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Author Topic: Tips for using exeperimental hops for the first time?  (Read 1189 times)

Offline Homebrew_kev

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Tips for using exeperimental hops for the first time?
« on: March 08, 2021, 06:45:59 am »
Just ordered the exeperimental hops over at Yakima Valley. Just wanted to see if my strategy makes sense here...

I'm brewing 5 gallon batches of an IPA - I was going to use the same recipe and toss in the exeperimental hops at 15min. Is that enough time to get good character?

I've got a Moasic IPA that could use a buddy hop to elevate it, so i'm trying out these experimental hops.

How does everyone else work with new hops?

Offline Descardeci

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Re: Tips for using exeperimental hops for the first time?
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2021, 06:56:44 am »
I try to read a lot from the hops before use, see how ppl taste and smell after using, this will not get a accuracy parameter, because of the haverst time, store temp and duration, and other things, but if I have a hop that I really want to test there 3 option, for me, use a SMaSH beer with a malt I use a lot, for me is or pilsen malt from the swaen or ale from the swaen too, I did a nelson sauvin SMaSH, but if I want want something not so "boring" I use a recipe that I already did numerous time and this divide in 2 option, the first one replace my hops to the new one, I did a best bitter trying to test green bullet this way, or add the new hop in the recipe and see how they work together, I did a Indian Pale Lager testing loral hops with cascade. The best one to see how the hop behave is the SMaSH one but you can try other ways too

Offline neuse

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Re: Tips for using exeperimental hops for the first time?
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2021, 08:39:23 am »
To check out new (to me) hops, I brew a pale ale with a 20 minute hop stand at 180F, with 2 oz of the test hops. Pretty simple, and it gives me a good idea of what the hops are like.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Tips for using exeperimental hops for the first time?
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2021, 08:47:46 am »
Google Russian Rivers hop2it recipe. That's what I often do.
Jeff Rankert
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Offline BrewBama

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Re: Tips for using exeperimental hops for the first time?
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2021, 12:13:09 pm »
I’ve recently adopted using 2 gal small batch BIAB for new grains, hops, and/or yeast or use different water additions.  I get a few bottles of beer to try something without having a large resource commitment.


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Offline erockrph

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Re: Tips for using exeperimental hops for the first time?
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2021, 03:40:11 am »
I brew a 1-gallon/15 minute boil, single-hop extract pale ale. It's quick to do, and you can fit several batches in the time it takes for a typical all-grain brewday if you have a bunch of hops you want to try out. It's been a few years since I've done a batch of these, but a forum search here for "single hopped" should find my old posts with my procedure and tasting notes for various varieties I've tried.

Here's a sample recipe. I shoot for 1.055 OG and 40-45 IBU's. That's enough IBU's to get a picture of how the hop works for bittering without being so much that it overshadows the flavor/aroma. The Munich extract is to boost the maltiness just a bit to get an idea of how the hops interact with malt.

Title: Single Hop Pale Ale

Brew Method: Extract
Style Name: American Pale Ale
Boil Time: 15 min
Batch Size: 0.8 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 1 gallons

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.015
ABV (standard): 5.21%
IBU (tinseth): 40.96
SRM (morey): 4.8

FERMENTABLES:
0.8 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Extra Light (72.7%)
0.3 lb - Liquid Malt Extract - Munich (27.3%)

HOPS:
0.15 oz - Apollo, Type: Pellet, AA: 18, Use: First Wort, IBU: 40.96
0.25 oz - Apollo, Type: Pellet, AA: 18, Use: Boil for 0 min
0.5 oz - Apollo, Type: Pellet, AA: 18, Use: Dry Hop for 7 days

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05

NOTES:
Add 2-2.5gm of dry yeast.

This is a 1-gallon preboil batch, which gets me roughly 0.8 gallons into the fermenter after a 15-minute boil. The hopping schedule is designed to maximize the amount of hop flavor and aroma. The brewing software I use (Brewer's Friend) calculates FWH IBU's as a 20-minute addition, and I feel that this is a decent approximation of IBU's here.

Also note that for a relatively high AA% hop you can make a batch using a single 1-ounce bag of hops. Low alpha acid hops might take 2 ounces to hit the IBU level you want.
Eric B.

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