Hops taste

[ravey]

Being Scottish I'm not used to hops, and having followed the advice of dry hopping as a cheap way of improving kits I've ended up with some brews that I'm not really sure I like. The first was a better brew Czech pilsner with a saaz hops tea that was really quite foul to my palate until it was a few months old (which I guess meant the hops taste faded). I've just done a masterpint IPA with progress hops, a few days after bottling I've fizzed up the dregs and it's kinda okay but it's still a little bit sharper than I'm used to.

So, having seen people raving about their hops so much here, I was wondering if people just always liked them or if it was a taste they acquired? I could just stop but if there's a potential that I'll get used to and then crave that flavour that may be premature.

 

[H0PM0NSTER]

Worth trying some of the fruitier, citrusy American varieties. Amarillo, Citra or Cascade all add a good flavour to a one-can pale ale kit. Before you commit to drinking 23 ltrs of it though, it might be worth trying a commercial beer that uses the same hops. Marks and Spencer do a nice range of single hop ale in bottles which will give you an idea of the flavour.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Being Scottish I'm not used to hops, and having followed the advice of dry hopping as a cheap way of improving kits I've ended up with some brews that I'm not really sure I like. The first was a better brew Czech pilsner with a saaz hops tea that was really quite foul to my palate until it was a few months old (which I guess meant the hops taste faded). I've just done a masterpint IPA with progress hops, a few days after bottling I've fizzed up the dregs and it's kinda okay but it's still a little bit sharper than I'm used to.

So, having seen people raving about their hops so much here, I was wondering if people just always liked them or if it was a taste they acquired? I could just stop but if there's a potential that I'll get used to and then crave that flavour that may be premature.

proper lager takes 8 weeks plus to come good. even ipa's need a few weeks to reach their best, then the hoppy ones need to be drunk quickly for maximum hop hit.

so maybe the beer wasn't ready 'cos the yeast hadn't cleaned up, but other than that to answer your question, i've developed a taste for more potent hops just like you would with hotter spices. In terms of hops I Started off with a korma and am now at madras level :grin:

 

[Godsdog]

any of the big C hops will give the beer a buzz,chinook,citra,cascade,centinell,all used in AIPAs but using them as a dry hop with a kit you are best to go for a blandish sort of kit with no overpowering base aroma,essentially a pale coloured beer like wilko hoppy copper or a cerveza,get the hop wheel off tinternet and look at the aromas they give off to see what you may like and experiment

 

[Brett74]

Instead of trying to improve kits, why don't you just get hold of the Youngs American IPA kit, it is one of the most well regarded kits out there, if my AG brews turn out as good, I will be totally satisfied!! It has a hefty dry hops and just tastes fantastic ! If you don't like it then IPA's probably aren't for you, most liken it to BruDogs Punk IPA.

 

[DoctorMick]

I found it useful to go to a supermarket and buy random bottles to identify what I do and don't like, much safer than brewing up 23l.

 

[Pope]

One question: why would being Scottish mean you wouldn't be used to hops? Genuine question...interested to know.

I know in the UK, hops tend to grow around Kent, but surely hoppy beers have been sold to Scottish drinkers for years?

 

[ravey]

One question: why would being Scottish mean you wouldn't be used to hops? Genuine question...interested to know.

I know in the UK, hops tend to grow around Kent, but surely hoppy beers have been sold to Scottish drinkers for years?

Because when I was about 16 I drank export, then switched to lager. I had an IPA once in the late 90s and it was pretty much like a lager but less fizzy, and then I pretty much stopped drinking out so have missed any changes in latter years.

I once had a pint of lager in London and it was like a bucket of dishwater (in one of those weird mugs instead of a proper pint glass which somehow effected the experience), and I've no idea why but I always had a poor image of bitter, thinking it was a weak insipid brew which stole the name of tea brands.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll maybe try a few beers but I'm on a very limited budget and also have limited access to shops, though I'd still be interested to hear the answer to my actual question "I was wondering if people just always liked them or if it was a taste they acquired?" (no offence but almost every time I ask a question I seem to get answers to a different question)

 

[louis macneice]

Hops can do all sorts of things.

They can make beers bitter; like the crisp bitterness of a lager, the dry bitterness of some stouts or the in your face bitterness of some IPAs.

They can add all sorts of flavours: grassy, herbal, fruity (from blackberries through peaches and mangoes onto oranges and lemons) even chocolate it's claimed.

They can also add aromas; all of the above flavours have their accompanying smells and there is as well, a not entirely unique cannabis like wiff to green hops.

Some people like all of the above. Some people like some of the above and some people aren't too keen on any of them (although beers with no bittering hops are rare).

One of the nicest pints I've ever had was a pint of 80 shillings somewhere up on the East Coast of Scotland on our way to the ferry for the Orkneys; it was all about rich malty goodness and had very little to do with any hop flavours or smells. One of my favourite lagers is Pilsner Urquell which relies heavily on Saaz hops for a subtle but distinctive taste and aroma.

The bottom line is hops are there to be used as you choose; they are versatile but it's up to you to make the choices and in answer to your actual question, those choices may well change over time as your taste changes in response to the beers you are drinking. Hopefully you will also have a lot of fun along the way.

Good luck and cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[monkier]

Because when I was about 16 I drank export, then switched to lager. I had an IPA once in the late 90s and it was pretty much like a lager but less fizzy, and then I pretty much stopped drinking out so have missed any changes in latter years.

I once had a pint of lager in London and it was like a bucket of dishwater (in one of those weird mugs instead of a proper pint glass which somehow effected the experience), and I've no idea why but I always had a poor image of bitter, thinking it was a weak insipid brew which stole the name of tea brands.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll maybe try a few beers but I'm on a very limited budget and also have limited access to shops, though I'd still be interested to hear the answer to my actual question "I was wondering if people just always liked them or if it was a taste they acquired?" (no offence but almost every time I ask a question I seem to get answers to a different question)

Once i 'discovered' them then i loved them. Like you i spent most of my life drinking Lager thinking it was the bees knees. However i went on a craft ale tasting afternoon and have never looked back. I loved hops from the minute i tasted them.

 

[DoctorMick]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll maybe try a few beers but I'm on a very limited budget and also have limited access to shops, though I'd still be interested to hear the answer to my actual question "I was wondering if people just always liked them or if it was a taste they acquired?" (no offence but almost every time I ask a question I seem to get answers to a different question)

I definitely acquired the taste. Strangely, when I was finding my tastes I could drink, and enjoy, beers which I wouldn't enjoy if I tried now and also would have hated some that I now enjoy...it's odd how tastes develop and change.

 

[terrym]

If you don't like that big hop hit you clearly don't need to dry hop.
Have you tried a Wherry kit? I found that it doesn't have a strong hop delivery, it's more malty, perhaps more in line with what you are used to drinking. And if you do try one, change the yeast to a Wilko Ale yeast or similar.
But to try to answer your question I think it's really a question of trial and error to find out what you like. And along the way you may find your requirements change. Mine have. Since I restarted brewing I moved away from the heavier malty bitters to lighter but more intensely hopped beers.
And I like the idea suggested by H0PM0NSTER to try single hop beers like those from M&S.

 

[wfr42]

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/homebrew_beer_hops

Have a read of the above but as others have said try the young aipa kit for a no tweak required hippy ipa or some single hop craft ales.

Some of the craft breweries in Edinburgh (Stewarts and kraft brew - in linlithgow now - do some tasting sessions).

If you are happy with your lager kits with out a tweak then leave them "straight" and drink away. The best thing about home brewing is brew what YOU want to drink.

 

[Personal91]

Because when I was about 16 I drank export, then switched to lager. I had an IPA once in the late 90s and it was pretty much like a lager but less fizzy, and then I pretty much stopped drinking out so have missed any changes in latter years.

I once had a pint of lager in London and it was like a bucket of dishwater (in one of those weird mugs instead of a proper pint glass which somehow effected the experience), and I've no idea why but I always had a poor image of bitter, thinking it was a weak insipid brew which stole the name of tea brands.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll maybe try a few beers but I'm on a very limited budget and also have limited access to shops, though I'd still be interested to hear the answer to my actual question "I was wondering if people just always liked them or if it was a taste they acquired?" (no offence but almost every time I ask a question I seem to get answers to a different question)

they are known as tankards....

everyone has a varied taste - but something to take in to it all is consideration

Many brews will taste different at different places

the distance it has to travel - the time of year it was brewed - the conditioning in the cellar at your pub or supermarket etc

I remember hearing about a brewery that had about a 10 mile circle around it that if they're beers went too much further then that they were ruined!

 

[ravey]

they are known as tankards....

nah, I mean like this :

I'll address various points rather than quoting people (that is to say I'm adding this comment having done just that).

I'm hoping that my IPA will improve in time as it's far too young to drink, just that I like to try some when I bottle, and it's not like I don't like it as it is, just a bit unsure. I quite like the idea trying new stuff so I'm not sticking to lagers.

Wherry I've not tried, and I tend towards cheaper stuff than 2 can kits, maybe if I see it on sale.

Anything special about wilko's ale yeast? I did wonder about trying different yeasts but I get good results with what comes with the kit, and when I did a simply pale ale I lost the yeast satchet (found it later) so did it with a muntons premium gold yeast and the ale I got was the worst I've done since returning to home brewing this year. Seems like too much of a lottery with the number of variations I could try with no idea what I'm getting vs just use what it came with.

Actually I'm just thinking, one of the better kits I did was a Black Rock New Zealand Bitter and I added cascade hops (probably in a tea). My sister bought me a load of craft beers for my birthday and I thought the Black Rock was easily as good as any of them, if not better.

One of the things with adding hops is, if I haven't tried the kit before sans hops, I don't know how much the hops are effecting things. I'll probably take my own advice and split a brew into demijohns and add hops to some so that I can compare.

I recently did 2 of the same kit with and without LME to see how much of a difference it makes using malt instead of sugar and tbh I liked both and don't see enough of a difference to spend more (bonus for someone as tight as I am).

Tasting sessions sound great but the reason I don't have easy access to shops is that I don't go outside, so that kinda scuppers that idea I'm afraid.

 

[ravey]

I looked online at M&S single hop beers and it just shows a case of 20; can you buy single bottles in store?

 

[Pope]

Because when I was about 16 I drank export, then switched to lager. I had an IPA once in the late 90s and it was pretty much like a lager but less fizzy, and then I pretty much stopped drinking out so have missed any changes in latter years.

I once had a pint of lager in London and it was like a bucket of dishwater (in one of those weird mugs instead of a proper pint glass which somehow effected the experience), and I've no idea why but I always had a poor image of bitter, thinking it was a weak insipid brew which stole the name of tea brands.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll maybe try a few beers but I'm on a very limited budget and also have limited access to shops, though I'd still be interested to hear the answer to my actual question "I was wondering if people just always liked them or if it was a taste they acquired?" (no offence but almost every time I ask a question I seem to get answers to a different question)

I like hoppy beers, but it wasn't until May last year that I realised.

I had a bottle of Schiehallion craft lager (Scottish) by chance...before then I hadn't heard of craft beer. It completely opened my eyes and changed what beer is to me.

Since then I've tried as many craft beers as possible and in April this year I took up home brewing.

Saying all that, I also enjoy dark more malt forward craft beers too...one of my favourites is Anchor Brewery's Porter...a beer i intend to clone.

 

[Personal91]

the longer you homebrew and the more 'non generic' brews you try the more your appreciation and taste will develop - something that was just a blur of flavours will become something of beauty....perhaps

 

[AlanManley]

I was a lager man a few years back. Tried Guinness and hated it. Went back to lager.

About 3-4 years ago a mate made me try and old English ale. I was there and then hooked on ale. Dropped lager. Next guineas taster better. Then brewdog came into my life...

I now love hoppy beers and the hoppier the better.

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[ravey]

So almost 3 weeks on and I'm drinking a bottle of the Masterpint IPA and, whilst it's still noticeably more bitter than I'm used to, I'm finding it quite pleasant.

Having got 6 x brewmaker kits, courtesy of Tesco, it would probably be a good opportunity to experiment a bit. Reading up on hop varieties without knowing what I like is a bit daunting, there's just so many of them; where to start.

So, new question: which 5 hop varieties would you pick to give a fair representation of the range?

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