Strata hops

[ojaason]

I have a pound of strata hops and I'm wanting to brew a west coast double ipa. Any recommendations on hops to pair with strata?

 

[jekeane]

All your standard hops pair well with it. I have used it a fair amount for work. It’s a good complement hop and it can shine solo. Go with classic “C” hops and you’ll get a nice dank iipa

 

[Beer-lord]

I love Strata and did a SMaSH with it but, while good, it was just too plain. Recently I made a DIPA with Denali and Idaho 7 and Strata. It's very good.
I've attached the recipe if you are interested.

 

[ojaason]

I love Strata and did a SMaSH with it but, while good, it was just too plain. Recently I made a DIPA with Denali and Idaho 7 and Strata. It's very good.
I've attached the recipe if you are interested.

I would love to get some denali, but haven't found any for a year or so. So much pineapple it's crazy

 

[ajbosley2015]

I have a pound of strata hops and I'm wanting to brew a west coast double ipa. Any recommendations on hops to pair with strata?

I just did a dank IPA with Comet, Galaxy, Strata, and Columbus...turned out AMAZING

 

[VirginiaHops1]

They named it Strata because it straddles the line between fruit and dank, so I think it would pair with a lot of different hops. I went through an 8 oz bag of it recently and liked it. I also just finished a 4 pack of Equilibrium that was Strata and Citra and that was great.

Ok, I made up the part about how it got it's name but it's a great hop

 

[ajbosley2015]

They named it Strata because it straddles the line between fruit and dank, so I think it would pair with a lot of different hops. I went through an 8 oz bag of it recently and liked it. I also just finished a 4 pack of Equilibrium that was Strata and Citra and that was great.

Ok, I made up the part about how it got it's name but it's a great hop

I can dig the reason for the name. I doubt its truth, but as a physicist I will stick with a cosmic reasoning (why I paired with comet and galaxy and why my Belgian Quad is titled LeMaitre's Flocculent Spiral)

 

[couchsending]

For a more traditional WC IPA with Strata look to pair with Chinook or Cetennial/Amarillo.

Strata is one of the most amazing new hops.

The Chinook/Strata combo is really great honestly. A modern take on that classic grape fruit with a touch of pine.

Strata/Centennial/Amarillo is a little more floral with just a touch of dank from the Strata.

Going out on a limb here and gonna say Strata > Citra.

 

[ajbosley2015]

For a more traditional WC IPA with Strata look to pair with Chinook or Cetennial/Amarillo.

Strata is one of the most amazing new hops.

The Chinook/Strata combo is really great honestly. A modern take on that classic grape fruit with a touch of pine.

Strata/Centennial/Amarillo is a little more floral with just a touch of dank from the Strata.

Going out on a limb here and gonna say Strata > Citra.

Strata is one of my new favs to be honest...its so versatile BUT even though I am not a citra fan (meanwhile I just ordered 2 kilos of citra) I wouldn't say Strata is better than citra. Columbus/CTZ on the other hand...Strata wins! Thoughts?

 

[couchsending]

Strata is one of my new favs to be honest...its so versatile BUT even though I am not a citra fan (meanwhile I just ordered 2 kilos of citra) I wouldn't say Strata is better than citra. Columbus/CTZ on the other hand...Strata wins! Thoughts?

CTZ is a $5/lb bittering hop.

Still stand by my statement that the best Strata is better than the best Citra. Been using it for almost four years since it was X331. It has more distinct qualities and less off flavors/aromas than Citra. It’s a top 5 hop in the world. Talk to most professionals who have started using it a lot and most will say something similar.

Strata, Mosaic, Citra, Galaxy, Nelson

 

[ajbosley2015]

CTZ is a $5/lb bittering hop.

Still stand by my statement that the best Strata is better than the best Citra. Been using it for almost four years since it was X331. It has more distinct qualities and less off flavors/aromas than Citra. It’s a top 5 hop in the world. Talk to most professionals who have started using it a lot and most will say something similar.

Strata, Mosaic, Citra, Galaxy, Nelson

I understand your stance, but do you think that Mosaic is only there because it has name appeal. The citra mosaic combination is frankly boring, but for about 2 years EVERYONE did it.

Its time to pave the way for new guys.
Enigma > Nelson
El Dorado > Mosaic

As far at CTZ being a 5 dollar a pound bittering hop...it is way more versatile than that and I really dont think price should drive our thoughts on superiority. Should it? I mean Riwaka certainly isnt better than Nelson. Hell, half the price market is driven by trademarks and not by demand

 

[couchsending]

I understand your stance, but do you think that Mosaic is only there because it has name appeal. The citra mosaic combination is frankly boring, but for about 2 years EVERYONE did it.

Its time to pave the way for new guys.
Enigma > Nelson
El Dorado > Mosaic

As far at CTZ being a 5 dollar a pound bittering hop...it is way more versatile than that and I really dont think price should drive our thoughts on superiority. Should it? I mean Riwaka certainly isnt better than Nelson. Hell, half the price market is driven by trademarks and not by demand

I’d disagree with you on pretty much all those statements.

And it all depends on the quality of hops you’re getting. There’s a ton of terrible Mosaic and definitely a ton of terrible Nelson. However if you can find/get the good stuff I still think Mosaic is one of the most powerful/complex hops on the market and good Nelson is unlike anything.

Enigma is good although to me it’s very polarizing. I think it’s much easier to get higher quality Australian hops than NZ hops especially as a homebrewer. The infrastructure for processing hops is a bit more advanced in Australia than it is/was in NZ. I think you’re gonna start seeing increased quality of NZ hops soon. It was basically controlled by one entity for so long and they kinda didn’t give a sh*t.

Have you ever had the Riwaka beers from Hill Farmstead? You’d understand why it’s Shaun Hill’s favorite hop. And being part owner of Freestyle he gets the best of the best. Issue with Riwaka is it’s one of the hardest hops in NZ to grow. It’s yield sucks and there’s a lot of really bad Riwaka out there.

El Dorado is gross to me.

Yes CTZ can be versatile. I’ve never found any that I’d want to add on the cold side of any hoppy beer though. I’m sure great Columbus exists and I’ve heard the early harvest stuff can be awesome. I’ve never bought any that was great.

 

[Dgallo]

I understand your stance, but do you think that Mosaic is only there because it has name appeal. The citra mosaic combination is frankly boring, but for about 2 years EVERYONE did it.

Its time to pave the way for new guys.
Enigma > Nelson
El Dorado > Mosaic

As far at CTZ being a 5 dollar a pound bittering hop...it is way more versatile than that and I really dont think price should drive our thoughts on superiority. Should it? I mean Riwaka certainly isnt better than Nelson. Hell, half the price market is driven by trademarks and not by demand

I respectfully disagree with a lot of your hop claims. That being said I understand that preferences are all relative to the individual

Enigma is a very strange hop. It’s like earthy berries. Has its place but is certainly no stand alone hop. El dorado taste like cane sugar to me and is very underwhelming almost stale and muddled other hops Imo, I’ve literally been confused for so long how anyone gets pineapple from it (that for homebrew and commercial beers)

Citra, Mosaic, Nelson, Riwaka, strata all amazing hops and truly can create beautiful single hop beers.

I do agree columbus is kinda underutilized in NEIPAs but I practically use it in every whirlpool to provide that traditional true hoppy characteristic to a beer.

 

[ajbosley2015]

I respectfully disagree with a lot of your hop claims. That being said I understand that preferences are all relative to the individual

Enigma is a very strange hop. It’s like earthy berries. Has its place but is certainly no stand alone hop. El dorado taste like cane sugar to me and is very underwhelming almost stale and muddled other hops Imo, I’ve literally been confused for so long how anyone gets pineapple from it (that for homebrew and commercial beers)

Citra, Mosaic, Nelson, Riwaka, strata all amazing hops and truly can create beautiful single hop beers.

I do agree columbus is kinda underutilized in NEIPAs but I practically use it in every whirlpool to provide that traditional true hoppy characteristic to a beer.

I really think Enigma is a powerhouse honestly and it will take time for people to realize that its white grape skin flavor is way more prominent than Nelson. I did a SMaSH with Enigma and viking 2-row and the flavor was absolutely astounding both from hosptand and dryhop.

As far as pineapple from El Dorado...I also find it hard to believe anyone gets that. I get a lot of fruitiness, especially as a really heavy and juicy dryhop but never pineapple, and I have never experienced stale from it.

Columbus, again...the claim that its only a bittering hop is way off base in my opinion. We are worlds apart on that claim (but thats the beauty of different taste profiling), and my entire crop of both Columbus and Zeus are extremely profound both early and late picks. The late picks tend to pick up a little garlic that smells like it doesnt belong in beer, but tastes magnificent.

 

[couchsending]

The “juiciest” beer I’ve ever had is Trilliums El Dorado cutting tiles like three years ago. Smelled and tasted exactly like Dole Pineapple juice. As it warmed it picked up a little bit of Apricot but was totally pineapple.

I got the same thing when I tried to make a beer similar. Overpowering Pineapple. Haven’t used El Dorado much since. I have some El Dorado hop hash from 2018 that when used in the whirlpool is nothing but Pineapple.

I’ve had a lot of El Dorado beers that are mostly red jolly rancher candy and this weird earthiness.

I think it can be a vastly different hop depending on where it’s grown and when it’s harvested.

 

[MrPowers]

Damn, you guys are really getting me pumped to try the Strata I have sitting in my freezer!

Mosaic can be really hit or miss, but there is some SERIOUSLY great Mosaic out there. You'd be hard pressed to dislike it if you've tried any recent cans of Pompeii or Sosus from TG.

And since we're talking about it, I disagree that Enigma isn't a standalone. It might have dethroned Galaxy as my new favorite hop. It's magnificent. I brewed a single hop IPA with it last year and as soon as I tasted it, I ordered another pound.

 

[K_tile]

I would love to get some denali, but haven't found any for a year or so. So much pineapple it's crazy

FYI: Sultana is the new name for Denali.

 

[couchsending]

Mosaic can be really hit or miss, but there is some SERIOUSLY great Mosaic out there. You'd be hard pressed to dislike it if you've tried any recent cans of Pompeii or Sosus from TG.

And since we're talking about it, I disagree that Enigma isn't a standalone. It might have dethroned Galaxy as my new favorite hop. It's magnificent. I brewed a single hop IPA with it last year and as soon as I tasted it, I ordered another pound.

Pompeii and Sosus are unbelievable in my mind. The fact that they’re available on a shelf in so many parts of the US (nowhere near me of course) is mind blowing. Some of the best representations of crazy good Mosaic I’ve ever had. Hill Farmstead S&S6 and a couple batches of Sosus are the two best all Mosaic beers I’ve ever had. All the crazy complexity of Mosaic with the Mango and Blueberry with out all the sweaty feet /onion bullsh*t that usually comes along with it. I literally remember my exact reaction to my first sip of S&S6. Completely blown away.

if you haven’t tried the Select Mosaic you can buy through Bell’s I’d highly reccomend it. Best I’ve found in a while. Not cheap though.

Been using Enigma for a while too. First found it about 3.5 years ago. I always remember loving the beer before it was dry hopped then dry hopping it produced all these really weird green fruits that were interesting and super expressive but almost off putting at the same time.

it’s definitely more “wine grapes” than Nelson but almost too much. I have some still sitting around from 2018 harvest. Should revisit it.

 

[ryanm8]

Didn't know that! I've been searching for Denali too. Had a good NEIPA with Denali a while ago from Roughtail and it was a pineapple bomb.

FYI: Sultana is the new name for Denali.

 

[kevink]

Strata is amazing and can totally work as a standalone hop (I've done it), but I'm not sure what this "west coast" thing is you're talking about.

 

[couchsending]

Strata, Chinook, Centennial

2nd of three successive beers pairing Strata with some more classic hops and VT ale yeast. First was Strata/Chinook. This one added some Centennial. Found some great Chinook/Centennial from Hops Direct that’s really fruity. This is almost like Galaxy/Motueka. Passion Fruit, lime, bit of grapefruit and some dankness.

Dry Hopping a Strata, Centennial, Amarillo beer tomorrow. Centennial and Amarillo from Bells.

Meringue for days.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I had Pompeii, didn't think it was unbelievable IMO. Good beer but on par with good beers I drink in my zip code so not something I'd go out of my way for. The King Sue on the other hand, tasted like a top tier beer and lived up to the TG reputation

 

[K_tile]

Just ordered a 1lb of Mosaic Select from Bells this morning. I enjoy Pompeii over Pseudo Sue but havent found King Sue in my zip.

 

[stickyfinger]

i had been looking for denali. now i know! i love adding it for the pineapple kick. enigma wasn't my favorite hop. it had some wine-like character and vegetal. i went all-out with it as a single hop. i ended up dumping that batch, too vegetal for me. it was intense though. i could see using it in small amounts for depth.

i had an amazing beer dry hopped with copious CTZ several years ago. i've been trying to replicate that periodically and i always wind up getting a super dank garlic-onion-infused character that is just too dank for me. too bad.

 

[stickyfinger]

one interesting thing i've seen with Mosaic is that it starts coming to the fore in beers as they get older for me. once i have an ipa that starts getting less and less hazy and if it has mosaic, it turns into a mosaic single-hop and has that intense over-ripe kind of mosaic character. if the beer is fresher the mosaic doesn't come through like that as much if there are other hops in the mix. also, i noticed that if you dry hop with mosaic at colder temps it has less of that super over-ripe character and is sort of more floral and maybe fruitier.

 

[Shenanigans]

I just did a dank IPA with Comet, Galaxy, Strata, and Columbus...turned out AMAZING

That sound like exactly what I`m looking for.
I want to brew a dank IPA and just got a delivery of half a pound each of Strata and Comet (the German version).
I also have 4oz of 2019 Galaxy and a lot of Columbus I want to use up.

You still have the recipe?

 

[day_trippr]

Check this out for fun things to do with Strata.
https://sierranevada.com/beer/fantastic-haze/
I've made 20 gallons of this so far and it's been a big hit

Cheers!

 

[Shenanigans]

I still have 250g/9oz of 2020 Strata in the freezer.
I also have all the classic C hops some Azzaca, Nelson, Vic Secret, El Dorado and Apollo.
I would like to brew a classic (non-hazy) IPA in the Autum with Strata as one of the main players.
Anyone had any recent success?

 

[AlexKay]

I still have 250g/9oz of 2020 Strata in the freezer.
I also have all the classic C hops some Azzaca, Nelson, Vic Secret, El Dorado and Apollo.
I would like to brew a classic (non-hazy) IPA in the Autum with Strata as one of the main players.
Anyone had any recent success?

Don’t pair Strata with Apollo! I did that in an IPA and thought it was ok, but the comment from the judge was “onions and sweat socks. Not good.”

 

[Dgallo]

I still have 250g/9oz of 2020 Strata in the freezer.
I also have all the classic C hops some Azzaca, Nelson, Vic Secret, El Dorado and Apollo.
I would like to brew a classic (non-hazy) IPA in the Autum with Strata as one of the main players.
Anyone had any recent success?

I love strata. I just brewed a west coast ipa with it and use it quite often. I get earth, dank cannabis, and a touch of citrus. It pairs very well with Citra. One of my favorite ipas I brew is Strata, Citra, & Nelson using 1:2:1 ratio

 

[day_trippr]

From the list, El Dorado and Azacca go well with Strata...

Cheers!

 

[Shenanigans]

Thanks guys, food for thought there.
I have a system where I can mash and boil 10 gallons but that's too much of one beer for me.
So I might do 10 gallons with Strata, Citra and Nelson on the hot side (mostly whirlpool).
Then split it in two and dry hop 1 half with the same.
Dry hop the other half then with El Dorado, Azacca and Mosaic (forgot to mention I have loads of that).
Two different yeast so they will be signifficantly different.
US-05 for sure and maybe Ardennes or MJ Witbier yeast.

All only plans at the moment because my better half has me booked up every weekend for the next 2 months but something for early Fall.
I'll report back in September.

 

[murphyslaw]

I had OH (dc)'s All Strata Everything recently and really was not a fan at all. I do have 8oz in my freezer that I'll try to pair with other varieties soon.

Re Columbus, one of the podcasts I was listening to recently (probably Craft Beer & Brewing) had a pro brewer on who claimed that using a Columbus with some of the more modern varieties seems to act as an enhancer or multiplier of the hop its paired with. I.e., pairing it with Mosaic helps bring out more of Mosaic's characteristics.

 

[Dgallo]

I had OH (dc)'s All Strata Everything recently and really was not a fan at all. I do have 8oz in my freezer that I'll try to pair with other varieties soon.

Re Columbus, one of the podcasts I was listening to recently (probably Craft Beer & Brewing) had a pro brewer on who claimed that using a Columbus with some of the more modern varieties seems to act as an enhancer or multiplier of the hop its paired with. I.e., pairing it with Mosaic helps bring out more of Mosaic's characteristics.

I agree with Columbus. It brings a true “American hop” profile and is a great supporting hop for the hard hitters. If you look at Trilium, a lot of their ipas use Columbus on the hotside

 

[Shenanigans]

I never got around to trying out any of your suggestiongs guys but thanks for the input last year.

Still looking for something to do with my 1/2 pound of 2020 Strata before it gets old.
Something = a tasty IPA, normal or Imperial
No longer interested in doing an NEIPA
I'm reallly going to brew it in a month or two.

I have a half pound or more of all the C hops and Taiheke, Simcoe, Enigma, Amarillo, Apollo and Summit and just an oz or two of Azacca, Nelson, El Dorado and Vic Secret

I also have loads of malts although a simple enough malt bill would be preferred (3 to 5 malts).

Any suggestions?

Thanks