Summit Hops: Onions and Weed

[aajpnony]

A little while after I started brewing all grain, I started messing around with SMASH brews and figured I'd need to amass a bunch of ingredients to keep on hand for the odd brew day. I started buying 50# bags of grain and some popular hops to keep in the freezer.

I've only brewed ales with dry yeasts so far, and I really like them... the usual suspects: US-05 and S-33 and similar brands (i'm a little scared of wyeast and white labs liquids for some reason; any tips to help pop my cherry would be appreciated)

Back to the hops... I wanted to do some IPAs that packed a wallop. So I bought a frigging pound of Summit (18% AA). After I bought the the summit, I did a little more research and got nervous when I read a bunch of reviews saying there were onion/garlic flavors.

Well..... I just brewed 10gal of IPA, Summit only.
Here's a quick an dirty rundown of the recipe:
27# grain (25# 2 row pale base malt with 1# biscuit and 1# crystal)
11oz of summit, every 15 minutes of a 75 minute boil, remainder in at 2 minutes
Fermented with S-33 at 59 degrees for 3 weeks in primary, no secondary.

This beer kicks is like a mule, 3 days after kegging. The bitterness of the hops is fantastic. But the aroma is a wicked (wicked-good) mix of smells that hit you in this order: bitter grapefruit, slight tangerine.... and weed. The weed aroma starts out with an earthy, grassy quality which I think could possibly be misinterpreted as onion, and then it hits you.... mary jane. I'm gonna have another glass and think about it some more. I don't even smoke anymore, so it's not like I'm not pulling tubes or GBs as I write this.

I picked up this same aroma thing when I did a 5 gallon batch with summit a few months back. I must note: This particular beer did pair very well with garlic bread/texas toast and marinated steak.

Apologies about referencing grass to any who might be offended... it is simply an observation.

I didn't go out of my way to brew a weird beer, but I'm really digging it.

 

[JTylerSingletary]

Sounds like a great beer with an added bonus to me. It's not surprising you'd have that aroma since the two plants are closely related. As for your yeast I'd say stick with what works for you, but the liquid is quite easy to work with though you'll have to be mindful of your yeast counts.

 

[Zaphod]

I don't know if you can get it way out in your parts, but Oskar Blues' Gubna is exactly that. An Imperial IPA with all Summit. I love IPAs but I honestly couldn't stand Gubna. It was ok when it was very cold, but it warms up just a tad and it's all garlic and onions.

 

[Golddiggie]

Once I figured out how to easily pop the nutrient pack inside the Wyeast liquid package, it became very easy to use... I find the 'slap' method just doesn't work for me. I used hints found on other locations, and placed it onto a wood cutting board (large one, on the counter), isolated the nutrient pack towards one end of the package, and then punched it to pop... I did this towards the top, but you should be ok doing it at the bottom too (might be better since the bottom is made to expand)... Just make sure you do it once the package is at the correct temperature range (or close enough to it)... After about 3 hours at ~70F the package had swelled very nicely... I gave it a couple of hours more (shaking it from time to time) and then pitched it into a starter... Yeast were going at it like rabbit's on 1,000,000x strength viagra...

 

[Randar]

I have a Summit house IPA that is all late additions. I too have read many reviews of the allium taste/aroma but Summit is a perfect candidate for all late hop additions.

 

[jmo88]

I have a Summit house IPA that is all late additions. I too have read many reviews of the allium taste/aroma but Summit is a perfect candidate for all late hop additions.

I've got 4 ounces and have never used them before. Did you choose all late additions because you've read that the earlier boil times impart the onion flavor? I might do something similar but add some magnum at 60 minutes so the late additions are not so large.

 

[Randar]

Yep, the biggest complaints I saw was from people who used them FWH or initial boil additions for the length of the boil. Every late hopping review I saw stated no evidence of onion/garlic. I never did my own experiment and have never experienced this aroma/flavor that is claimed to exist. I think adding anytime after 30 min remaining is fine and 20 min if you are really worried about it.

JMO.

What you plan to do sounds good to me!

 

[Beezer94]

Greenflash Brewery's Imperial IPA is nugget & summit. It is 10% amazing citrus/herbal beer, 90% cold onion & garlic soup.

It's such a shame about the onion taste of summit, because the tangerine part is fantastic, but god is it the worst taste in a beer.

If you want to cook with beer, an all summit IPA is probably fantastic, but cold, no thanks.

 

[SchlazzGraft]

I don't even smoke anymore, so it's not like I'm not pulling tubes or GBs as I write this.

This gave me quite a chuckle! Never thought i'd see that terminology used outside of the dorm room :fro:

With that said, you have me fairly interested in these hops... I usually like earthy/grassy varieties. Do these have the same "illegal" aroma that certain german lagers like becks or st pauli girl have?

 

[jmo88]

This gave me quite a chuckle! Never thought i'd see that terminology used outside of the dorm room :fro:

With that said, you have me fairly interested in these hops... I usually like earthy/grassy varieties. Do these have the same "illegal" aroma that certain german lagers like becks or st pauli girl have?

I think the skunking of the German lagers adds to this impression, not the hops. I still think Columbus is the closest imitation of that aroma.

 

[aajpnony]

This gave me quite a chuckle! Never thought i'd see that terminology used outside of the dorm room :fro:

With that said, you have me fairly interested in these hops... I usually like earthy/grassy varieties. Do these have the same "illegal" aroma that certain german lagers like becks or st pauli girl have?

JMO88 is right... no skunking aroma like the german lagers. I always wondered where that skunky thing came from...

 

[aajpnony]

I think the skunking of the German lagers adds to this impression, not the hops. I still think Columbus is the closest imitation of that aroma.

columbus doesn't seem to have as big of a reputation of being oniony... I think I will try them, though

 

[dwarven_stout]

I've definitely gotten onion/garlic by dry hopping with summit. I was going for the tangerine, which I did get, but I also got a lot of grassyness and onion. Hops were only in there for a week. It cleared up eventually, but still.. I don't know I'd have the balls to drop 11 ounces of summit in a beer. Props!

 

[iijakii]

I actually have an ounce of Summit I've been too scared to use...