Fuggles Dry Hop...?

[RichHall]

Hey guys

A week ago, I brewed a single hopped beer using fuggles. Was trying to emulate something along the lines of Butcombe Gold which, according to the label, has lashings of fuggles!

As activity in the FV had dropped off, I took a sample to test the SG, then had a quick taste to see what sort of brew I might end up with - as you do!

It was a 10 litre batch, and I used 15g for bittering, and another 15g as a 10 minute addition. Got a very earthy/woody flavour coming through at the moment, whereas I was hoping for more of the "delicate, minty, grassy and slightly floral aroma" that is mentioned on the hop profile.

So...I was wondering whether dry hopping for the second week in the FV might achieve those aroma notes, or am I more likely to ramp up the earthy/woody aroma/flavour that's there at the moment.

As fuggles are so commonly used - I'm hoping someone's been in the same spot as me!

Thanks

 

[Brew_DD2]

I would avoid it to be honest. I find Fuggles to taste very muddy. By the sounds of things, so do you. Maybe try a more floral English variety.

 

[jceg316]

I use fuggles a lot, I agree with @Brew_DD2 that dry hopping wouldn't be a great idea if floral flavours are what you're after. I've found fuggles is primarily earthy with floral being more of a background flavour. Whilst not English, I've found Styrian Goldings to be quite floral.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

When dry hopping which type of hops are better; pellet or leaf. Just bought a dry hop spider off Amazon cheap and want to it.

 

[Brew_DD2]

When dry hopping which type of hops are better; pellet or leaf. Just bought a dry hop spider off Amazon cheap and want to it.

It's more a preference thing. I almost always use pellets.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I've dry hopped with pellets when making a kit though never with leaf.

 

[RichHall]

Thanks for the replies.

It was more of the grassy flavour and aroma I was hoping to get coming through.

I have Northdown, Challenger, Cascade and Boadicea knocking around - any ideas what they might give off as a dry hop?

Cheers

 

[GotOneBrewin]

I use fuggles a lot, I agree with @Brew_DD2 that dry hopping wouldn't be a great idea if floral flavours are what you're after. I've found fuggles is primarily earthy with floral being more of a background flavour. Whilst not English, I've found Styrian Goldings to be quite floral.

I tried Progress recently, also a relative of Fuggle, minty and floral.

 

[jceg316]

I tried Progress recently, also a relative of Fuggle, minty and floral.

I've never got mint from fuggles. I've seen it as a description before but never tasted it myself.

Boadicea is quite nice. It can be earthy but also quite floral, moreso than fuggles in my opinion. I don't remember it being grassy though, saaz can be grassy, but I guess that isn't too much help if you want to use your stock.

Cascade has a range of flavours but I think its strongest is citrus. It can have a floral character but have never noticed a grassy flavour from it.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Thanks for the replies.

It was more of the grassy flavour and aroma I was hoping to get coming through.

I have Northdown, Challenger, Cascade and Boadicea knocking around - any ideas what they might give off as a dry hop?

Cheers

Northdown and Challenger will give you some floral and herbal notes. UK Cascade, will give you some citrus and spice. If it is US Cascade it'll be more grapefruit and pine. Boadicea, I have no experience of.

 

[GotOneBrewin]

I've never got mint from fuggles. I've seen it as a description before but never tasted it myself.

Boadicea is quite nice. It can be earthy but also quite floral, moreso than fuggles in my opinion. I don't remember it being grassy though, saaz can be grassy, but I guess that isn't too much help if you want to use your stock.

Cascade has a range of flavours but I think its strongest is citrus. It can have a floral character but have never noticed a grassy flavour from it.

Progress is a minty, less earthy Fuggle in my limited experience.

 

[cushyno]

I have found that fuggles changes it's character considerably over the course of a few weeks.

I can vouch for that minty flavour, I had it in my first AG brew over a year ago. It does become more subtle over time and the woodiness disappears.

Challenger is a good companion to fuggles, but I wouldn't dry hop with challenger if you still want the Fuggles character. I reckon challenger is best for bittering and late in the boil with a dash of fuggles.

Northdown or Boadicea for a dry hop sounds good, though I haven't used either yet myself.

BTW, I'm a fan of the minty fuggles flavour . Maybe a small fuggles dry hop will be fine.

 

[An Ankoù]

I'd go with the original project and see how it works out. There can be quite a lot of difference between still-fermenting and conditioned beer, as has been said above. Keep the dry hopping on the light side for 2 or 3 days only, though.
Syrians are reckoned to be a fuggles derivative, by the way.

 

[Cwrw666]

Don't know about fuggles but I did an Admiral smash a while back. After a couple of weeks in the bottle it was truly horrible but a couple of weeks later had transformed into a really nice pint.

 

[Grealish]

Don't know about fuggles but I did an Admiral smash a while back. After a couple of weeks in the bottle it was truly horrible but a couple of weeks later had transformed into a really nice pint.

I agree with this. I have been pleasantly surprised a few times how much beer has changed between the end of fermentation and drinking. I did an old ale last Christmas which tasted disgusting straight out of the fv but very nice a few weeks later - in fact I’m brewing it again for this Christmas. Conversely, I’ve never had one get worse.

 

[Alex.mc]

I had an absolutely delicious Fuggles only wet hopped beer brewed as a Collaboration between Borough Market where the hops were grown, and a nomad brewer called "The Beak brewery" and Partizan brewing in Bermondsey. It was slightly grassy, but very floral. Really nice beer!
I wonder how much Terroir in hops varies, even over short distances? Quite a lot I suspect? Maybe a different batch would be more floral?

 

[jceg316]

I had an absolutely delicious Fuggles only wet hopped beer brewed as a Collaboration between Borough Market where the hops were grown, and a nomad brewer called "The Beak brewery" and Partizan brewing in Bermondsey. It was slightly grassy, but very floral. Really nice beer!
I wonder how much Terroir in hops varies, even over short distances? Quite a lot I suspect? Maybe a different batch would be more floral?

I wonder this as well. I grow a few different varieties: fuggles, Brambling X, Cascade, Saaz. Chinook & Centennial. The fuggles does best followed by the brambling in terms of yield and also flavour. The American varieties are never as flavourful as from when I've bought from the store (still good though). They also taste noticeably different.

From growing my own I have noticed character gets better over time if stored correctly; properly dried hops vacuumed packed and frozen seem to improve over months. One of the best things I ever smelled was a bag of homegrown cascade.

I used to walk past those hops all the time on my commute, I loved looking at them and wondered where they went. ?Glad to hear they went ot good use!

In answer to your question, I grow some hops on my farm in Kent (Orpington) and some in parents' garden in NW London. I have a fuggles at both, but the farm one has kind of been left to fend for itself. I can rescue it to see the effects of "local" terroir.

 

[Sandimas]

It might go against the grain but try doing a brew with Fuggles for bittering and no late hops, just the 60min addition - you might be surprised, I was (pleasantly).

 

[Alex.mc]

"I used to walk past those hops all the time on my commute, I loved looking at them and wondered where they went. ?Glad to hear they went ot good use!"

Apparently the Beak Brewery guy having already got the recipe agreed, spent an afternoon picking all the hops with the guy who runs the maintenance and garden part of Borough market. They put them all in a large sack and then walked them down to Partizan who'd got the mash ready and done, and they just loaded them in and got boiling! Couldn't be much fresher!