[ultravista]

Looking for suggestions on which hops, and at what schedule, for an imperial porter. It will be in the 1.080 starting gravity range.

The recipe I have suggests Phoenix @ 90 minutes and First Gold @ 30 minutes. Maybe a decent substitute?

[tomsawyer]

The bittering hops are kind of wide open although I'd maybe go with something smooth like Magnum.  The late addition, I'd use a British hop or at least something with floral/berry/earthy rather than citrus character.  I like Kent Goldings but there are a number of possibilities.  First Gold would fit the bill.

[erockrph]

What are you trying to accomplish in this brew? Are the hops just for bitterness? If not, that kind of hop character are you looking for? Are you using any other flavorings? How roasty will this brew be/what is the grain bill?

Porter is one of those styles where you can go a lot of different directions with the hops. There is a range of bitterness that will work depending on how much crystal and/or roast character the beer has. Either US or UK type hops work pretty well for flavor and aroma (although you need to be careful not to overdo it if you're using West Coast-style hops).

I shoot for 0.6-0.75 BU:GU (although you can go higher or lower than that). My American porters use Nugget for bittering, Cascade for aroma and something else (Willamette currently) for flavor. I usually ferment with Chico. For my UK porters I use Magnum for bittering, Fuggles for flavor and EKG for aroma, and ferment with S-04 or WLP007.

[edvinjonsson]

I really like Northern Brewer in my porters. Never made an Imperial though.

[HoosierBrew]

What are you trying to accomplish in this brew? Are the hops just for bitterness? If not, that kind of hop character are you looking for? Are you using any other flavorings? How roasty will this brew be/what is the grain bill?

Porter is one of those styles where you can go a lot of different directions with the hops. There is a range of bitterness that will work depending on how much crystal and/or roast character the beer has. Either US or UK type hops work pretty well for flavor and aroma (although you need to be careful not to overdo it if you're using West Coast-style hops).

I shoot for 0.6-0.75 BU:GU (although you can go higher or lower than that). My American porters use Nugget for bittering, Cascade for aroma and something else (Willamette currently) for flavor. I usually ferment with Chico. For my UK porters I use Magnum for bittering, Fuggles for flavor and EKG for aroma, and ferment with S-04 or WLP007.

+1.  I hop my porters much the same way.

[bluesman]

I like to allow the grist bill, yeast character and hops to come through balanced in this style. Of course, there will also be some alcohol, but for hops a more nuetral Magnum for bittering then some Brittish hops if your looking for an English influence. I also like to switch it up and add some American hop character in this style. For American hops I would go with Cascade or Centennial, or even a blend of a few "C" hops in the finish.

[kmccaf]

I really like to use Glacier in dark beers like this. Smooth bitterness, nice aroma similar to an English variety, but with a slight stone fruit (apricot/peach) thing going on.

[ultravista]

erockrph - it's a strong coffee and cacao nib porter, heavy on both, around 6 to 8 ounces each.

[vista]

Poor williamette always gets overlooked

[denny]

The best porters I've made use a combo of Tettnanger and Cascade.

[ultravista]

Denny - I was actually thinking about using the hops from your Vanilla Imperial Porter

Magnum Hops (60 min) & Goldings (10 min) to get up to 40 IBU.

If you are suggesting Tettnanger and Cascade, what rate at schedule?

[denny]

Denny - I was actually thinking about using the hops from your Vanilla Imperial Porter

Magnum Hops (60 min) & Goldings (10 min) to get up to 40 IBU.

If you are suggesting Tettnanger and Cascade, what rate at schedule?

The Magnum and Golding combo is a great choice for a porter.  I don't have my notes here, so I can't recall what the Tett/Cascade schedule was.  I'll try to look it up and ps tomorrow.

[jamminbrew]

I like fuggles and chinook.

[erockrph]

erockrph - it's a strong coffee and cacao nib porter, heavy on both, around 6 to 8 ounces each.

My thought on flavored brews is typically have the hops give you the IBU's you're looking for then get out of the way. If you want the coffee and chocolate to take the lead, then I think you can safely stick to something like Magnum or Warrior at 60 minutes for 40-50 IBU's and skip the late additions.

[tomsawyer]

The best porters I've made use a combo of Tettnanger and Cascade.

Spoken like a true West Coaster.