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Author Topic: This article has me rethinking using simcoe or any other Myrcene heavy hops.  (Read 2957 times)

Offline Handsome_Pat

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http://house-of-brews.com/blogs/news/77895745-talkin-technique-the-hop-stand
Quote
#1: Myrcene. The west coast IPA simply wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for this hop oil. Comprising about half of the oil content in citrusy American and Australian hops like Cascade, Citra and Vic Secret, myrcene contributes that dank pineapple flavor and ripe grapefruit aroma you find in beers like Lagunitas Sucks, Russian River Pliny the Elder and Ballast Point Sculpin, to name a few.


Myrcene volatizes at 147°F, which is why dry hopping is a thing. You can try doing a hop stand at temperatures below 147°F, but by doing so you’re playing more of that guessing game with wondering whether or not you’ll infect your wort. If you’re primarily focused on giving your beer a wallop of citrusy aroma and flavor and don’t feel like playing the guessing game, forgo the hop stand and dry hop instead.



Should I be using these hops anywhere above 147degrees if I want them for their citrus notes?

Offline yso191

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This is one of the reasons why breweries use a hop-back.  Those volatized oils are still captured.
Steve
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Offline fmader

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I don't use simcoe for its citrus notes. I use it to get a resinous/piney/dank effect.
Frank

Offline HoosierBrew

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I use it for pine/resiny character primarily, too. But when I use it I add it in the whirlpool and dry hop with it - I do get some citrus character from it.
Jon H.

Offline erockrph

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I think the importance of the "big 4" hop oils (Myrcene, Farnesene, Caryophyllene and Humulene) are a bit overstated. Hop character is way more complex, and other hop oils such as linalool, citronellol, alpha- and beta-pinene, geraniol, citral, etc. all play a large role as well.

I think Myrcene probably contributes a lot of the dank, cannabis character in a hop like Columbus. I say this because it is allegedly also present in large amounts in cannabis as well. But there are definitely a lot more hop compounds that are contributing pretty heavily to the citrus and grapefruit character in west coast hops besides just Myrcene.

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Offline klickitat jim

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I use it for pine/resiny character primarily, too. But when I use it I add it in the whirlpool and dry hop with it - I do get some citrus character from it.
My experience with simcoe is tomcat spray on a dooby if used early in boil, shiny grapefruit zest in whilrpool at 170. I dont dry hop... yes, sad I know. Its part of the jimheitsgebot

Offline JT

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I use it for pine/resiny character primarily, too. But when I use it I add it in the whirlpool and dry hop with it - I do get some citrus character from it.
My experience with simcoe is tomcat spray on a dooby if used early in boil, shiny grapefruit zest in whilrpool at 170. I dont dry hop... yes, sad I know. Its part of the jimheitsgebot
Say what?? There's more to this story Jim.  Do tell!  You don't dry hop as in never have? 

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Offline klickitat jim

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I use it for pine/resiny character primarily, too. But when I use it I add it in the whirlpool and dry hop with it - I do get some citrus character from it.
My experience with simcoe is tomcat spray on a dooby if used early in boil, shiny grapefruit zest in whilrpool at 170. I dont dry hop... yes, sad I know. Its part of the jimheitsgebot
Say what?? There's more to this story Jim.  Do tell!  You don't dry hop as in never have? 

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I have dry hopped. 1. I dont brew IPA. 2. When I brew a style that benefits from hop aroma I use a 170F/30min whirlpool and get enough aroma for me. Could I get more from dry hopping? Sure. But I dont need it.

This is one of those conundrums you run into in brewing. When talking about something like a Helles, folks will say not to add hops past 15 min in the boil, or you'll get too much hop flavor and aroma. The same folks will say that unless you dry hop an IPA with 10 ounces you wont get any aroma.

I'm not on a crusade, I just dont dry hop.

Offline tesgüino

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I seem to be having trouble finding any reference to science or the credentials of the author on this link.

Should this be filed under a guy on the internet repeating something he read on the internet?

Could be true, but do your own research.

Offline denny

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I seem to be having trouble finding any reference to science or the credentials of the author on this link.

Should this be filed under a guy on the internet repeating something he read on the internet?

Could be true, but do your own research.

Absolutely agree!
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Online hopfenundmalz

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The flash point of the hop oils is less than the boiling point for all listed. Myrcene is around 85-90F IIRC. Dry hopping is about the only way to get high amounts into the beer.

IIRC, At Hop School, Stan Heironymus said when you dry hop with a high Myrcene hop when the yeast are active you get some nice bio transformations.

Denny, not sure what you remember? I'm 4300 miles away from my notes for another week.

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Offline b-hoppy

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Here's a little more info on the subject from a well qualified source: https://beersensoryscience.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/myrcene/

Offline erockrph

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The flash point of the hop oils is less than the boiling point for all listed. Myrcene is around 85-90F IIRC. Dry hopping is about the only way to get high amounts into the beer.

I'm not picking on you, Jeff, but I call shenanigans on the use of flash points of hop oils for our purposes in brewing. Flash points are a function of both vapor pressure and flammability, and really only has relevance when attempting to ignite a pure sample of that substance. It is not some magical value that you can apply to empirically to determine evaporation rate in a solution at a specific temperature.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer