[ravenwater]

Has anyone out there used Australian Enigma hops? And if so, what were your impressions and how/when did you utilize them in your brew process. I'm possibly interested in giving them a try but feel a bit tentative given that they're listed as having around 14-18% AA content - I'd love to sample their flavor/aroma but am not a huge fan of huge bitterness so might think about dry hop and/or steeping post boil after the wort cools some to limit AA extraction. Mainly want to know here what others have noted in terms of their flavor and aroma - the descriptors I've found emphasize pinot gris wine, raspberry, and currant.

[EHall]

they're stated to be aroma/flavor hops so you would want to use them late in the boil. My exp with aus/NZ hops are they are excellent. you really can't go wrong with them. Go for it!

[santoch]

Sorry, Enigma is a mystery to me.
 

[BrewBama]

Sorry, Enigma is a mystery to me.
 

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery...


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[santoch]

Yes, I'm definitely pondering them. 

[ravenwater]

No shortage of jokesters here on the forum (I include myself in this lot), but maybe not someone who's familiar with Enigma hops, all joking aside.

[erockrph]

All the writeups claim "red berry/red fruit" as a descriptor, but all I got was citrus and pine when I've used them. They remind me a bit of Simcoe. They were good, but nothing out of the ordinary to me.

http://hopwhisperer.blogspot.com/2016/04/enigma-hop-tasting-notes.html

[ravenwater]

All the writeups claim "red berry/red fruit" as a descriptor, but all I got was citrus and pine when I've used them. They remind me a bit of Simcoe. They were good, but nothing out of the ordinary to me.

http://hopwhisperer.blogspot.com/2016/04/enigma-hop-tasting-notes.html

Thanks erochrph - this is very helpful. Sounds like they may not be quite what I was hoping for. The descriptors I came across of currant/raspberry/pinot gris sounded tasty but I'm for sure not a fan of piney in my beers.

[EHall]

keep in mind everyone tastes differently. So just because he gets pine doesn't mean you will. I'm thinking back to summit hops. I always got onion/beef broth. seems everyone else got tangerine. The flavor is also going to depend on when you add them. I would guess the pine came from boiling longer but you never know. If I were you, I would still try them. why pass up an opportunity to try a new hop based off someone else's feedback?

[ravenwater]

keep in mind everyone tastes differently. So just because he gets pine doesn't mean you will. I'm thinking back to summit hops. I always got onion/beef broth. seems everyone else got tangerine. The flavor is also going to depend on when you add them. I would guess the pine came from boiling longer but you never know. If I were you, I would still try them. why pass up an opportunity to try a new hop based off someone else's feedback?

EHall -  very true! Sensitivities differ when it comes to taste/smell. A friend bought a bunch and reserved some for me so I do want to try them out. My plan is to add them late steep to get aroma/flavor without extracting much bitterness and this may reduce the chances of piney character if in fact boiling was a factor there. Hey, if I absolutely can't stand the resulting beer my son will benefit - he's a fan of piney. Most likely though I'll get something I can enjoy.

Has anyone else out there used Enigma hops or had a beer made with them?

[Northern_Brewer]

keep in mind everyone tastes differently. So just because he gets pine doesn't mean you will. I'm thinking back to summit hops. I always got onion/beef broth. seems everyone else got tangerine.

Although that's probably not a good example of tasting differently, it's an example of variability between growers/vintages/batches. Summit are notorious for going oniony if they're not picked at just the right time, you just got a bad batch.

[EHall]

well there must have been several bad batches cause I used them more than once to see if that was the issue. I also know I tried them in other breweries beers and I tasted it there too. that would have been over the period of about 2yrs. after that I just stay away from beers that I know has them in it.

[erockrph]

well there must have been several bad batches cause I used them more than once to see if that was the issue. I also know I tried them in other breweries beers and I tasted it there too. that would have been over the period of about 2yrs. after that I just stay away from beers that I know has them in it.

Same here. I've had ones from commercial breweries where I got a lot of tangerine, but there was always this savory onion ring/Asiago note somewhere in there. Even if this is a harvest or terroir thing, I'm not willing to risk a batch of beer on them again.

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[ravenwater]

Again, I appreciate the input from folks. I already have the Enigma hops that a friend purchased for me. Given what folks are saying here one thought I have is to wait until he brews with the ones he got and taste his beer then judge for myself whether to move forward with using them. In general I hate the thought of brewing a beer I'm not going to really enjoy, given the time that goes into brewing a beer and getting it to the keg, plus then I've tied up a keg. I'd rather just have the sunk cost of hops I'm not going to use, which is not really a big investment, than use them just because I've got them. I feel no obligation to utilize something just because it's laying around. We'll see......

[Cliffs]

I had a smash beer made with them from a brewery. I think raspberry and a sharp cattiness were the most predominant flavors.