Hop flavours in your beer - how do you maintain them?

[caerleon]

I have been turned to the darkside for a while and i have done 10 or so recipes out of the Wheeler books. Now, i must admit my Beer doesnt always taste like it should or have much aroma.

I have only come across about making a hop tea and adding it before bottling or kegging to bring back aroma and flavour, but obviously bittering has to come from boiling only.

Do you guys do anything different than on the recipe? I am hoping to improve on my recent brews and think i must be missing a trick here.

C

 

[Dr Mike]

Choice of yeast strain makes a big difference to how much hop flavour & aroma survives into the finished beer. Some strains have a tendency to reduce or mask hop components (including bitterness)

Which strain have you been using?

 

[caerleon]

Notty and Safeale recently.

 

[Dr Mike]

By Safale, do you mean S-04? That is one which seems to reduce hop flavour. The most hop-forward dry yeast is probably Safale US-05.

The easiest way to put hop aroma back after fermentation is probably dry-hopping. Never tried Hop teas myself.

 

[caerleon]

Thanks Dr Mike.

I will do that from now on. I have only used Notty and Windsor on the last two brews which has improved to flavour.

 

[craigite]

I find that the hop choice and adding flameout hops after the wort has cooled to below 80°C makes a big difference.
Usually I add 90min hops for bittering
12 minute hops for flavour
5 minute hops for a rounded flavour and aroma
and for the big in your face flavour and aroma I add about 50% of my hop bill when the wort has cooled to 80° and let them soak for upto half an hour before I chill down and drain out of the boiler.
Hops such as Citra, Styrian Golding etc give me what I am after.

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[RobWalker]

how are you adding your aroma hops? 0 mins actually means 0 mins + 20 mins cooling. same with 10 mins, 10 mins + 20 mins cooling. this might be one to consider, the steeping time is very important to your hop aroma.

there are ways around it - i'm on a somewhat rickety BIAB system, so my 10 mins and below hops all go into a hop bag in the boil. when I transfer to my FV to cool in the bathtub, I put the hop bag into the hot wort for 40 mins or so while it cools. you'll notice an increase in hop aroma that way.

there's dry hopping too - move your 10 min and below hops to the dry hop stage instead - and the aroma will be much more forward. if all else fails, just increase the amount of aroma hops you use.

remember, hoppy beers are best drunk within 2-3 months :thumb: