[fmader]

I understand that Falconer's Flight, FF 7c's and Zythos hop blends were developed by Hop Union to help alleviate some of the pressure on some of the high demand hops such as Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe. I have a stash of Amarillo and Simcoe. I have never brewed with any of these blends, since I have the real thing, is it still worth purchasing any of these blends? If so, is there a large enough difference in the blends to purchase all three?

Thanks!

[tschmidlin]

Of course you should buy more hops

You could get a few ounces of each and see which you like best.  I really liked the initial FF hops, but have not used the second round blend they did.  The 7Cs beer I tried was good, but I haven't used them myself.  I think the Zythos are nice too.  They are different to my palate, if I made more pale ales I might be inclined to get a bunch of each but I mostly don't need that much.

[fmader]

I bought a pound of Zythos at a great price this evening. He was out of both FF's for the time being, but he said he should have them restocked here soon. I plan on brewing a handful of pale ales here in a few months to set me up for the summer.

[tomsawyer]

My favorite was FF, I liked Zythos but it seemed a little more dank and less grapefruit, haven't 7C yet.  If you have Simcoe and Amarillo then you can make your own blend though.  Get some Centennial, Columbus and maybe some Sorachi and you've got a really nice blend.

[musseldoc]

I have brewed with both 7C's and FF, and I found the 7C's to have more grapefruit character than FF.  If you blend to make FF, then I would make Simcoe a supporting hop, not the dominant. 

[fmader]

I like the idea of doing my own blend. I haven't done it in the past, because up until this point, I've bought my hops ounces at a time for whatever the recipe called for. I just purchased a pile of different hops and plan on doing several experimental pale ales and/or IPAs, so I may have to try doing some of my own blends. That's why I love this hobby so much...not only is it a science, but it's also an art!

[erockrph]

I like the idea of doing my own blend. I haven't done it in the past, because up until this point, I've bought my hops ounces at a time for whatever the recipe called for. I just purchased a pile of different hops and plan on doing several experimental pale ales and/or IPAs, so I may have to try doing some of my own blends. That's why I love this hobby so much...not only is it a science, but it's also an art!

I've tried it myself. It was a fun experiment, but I don't see myself doing it again. I think you're better off selecting hops on a beer-by-beer and addition-by-addition basis. Still, don't let that discourage you. I'd suggest that you try out the blend you're planning in a single beer first before you mix up a big batch of them, just in case something doesn't work the way you were hoping.

Here's a thread with some more details from the blend I made:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=13397.0

[fmader]

I've tried it myself. It was a fun experiment, but I don't see myself doing it again. I think you're better off selecting hops on a beer-by-beer and addition-by-addition basis. Still, don't let that discourage you. I'd suggest that you try out the blend you're planning in a single beer first before you mix up a big batch of them, just in case something doesn't work the way you were hoping.

Here's a thread with some more details from the blend I made:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=13397.0

Good stuff! I wasn't planning on blending a large amount like that at first. Like you said, was maybe going to blend a for a beer or couple additions. If something works out very nicely, I will take note. It's easy to weigh out and blend as you go. It's just about irreversible once you blend a pound of hops. I had created a recipe for a IIPA, where I blended bittering hops and different late addition hops. After reading your results of "muddy" flavor, I might cut back a little bit, if I ever get around to making that beer.