillo near the end. 3/4 of an ounce of hops in a five gallon kit will not make a profound difference.

That certainly isn't true. Even just that quarter ounce of Warrior can significantly alter your IBUs if added early in the boil. Add later, and a quarter ounce is not worth the waste.

I agree that the half ounce of Amarillo could work well as a late addition or dry hop, though.


TL