[liquidbrewing]

I've brewed this recipe a few times now and it has always turned out good.  However the first time I brewed it, it had a really nice apricot/peach aroma to it.    I've never been able to re-capture that smell/taste, following the recipe exactly.  Any help as to which hop might be contributing that flavor would be greatly appreciated.  This is my first original IPA, so there's quite a smattering of different types of hops!

Kyptonite IPA

13# 2-row
1#   C-40
.5 # Caravienne
.5 #  Carapils

Mashed at 147 for 75 minutes
Batch Sparge...

Boiled for 75 mins

1.5 oz Chinook  60 min
1 oz   Galena    60
1 oz   Chinook   30
1 oz   Warrior    30
1 oz   Simcoe   10
1 oz   Citra       10

Fermented at app 68 degrees for a week then added:

1 oz Amarillo
1 oz  Crystal  dry hopped with both of these for a week, cold crashed for one day, then kegged @ 12 psi.  Served one week after kegging.

OG  1.070
FG  1.013

I would really love to recapture that taste.  I've had a lot of commercial IPA's and never tasted it before.   Help!!

[tschmidlin]

A lot of people report apricot/peach aroma from simcoe.

[jeffy]

Although it was probably the hops, you can get a peach ester from the fermentation, too.  Do you remember the yeast or the temps?

[richardt]

Citra has a citrusy and tropical fruit type of profile.

[gimmeales]

A lot of people report apricot/peach aroma from simcoe.

I've always heard Simcoe was THE 'piney' hop - not having brewed with it, I was going to get a pound and try a few batches.  So is it peach or pine in others experiences?

[liquidbrewing]

I used Fermentis US-05 in all three batches.  And it didn't ferment too high.  If it did, this was definitely an on-flavor!!   Also, I brewed an all Maris Otter, Simcoe recently and no peach or apricot.  It was all dank/spicy/peppery, but quite tasty.

[tschmidlin]

A lot of people report apricot/peach aroma from simcoe.

I've always heard Simcoe was THE 'piney' hop - not having brewed with it, I was going to get a pound and try a few batches.  So is it peach or pine in others experiences?

I find it to be more piney, but I can see why people would get peach.

It could be the citra, some people report peach with that too.

[EHall]

You could possibly be getting a different nuance from the hops from a different crop/season...

[deepsouth]

forgive me in advance for this tangent, but since both hops have been mentioned in this thread.......

why do i read that simcoe and/or citra are akin to cat urine?  i've used both ALOT, and never got cat anything.....

different tastebuds?
different growing regions?
different seasons (as mentioned above)?

[hopfenundmalz]

forgive me in advance for this tangent, but since both hops have been mentioned in this thread.......

why do i read that simcoe and/or citra are akin to cat urine?  i've used both ALOT, and never got cat anything.....

different tastebuds?
different growing regions?
different seasons (as mentioned above)?

Age of the hops and amount of oxidation?

[deepsouth]

forgive me in advance for this tangent, but since both hops have been mentioned in this thread.......

why do i read that simcoe and/or citra are akin to cat urine?  i've used both ALOT, and never got cat anything.....

different tastebuds?
different growing regions?
different seasons (as mentioned above)?

Age of the hops and amount of oxidation?

the ones i used were fresh or well stored.  i'm not sure about other peoples. 

i had first read some threads about citra resembling it, but i never got it.  this was over a year ago.  since then i have googled it and found plenty of references for citra and simcoe.

[chezteth]

I recently brewed a double IPA using Simcoe (along with other hops) at flameout.  When I opened the bag of Simcoe hop pellets there was a noticeable apricot/peach aroma.  When fermentation was complete there was a noticeable apricot/peach aroma to the beer.  Based on this I would say the apricot/peach aroma is from the Simcoe hops.  Just my $0.02

[mainebrewer]

I have read that US-05 can give a peach/apricot flavor.

[majorvices]

US-05 can give a slight peach character - but Citra is probably the culprit here. It has a distinct "artificial-like" mango/peach flavor. To me it tastes like artificial-mango flavoring in fruit tea. I'll admit, I'm not a big fan. Simcoe has more pine than citrus, but it can have "some" fruity character as well. But Citra is absurdly peachy/mangoy.

Also, Crystal has a distinct lemon character to it. So the character you are getting is probably a combination of more than one hop. But if your really want mango/peach Citra is your key.

BTW: YUCK! 

[richardt]

I like both citra and simcoe.  I've made a very good IPA using those hops (along with cascade and summit).  Yes, it was very fruity, and the aroma and flavor profile did change over time (less peach/apricot within weeks). 

It is hard to find good info about various hop profiles.  Wiki is weak in this regard.  You might find this site helpful--it does a good job listing various flavors and aromas you may encounter.  I find lists like these helpful when creating recipes or trying out a beer that uses a hop I haven't encountered before.  http://roguebrewers.com/Hop_Profiles.html.  It states the following:

CITRA 10-11% All Purpose
Very fruity Citrus, peach, apricot, passion fruit, grapefruit, lime, melon, gooseberry, lychee fruit, pineapple, mango, papaya and other tropical fruit flavors and aromas.  A very new high alpha Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger, EKG  hybrid with distinctive citrus aroma.
Use For: Pale ales, IPA
Substitutes: Simcoe ,and other fruity citrusy "C" hops

SIMCOE - 12-14%  - Bittering - Flavor
Aromas of passionfruit, apricot, Intense pine and woodsy aroma adds to the fresh, youthful vigor of this complex hop.  Dual purpose but generally considered a bittering hop. 
Used For: American Ales, IPAs, Double IPAs
Subs: Amarillo Cascade Centennial (a blend of these might come closer)