Pick a Hop for my NAAL

[AlexKay]

Brewing today, only with ingredients I have on hand: North American Adjunct Lager, 2.5 gallons of it.

3 pounds English pale ale malt
1.5 pounds flaked corn
0.08 pounds Munich

W34/70

I'll bitter with 2 g of Magnum at 60 minutes (~10 IBU), but what else should I add, and when?

Hop list (yes, I have a collecting problem):
Apollo, Ariana
Bergamot, Boadicea, BRU-1
Cascade, Cashmere, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Cluster, Crystal
EKG, Elixir, Emerald Spire
Fuggle
Galaxy, Gemini`
Hallertau, Harlequin, HBC 472, Hull Melon, Hydra
Idaho Gem
Lotus, Lubelski
Magnum, Motueka, Multihead
Nectaron, Neo-1, Northern Brewer, NZH-107
Olicana
Phoenix, Polaris
Saaz, Sabro, Saphir, Simcoe, Sonnet, Sorachi Ace, Spalt, Strata, Sterling, Styrian Goldings
Tettnang
Willamette

 

[Northern_Brewer]

In terms of using things that are least useful in other styles, Crystal and Sterling are the obvious choices, they were bred as lager hops for US conditions. And then you obviously have the classic European varieties like Hallertau and Tettnang which will never be wrong in a lager.

Also for lager I would tend to use a low-alpha variety rather than Magnum - either more of the late-kettle hop, or even something like Northern Brewer, whatever you have open.

 

[AlexKay]

Also for lager I would tend to use a low-alpha variety rather than Magnum - either more of the late-kettle hop, or even something like Northern Brewer, whatever you have open.

What's your thinking on this? I've never heard this recommendation before.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Oh it's one of the old chestnuts, broadly the argument is that bittering hops aren't just trucks for alpha acids, there's lots of other stuff in there as well like tannins and humulinones and everything else. So eg 10g of Magnum may have as much alpha acid as say 40g of a traditional hop, but it only has 25% of the other stuff. In a beer like a WCIPA it doesn't really matter as there's so much else going on, but the effect of the "other stuff" is more obvious in a delicate beer like a lager.

Partly it's a matter of tradition, the top European lager breweries tend to bitter with low alpha hops, US breweries tend not to think high alpha is fine.

Separately, I've also seen it suggested that the US lager hops like Sterling benefit from a little longer in the copper compared to European varieties, so eg 15 minutes if you recipe calls for 10 minutes with a European hop. I've never brewed with them so can't comment directly.

 

[AlexKay]

Oh it's one of the old chestnuts, broadly the argument is that bittering hops aren't just trucks for alpha acids, there's lots of other stuff in there as well like tannins and humulinones and everything else. So eg 10g of Magnum may have as much alpha acid as say 40g of a traditional hop, but it only has 25% of the other stuff. In a beer like a WCIPA it doesn't really matter as there's so much else going on, but the effect of the "other stuff" is more obvious in a delicate beer like a lager.

Partly it's a matter of tradition, the top European lager breweries tend to bitter with low alpha hops, US breweries tend not to think high alpha is fine.

Separately, I've also seen it suggested that the US lager hops like Sterling benefit from a little longer in the copper compared to European varieties, so eg 15 minutes if you recipe calls for 10 minutes with a European hop. I've never brewed with them so can't comment directly.

On the flip side, that 10 g of Magnum will have only 25% of the stuff that gives green & vegetal flavors that you don't want. But it's an interesting point. I bitter Bohemian Pilsner with a truckload of Saaz, so I guess I'm already haphazardly following this advice.

6 g of Sterling at 15, and 6 g as a hop stand, whaddayathink? I have no recipe I'm working from; I'm just winging it here.

I'm also considering Sonnet, which is essentially Oregon-grown Golding.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I think the theory is that it's not like you're putting NEIPA-level amounts in, and what may be vegetal as a dry hop become modified by 60 minutes of boil. And any flavour left is "traditional"....

I'm not a lager brewer, but AIUI the traditional schedule is just boil and then some late-copper, so maybe just throw it all in at 15?

As Goldings is my desert-island hop I would never advise against it, but it will shine in British styles, whereas NAAL is the spiritual home of Sterling and Crystal. My thinking is "What else could I use this in"? Although actually Sterling can work in British styles, in the places where a British brewer might use Styrians.

 

[Brewsmith]

I’d go Willamette just because I like it. There are so many good options on your list.

 

[Red over White]

Oh it's one of the old chestnuts, broadly the argument is that bittering hops aren't just trucks for alpha acids, there's lots of other stuff in there as well like tannins and humulinones and everything else. So eg 10g of Magnum may have as much alpha acid as say 40g of a traditional hop, but it only has 25% of the other stuff. In a beer like a WCIPA it doesn't really matter as there's so much else going on, but the effect of the "other stuff" is more obvious in a delicate beer like a lager.

Partly it's a matter of tradition, the top European lager breweries tend to bitter with low alpha hops, US breweries tend not to think high alpha is fine.

Separately, I've also seen it suggested that the US lager hops like Sterling benefit from a little longer in the copper compared to European varieties, so eg 15 minutes if you recipe calls for 10 minutes with a European hop. I've never brewed with them so can't comment directly.

I'm in the high beta and lower alpha hop camp for lagers. It is a noticeable difference in my light lagers that I brew biweekly.

Back on topic Liberty, Sterling and recently Cluster again, are my go to corn lager hops. I have some Galena that I am going to throw in the mix soon. I haven't used Galena in a long, long time.

 

[bwible]

+1 Crystal was the first one that jumped out at me. Its a great lager hop. Another one I really like is Tradition, though that one is not on your list.

I don’t think you can go wrong with Hallertauer, Tettnang, Saaz, or even Styrian Goldings in a lager. You have Spalt in there too, which makes for something a little nicely different.

Cluster is traditional for pre-pro lagers but as a bittering hop