Anyone use Dana or Boadicea before?

[jceg316]

I picked them up from my HBS as they were cheap and I've never heard of them. Also their characteristics look interesting. Boadicea is resistant to aphids which would be really useful as I grow hops as well.

Anyway, I think I've found only one recipe for each hop online, and very little information on each. For both, the small bit of info out there varies massively, some say it's crap, others it's great. I've only had one beer with Boadicea, never had Dana, it was the M&S single hop variety but there was no emphasis on aroma character, just bitterness and malt, so wasn't a good showcase.

Does anyone have any experience with these? I have some pilsner malt, a bunch of speciality malts and lager yeast or T58, so could turn them into a lager or blonde ale.

 

[clibit]

I've not brewed with either, but I've drunk beers with Boadicea. Adnams use it a fair bit I believe, in conjunction with other hops usually.

It's delicate, and floral. Nice, if you like a delicate floral hoppiness in an ale. I would try it out in a blonde/summer ale probably, if I had some.

 

[jceg316]

Do you know which Adnams beers have Boadicea in? I know they made that M&S one but as mentioned it didn't really show off the hop too well.

 

[MyQul]

Do you know which Adnams beers have Boadicea in? I know they made that M&S one but as mentioned it didn't really show off the hop too well.

An interesting question. So I just googled it. Try it yourself. google, 'Adnams Boadecia hops' and it comes up with the various beers from their site they use boadecia in

 

[clibit]

Not sure sorry, and I think they use it with other hops.

 

[ManseMasher]

http://www.hmezad.si/hops/hop-varieties/ekstra-styrian-dana

http://www.hopunion.com/uk-boadicea/

I've not used them, but the Dana certainly looks to be similar to Hallertau, so your thoughts on lager or blonde would be about right...

I picked them up from my HBS as they were cheap and I've never heard of them. Also their characteristics look interesting. Boadicea is resistant to aphids which would be really useful as I grow hops as well.

Anyway, I think I've found only one recipe for each hop online, and very little information on each. For both, the small bit of info out there varies massively, some say it's crap, others it's great. I've only had one beer with Boadicea, never had Dana, it was the M&S single hop variety but there was no emphasis on aroma character, just bitterness and malt, so wasn't a good showcase.

Does anyone have any experience with these? I have some pilsner malt, a bunch of speciality malts and lager yeast or T58, so could turn them into a lager or blonde ale.

 

[jceg316]

I looked up Adnams beer which use Boadicea and there are a few. I'm doing a major pub crawl today so I'll have a look out for them on my travels.

I know the right thing to do is to make a SMASH of each one, but I don't feel like doing that. I might make other recipes which call for similar hops (like magnum) and substitute it with these ones where appropriate.

Cheers guys, will let you know how it goes.

 

[Lesinge]

I made a SMaSH with Boudica and it turned out to be quite a pleasent beer and not expensive. Not too floral so not like an American IPA, but quite gentle and English. I actually preferred this to the East Kent Golding single hop I made.

I have some Dana so will try that out in a Single hop too. I am trying to go through as many different hops as I can to understand each one better. the Nelson Sauvin was too much like white wine for me and Amarillo has so far been my favourite. I have also used Goldings, Cascade, Citra, Fuggles, Challenger and have a beer with Bramling cross and First gold which should be interesting.

 

[Obfu]

I was given 100g of Boadicea for my birthday, lucky me :-?...
At the weekend I tried the M&S Single Hop Boadicea, I didn't finish it - that doesn't happen often!
Since this thread was last written to in January, has anyone else made use of Boadicea? If anyone has a recipe that use that might do the hops justice, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks.

 

[Personal91]

I was given 100g of Boadicea for my birthday, lucky me :-?...
At the weekend I tried the M&S Single Hop Boadicea, I didn't finish it - that doesn't happen often!
Since this thread was last written to in January, has anyone else made use of Boadicea? If anyone has a recipe that use that might do the hops justice, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks.

what was wrong with it ?

 

[Robin54]

I was given 100g of Boadicea for my birthday, lucky me :-?...
At the weekend I tried the M&S Single Hop Boadicea, I didn't finish it - that doesn't happen often!
Since this thread was last written to in January, has anyone else made use of Boadicea? If anyone has a recipe that use that might do the hops justice, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks.

for a 10 L brew i would use
4 @ 60
4 @ 25
4 @ 15
4 @ 5
and 4 dry hop

should be nice

 

[Obfu]

It was thin, no body to it. It left me kinda smacking my tongue and lips together trying to detect what it was that I didn't like. Best I can say is that it tasted green. My wife said it had a kind of pissyness to it.

I didn't not drink it because it was disgusting, I could have seen it through I just didn't want to. It was just the worst shop bought beer I've had in a long while. I just opened one of mine instead. Now when my beer is preferable to shop bought, something must be wrong :)

 

[DoctorMick]

I was given 100g of Boadicea for my birthday, lucky me :-?...
At the weekend I tried the M&S Single Hop Boadicea, I didn't finish it - that doesn't happen often!
Since this thread was last written to in January, has anyone else made use of Boadicea? If anyone has a recipe that use that might do the hops justice, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks.

I'd be tempted to try it in something like a brown ale.

I didn't like the M&S beer either, which is why I wouldn't try it in a pale.

 

[Obfu]

I was thinking that whatever I do, it'll be done with more body and maltiness. It a tough one, one the one hand, I hate waste and don't want to not use them up. On the other, I don't want to waste time, effort and good ingredients brewing something that's disappoints me. Thing is, people must be using them or surely they wouldn't be in the brew shops in the first place... Presumably that must mean good beers are being made with them - just not by M&S :lol:

I also got 100g of Phoenix for my birthday, I think that one is marginally less fringe. On the upside, the other two gifts were Cascade and East Kent Goldings, so it wasn't a whitewash :lol:

 

[jceg316]

My experience with Boadicea is it's very floral, really good in a Belgian or English blonde ale, and probably goes well as an "auxiliary" hop to add dimension to an IPA. For example I'd really like to use it with Jester, another new UK hop I'm fond of.

BTW the M&S beers are nice but don't showcase the hops well. They all taste like a generic English beer, a nice one, but don't let the hops shine through.

If anyone is wondering, Dana is a replacement for Magnum. It's usually cheaper with similar AAs making it quite a good bittering hop. I've used it in a lager as a flavour hop but couldn't really taste it as other flavours were coming through stronger.

 

[Obfu]

You're right, I've had a few of the M&S ones and found all of them just fine, just that one didn't light my fire.

 

[DoctorMick]

BTW the M&S beers are nice but don't showcase the hops well. They all taste like a generic English beer, a nice one, but don't let the hops shine through.

I've found that too, they've all been a little disappointing. Strange considering they're brewed by some top notch breweries.

 

[jceg316]

I've found that too, they've all been a little disappointing. Strange considering they're brewed by some top notch breweries.

Yes I was expecting better - M&S are a reputable shop with some really nice food, and they've chosen the breweries well. But they've made the beers suitable for a lowest common denominator audience.