Pilgrim Hops for Dry Hopping/Aroma

[DamageCase]

I'm looking at doing a strong IPA using English aroma hops, preferbly one with a high alpha acidity, such as the ones used in big American double IPAs. One that attracts me for this is Pilgrim, which I've read gives lemon and grapefruit notes (ala Punk IPA) as an aroma hop. The problem is that some sources say this is a bittering hop while others say it is duel purpose. Has anyone used this as an aroma hop by dry hopping or making it into a hop tea? This will be kit modification experiment by the way.

 

[RobWalker]

i dont think there's much substitution for the big IPA hops like nelson sauvin, cascade, centennial, citra etc for punk IPA...pilgrim is for english beers, as such, you'll get an english flavour from it.

dry hopping gives probably the most obvious results, so go for that! it's very easy, you can even do it in the primary as soon as fermentation has finished if you want.

 

[Good Ed]

Goose Island use Pilgrim as a bittering hop for their IPA (per Mitch Steele) and Thornbridge used it along with Centennial and Styrian Goldings for their Seaforth IPA (no longer made I understand), with additions at 75mins, 30mins and flame out along the lines of Jaipur (again courtesy of Mitch Steele). I'm going to try them in an IPA. I wouldn't worry about using them anywhere in your hop schedule, Fullers apparently dry hop their Bengal Lancer with a blend of Goldings and Target Stone Brewing were so impressed that they dry hopped one of their anniversary beers with Target, there aren't really any rules to follow

 

[oz11]

Goose Island use Pilgrim as a bittering hop for their IPA (per Mitch Steele)..

Not according their website. They give Styrian, Fuggle, Cascade, Centennial as the hops used. :wha:

 

[Good Ed]

Goose Island use Pilgrim as a bittering hop for their IPA (per Mitch Steele)..

Not according their website. They give Styrian, Fuggle, Cascade, Centennial as the hops used. :wha:

You're correct there, and I have brewed a passable imitation with those hops. In the book there are 49 recipes for historical IPA's, contemporary IPA's, IIPA's and dark IPA's all in a fair amount of detail; the recipe fpr Goose Island IPA uses Pilgrim for bittering, Styrian Goldings (Savinski) and Cascade at flame out and dry hop with Centennial and Cascade.

 

[oz11]

Interesting stuff, I have my version from the website on the go at the moment. I'll have a to give the pilgrim version a go sometime and see how it compares. Cheers!

 

[DamageCase]

I've heard of it being used as an aroma hop before as well. What hops should I be looking at to do an English IPA and in what quanities? I'm still looking for a citrus hoppyness

 

[Good Ed]

the historic IPA's used EK Golding or Fuggles, and then more Goldings or Fuggles and then some more Goldings or Fuggles, massive hopping and high ABV. As the govenment started to tax beers on it's strength last century the abv has come right down; Greene King IPA is 3.6% abv, which isn't really an IPA at all.

There is a recipe for Worthington White Shield in GW's book, which is a very respectable IPA at 5.6% abv and 40IBU (boo), this is still being brewed in Burton and is probably the last true survivor of the historical Burton IPA's (you can guess what book I got for Xmas).

Citrus was not a flavour that came with the traditional English hops, but if you like that then Jaipur is good start. Do a search on here or for Sarah Carter's Bombay IPA (a very close imitation) and you'll get a recipe. If you really are looking for a lot of citrus then American IPA's are your man.

 

[DamageCase]

Funnily enough I just did a Youtube beer review on Fullers Bengal Lancer IPA in which I had a bit of rant about the state of most English IPAs, mentioning Greene King as one of the main culprits. You're absolutely right, they're far from true IPAs, a 3.6 % beer would not keep on the voyage from England to India.
However, Bengal Lancer is excellent. Surely enough, lashings of Goldings as you said but they used Target as a bittering hop which works really well, it's also a respectable 5.3%. It maybe using more contemporary hops to the originals but it's every bit a proper English IPA. I think the American Hop fever might be biting over here and it's reinvigorating our old IPA heritage. I feel the beginnings of an extract brew coming on, rather than my original plan of modifying an existing IPA kit. Could I be starting my journey to the dark side?

 

[Good Ed]

Could I be starting my journey to the dark side?

I think so, it has a fierce pull :)

 

[dennisking]

There is a recipe for Worthington White Shield in GW's book, which is a very respectable IPA at 5.6% abv and 40IBU (boo), this is still being brewed in Burton and is probably the last true survivor of the historical Burton IPA's (you can guess what book I got for Xmas)

Drinking that very same clone at the moment and very nice it is. Don't do many clones these days but like to brew this one a couple of times a year.