Anyone else have a hop problem?

[pms67]

Ive said it before but I'm starting to need more and more hops in my beers,even Sierra Nevada Pale Ale tastes like a session beer now.
I'm thinking about making some plain Pilsners and English Ales for a while and see if it resets the palate.
Anyone else hooked on hops?

 

[Godsdog]

Ive said it before but I'm starting to need more and more hops in my beers,even Sierra Nevada Pale Ale tastes like a session beer now.
I'm thinking about making some plain Pilsners and English Ales for a while and see if it resets the palate.
Anyone else hooked on hops?

Yep I'm quite possibly the biggest hophead on here,strange as 10 years back I liked the golden ales and not heavily hopped PAs

 

[Ajhutch]

Interesting question. I've already drafted and deleted a response where I said that if anything I was enjoying less hoppy beers more, but that's not quite right. What has happened is I am worn down by very high bitterness levels in beers. I haven't brewed anything in a while with more than 40 estimated IBUs and if buying an American-style beer now I will lean towards a pale or amber ale rather than IPA. That said, I'm still using a lot of hops as I've started trying to get between half and two thirds of my IBUs from late hops, so I get more hop flavour for the same bitterness. I've also enjoyed quite a few English style bitters and pale ales over the summer in pubs which are a more malt forward but still refreshing. I think there's cycles to everything.

 

[Alside101]

have some time off and drink somet plane and cheap

 

[strange-steve]

Actually I'm in the same position as @Ajhutch I've found myself more and more sensitive to hop bitterness to the point where I find it almost unpleasant, but I love hop flavours. I suppose that's why the NEIPA was invented, shame I can't brew one

 

[Sadfield]

I'm the opposite @strange-steve have been finding NEIPAs very boring and one dimensional recently (particularly big 440ml cans) and am returning more to the west coast style for IPAs. Prefer the taste transition from hops up front, through sweet malt backbone to a final kick of bitterness. I'm just not getting it with NEIPAs as they tend to have quite bland malt bills and no bitterness. It's taken NEIPAs for me to appreciate the value of mid boil hopping.

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

 

[johnnyboy1965]

"Hello, my name is John and I have a hop problem"

"Hello John, and welcome to Hops Anonymous, you have taken the first step in admitting your addiction. Would you like to tell us about your hop addiction?"

"It all started a few years ago. I was bored with mainstream beers and someone gave me a highly hopped beer. One small drink cant hurt, I thought. It all went downhill from there. Hops lead to more hops and the next thing you know I was addicted".

 

[HopWroester]

"Hello, my name is John and I have a hop problem"

"Hello John, and welcome to Hops Anonymous, you have taken the first step in admitting your addiction. Would you like to tell us about your hop addiction?"

"It all started a few years ago. I was bored with mainstream beers and someone gave me a highly hopped beer. One small drink cant hurt, I thought. It all went downhill from there. Hops lead to more hops and the next thing you know I was addicted".

When's the meeting??? :lol:

 

[Zephyr259]

I keep wondering if I'll end up on the slippery slope to hop addiction. My galaxy pale ale is pretty hoppy, I like the flavour but it's got a harsh bitterness I'm not keen on so I can only drink a half before i'm not enjoying it. Bottled my GH London Bitter the other day and the gravity sample tasted amazing, really looking forward to it being carbed and chilled, nice balance of English hops with a sweet malt body.

Sadfield: Basic Brewing Radio did an experiment a few months ago where they split a wort into 3 and each got 1 hop addition and either 60 mins, 30 mins or 0 mins. The results were interesting, kinda what you'd expect but the 30 min addition really had "something" to it which the others didn't and when blended into the others the result was greater than the sum of the parts. Made then rethink their opinion of a 30 min addition being a waste of hops.

 

[Ajhutch]

I'm the opposite @strange-steve have been finding NEIPAs very boring and one dimensional recently (particularly big 440ml cans) and am returning more to the west coast style for IPAs. Prefer the taste transition from hops up front, through sweet malt backbone to a final kick of bitterness. I'm just not getting it with NEIPAs as they tend to have quite bland malt bills and no bitterness. It's taken NEIPAs for me to appreciate the value of mid boil hopping.

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

It's interesting you say that. I think I just haven't had two NEIPAs the same yet, the commercial ones I've tried whose names sadly I can't remember were really quite bitter whereas the homebrew ones which have had no hops before 5 mins were much softer. I think the US brewers stopped their IBU arms race a few years ago so I really should revisit west coast IPAs which hopefully now have a bit less bitterness, but still enough, and more hop flavour. I seem to be drinking almost exclusively beers from London breweries at the moment though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ajhutch]

As I typed that last post I was drinking this: http://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/beer/8-ball/

That's 65 IBUs according to the website so maybe I do still like the bitterness because I'm really enjoying it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[strange-steve]

As I typed that last post I was drinking this: http://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/beer/8-ball/

That's 65 IBUs according to the website so maybe I do still like the bitterness because I'm really enjoying it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was thinking about this recently, and I don't think all IBUs are created equal. Two of my favourite commonly found IPAs are Stone (71 IBU) and Sixpoint Resin (103 IBU) which I find immensely drinkable. Yet I compare that to Jaipur (55 IBU) which imo had a much more prominent bitterness, which overwhelmed the other flavours and spoiled it somewhat. Now obviously other factors are at play also, FG, residual sweetness, mouthfeel, sulphate levels etc. and I think getting all those things balanced properly is the key to brewing a great beer. Unfortunately that is also a really difficult thing to accomplish.

 

[Ajhutch]

Unfortunately that is also a really difficult thing to accomplish.

Which is why I'm brewing some things that aren't hop bombs for a while! Taking the discussion full circle I guess


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[strange-steve]

Which is why I'm brewing some things that aren't hop bombs for a while! Taking the discussion full circle I guess


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Today's Stone IPA will be my last hoppy beer for a while too, a lambic and brown ale are next on my list.

 

[pms67]

Wow,hope Ive not turned everyone away from hops 😉
On a side note,do you guys think Laguntias IPA is a decent brew,I'm going against my original post here and am going to say I find it a bit much,be interesting to here what you guys who clearly know a lot more than me about the subject think 👍

 

[Ajhutch]

Wow,hope Ive not turned everyone away from hops [emoji6]

On a side note,do you guys think Laguntias IPA is a decent brew,I'm going against my original post here and am going to say I find it a bit much,be interesting to here what you guys who clearly know a lot more than me about the subject think [emoji106]

I haven't had one in a while but my old local often had it on keg and I often had it, I always thought it was a nice beer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ajhutch]

Today's Stone IPA will be my last hoppy beer for a while too, a lambic and brown ale are next on my list.

Oatmeal stout for me at the weekend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Duxuk]

My expectations have changed. In the early '80s, when I was a yoof, I thought that Timothy Taylors Landlord was massively hopped. I loved it. Now I still like it but think of it as being quite mild in flavour.
I don't like my beers to be too bitter. It's the late hops I go for.

 

[JockyBrewer]

Ive said it before but I'm starting to need more and more hops in my beers,even Sierra Nevada Pale Ale tastes like a session beer now.
I'm thinking about making some plain Pilsners and English Ales for a while and see if it resets the palate.
Anyone else hooked on hops?

I've been down that path and eventually got bored with one dimensional hop bombs, and then started appreciating more subtle, well rounded beers where you get hops, malt and yeast flavours all in concert.

Actually one of my favourites now in my home brew regimen is a pilsner, precisely because it has plenty of hops without it being overpowering. Mine is actually quite hoppy, using plenty of Saaz late in the boil, but for my next one I'm going to make more of an 'American' Pilsner, using some of the new world hops I have in my freezer instead of Saaz.

 

[pms67]

I've been down that path and eventually got bored with one dimensional hop bombs, and then started appreciating more subtle, well rounded beers where you get hops, malt and yeast flavours all in concert.

Actually one of my favourites now in my home brew regimen is a pilsner, precisely because it has plenty of hops without it being overpowering. Mine is actually quite hoppy, using plenty of Saaz late in the boil, but for my next one I'm going to make more of an 'American' Pilsner, using some of the new world hops I have in my freezer instead of Saaz.

I am definitely going to make a Pilsner,I think I will go down the road of one hop beers or smash beers and get a handle of each hop profile.