Noble hops - bittering

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

GH's recipe for Düsseldorf Altbier uses about 200g of Spalt Select including almost 100g for bittering (50 ibu)
Maybe just me but that seems a bit extravagant.

As it happens I can't get Spalt Select in whole hop so I'd probably use Hallertau Mittelfrüh for the late hops because I have a 100g packet in the fridge.

Would I be mad to use something like challenger for the bittering?

 

[MrRook]

GH's recipe for Düsseldorf Altbier uses about 200g of Spalt Select including almost 100g for bittering (50 ibu)
Maybe just me but that seems a bit extravagant.

As it happens I can't get Spalt Select in whole hop so I'd probably use Hallertau Mittelfrüh for the late hops because I have a 100g packet in the fridge.

Would I be mad to use something like challenger for the bittering?

Magnum would be a better choice.

 

[The Baron]

No unless you want to absolutely true to style. If you like Challenger it will be ok but not to style either use a neutral bittering hop like Magnum or as you have suggested a German Noble hop as a replacement

 

[nickjdavis]

Magnum is my "go to" bittering hop for German styles instead of using low AA noble hops early in the boil.

 

[marshbrewer]

I don't wish to sound contrary, but in my (limited) experience Noble hops don't give that lovely, smooth neutral bitterness that Magnum gives. I appreciate it's a German hop, but if I was short of a noble hop to bitter a German style with, I'd go for Fuggles.

Don't all shoot me.

 

[Rugby Fan.]

Hijacking this thread to ask:

If I have a 14% AA noble hop and a 5% AA noble hop, will it make a difference which one I use so long as the IBUs are the same?

I'm asking because it could mean 10g v 30g hop material in the boil.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Yes, it'll make a difference. Hops contribute flavour as well as bitterness - even if boiled for 60 minutes

 

[dcbrookes]

+1 for Magnum

 

[Northern_Brewer]

If I have a 14% AA noble hop and a 5% AA noble hop, will it make a difference which one I use so long as the IBUs are the same?

Well there's no such thing as a 14% aa noble hop, so the question is meaningless.

It's one of those classic debating points, you'll get some people who swear that an IBU is an IBU regardless of where it comes from, but I'd definitely be in the camp that says that not all bittering hops are the same, you do get a different "quality" of bittering with different hops (some people like the smooth/boring bitterness of something like Magnum, others prefer the more raspy bitterness of Target, my preference is somewhere in between) and you do get different flavour compounds from different bittering additions.

 

[Rugby Fan.]

Think I need to do some comparison smashes with bittering hops only. One with low AA, and one with high AA. Both targeting the same IBU.

Of course there's a beerxperiment for exactly that:
https://brulosophy.com/2016/07/18/bittering-hops-pt-2-high-vs-low-alpha-acid-exbeeriment-results/

 

[Caramel Ox]

This site is good for substitutes based on chemical makeup Find Similar Hops - Beer Maverick and is broken down by use case so you can find an alternative bittering hop.

My related question…the recent Saaz crops have only been 2% if I use them at 15 minutes or later should I just leave the recipe quantity as is?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

recent Saaz crops have only been 2% if I use them at 15 minutes or later should I just leave the recipe quantity as is?

It’s a good question… I should think a 15 minute addition would contribute very little to the overall bitterness; so personally I’d probably leave the recipe quantity the same.

 

[Sadfield]

I'd do the same and leave the 15 minute addition as is. With this and creating recipes I've always followed the advice to calculate the bittering addition last to reach the desired IBUs. In this case a small change to the bittering addition will have less flavour impact than adjusting the 15 minute one.