Smash Hops Selection.

[PaulRob]

Hi all, looking for advice from you all. Done few all grain ready made kits from my LHBS. Looking to try a few Smash beers for my next brews. Been looking across the forum and online for the best Hop to use, seems to be the same coming up but I can't decide which one to buy, my store sells them in 50g bags so will use it in three 5 litre brews, will be changing the hop schedule for each one, and different yeasts too. So to make my decision easier I am looking for suggestions. I will be using Golden Promise as the grain. Hop with most recommendations is the one I go for. Was going to do a poll, but too many to list. Thanks.

 

[jceg316]

From my experience not all hops have the complexity to be used by themselves as the star of the show. For example I've found that fuggles, chinook, (as I type my mind has gone blank!) and some others work well as a secondary flavour, and the use of a more complex grain bill and/or flavourful yeast would be required. However, I take it you want the hop to be the main star of the show. In which case:

Cascade is really good as a single hop. Nice and tropical but also has earthy and citrus flavours. Probably one of the most complex hops IMHO.
I've had really good centennial single hop beers as well. It's kind of like Cascade but more citrusy and a bit stronger tasting.
Nelson Sauvin is good, a bit on the expensive side and enough is needed to make it work as a single hop.
Sorachi ace is really unique and I love it. Wish I could grow one in my garden. Flavours of bubblegum, dill and lemon.
Citra definitely is bold enough to be used as a single hop but I personally think it's a bit over rated considering how much it costs.
Simcoe is good - mango, tropical and earthy.

 

[Keruso]

Hi all, looking for advice from you all. Done few all grain ready made kits from my LHBS. Looking to try a few Smash beers for my next brews. Been looking across the forum and online for the best Hop to use, seems to be the same coming up but I can't decide which one to buy, my store sells them in 50g bags so will use it in three 5 litre brews, will be changing the hop schedule for each one, and different yeasts too. So to make my decision easier I am looking for suggestions. I will be using Golden Promise as the grain. Hop with most recommendations is the one I go for. Was going to do a poll, but too many to list. Thanks.

I've done a few succesful Smash's, Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, Azacca and Amarillo spring to mind. One of my favorites was a Brooklyn Sorachi Ace clone which used Sorachi Ace hops and belgian yeast. It tasted of bananas when first brewed but after 6 weeks or so in the keg it became far more subtle and an amazing beer.

 

[Keruso]

From my experience not all hops have the complexity to be used by themselves as the star of the show. For example I've found that fuggles, chinook, (as I type my mind has gone blank!) and some others work well as a secondary flavour, and the use of a more complex grain bill and/or flavourful yeast would be required. However, I take it you want the hop to be the main star of the show. In which case:

Cascade is really good as a single hop. Nice and tropical but also has earthy and citrus flavours. Probably one of the most complex hops IMHO.
I've had really good centennial single hop beers as well. It's kind of like Cascade but more citrusy and a bit stronger tasting.
Nelson Sauvin is good, a bit on the expensive side and enough is needed to make it work as a single hop.
Sorachi ace is really unique and I love it. Wish I could grow one in my garden. Flavours of bubblegum, dill and lemon.
Citra definitely is bold enough to be used as a single hop but I personally think it's a bit over rated considering how much it costs.
Simcoe is good - mango, tropical and earthy.

Sorachi Ace

 

[PaulRob]

From my experience not all hops have the complexity to be used by themselves as the star of the show. For example I've found that fuggles, chinook, (as I type my mind has gone blank!) and some others work well as a secondary flavour, and the use of a more complex grain bill and/or flavourful yeast would be required. However, I take it you want the hop to be the main star of the show. In which case:

Cascade is really good as a single hop. Nice and tropical but also has earthy and citrus flavours. Probably one of the most complex hops IMHO.
I've had really good centennial single hop beers as well. It's kind of like Cascade but more citrusy and a bit stronger tasting.
Nelson Sauvin is good, a bit on the expensive side and enough is needed to make it work as a single hop.
Sorachi ace is really unique and I love it. Wish I could grow one in my garden. Flavours of bubblegum, dill and lemon.
Citra definitely is bold enough to be used as a single hop but I personally think it's a bit over rated considering how much it costs.
Simcoe is good - mango, tropical and earthy.

Hi thanks, yeah I was aiming for a few Smash beers to get an idea of individual hope flavours before I start adding other grains. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[PaulRob]

I've done a few succesful Smash's, Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, Azacca and Amarillo spring to mind. One of my favorites was a Brooklyn Sorachi Ace clone which used Sorachi Ace hops and belgian yeast. It tasted of bananas when first brewed but after 6 weeks or so in the keg it became far more subtle and an amazing beer.

I've done a few succesful Smash's, Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, Azacca and Amarillo spring to mind. One of my favorites was a Brooklyn Sorachi Ace clone which used Sorachi Ace hops and belgian yeast. It tasted of bananas when first brewed but after 6 weeks or so in the keg it became far more subtle and an amazing beer.

That's 3 mentions of Sorachi Ace already, not one that was mentioned a lot when looking into single hop, one I liked the sound of was Mandarina Bavaria, not sure if that would work though.

 

[Mungri]

Mandarina Bavaria is a nice hop. I'ts quite subtle in flavour, but I like that.
Mosaic is a good one for a smash, lots of fruity flavour in this.

 

[PaulRob]

Mandarina Bavaria is a nice hop. I'ts quite subtle in flavour, but I like that.
Mosaic is a good one for a smash, lots of fruity flavour in this.

That sound about what I'm looking for, nice flavour but not too overpowering. Thanks.

 

[marshbrewer]

East Kent Golding's. Yum yum.

 

[Clint]

It's a mix...I think...try falconers flight.

 

[simon12]

If your doing 3 I would go for classic hops from UK US & Australia or NZ, so Cascade for US and EKG for UK not sure on the other. Or just try ones you think you will like.

 

[samale]

Mosaic for me

 

[PaulRob]

Mosaic for me

That one always seems popular.

 

[PaulRob]

If your doing 3 I would go for classic hops from UK US & Australia or NZ, so Cascade for US and EKG for UK not sure on the other. Or just try ones you think you will like.

I will be doing 3 with the same hop, different schedules though and different yeasts. Just because I only do 5 litre batches, and don't want to overstock on hops. Cheers.

 

[Rodcx500z]

The 2 for me are challenger, and EKG, equinox OR Equinaut as it's now known is not bad,

 

[Keats]

If you are just wanting to learn about flavours, you might be better off using a different hop to bitter with as a lot of the flavour will be driven off during the boil. A lot of the hops mentioned above are twice the price of something like Magnum which adds a very clean bitterness, leaving you more of the tasty stuff to add as flavour / dry hop additions.

 

[PaulRob]

The 2 for me are challenger, and EKG, equinox OR Equinaut as it's now known is not bad,

Thanks.

 

[PaulRob]

If you are just wanting to learn about flavours, you might be better off using a different hop to bitter with as a lot of the flavour will be driven off during the boil. A lot of the hops mentioned above are twice the price of something like Magnum which adds a very clean bitterness, leaving you more of the tasty stuff to add as flavour / dry hop additions.

Thanks for the good advice, much appreciated.

 

[Keruso]

I made an uberbrew cc7 clone recently, chinook, citra and Idaho 7 for flavor and aroma including dry hopping, the Idaho 7 really came through, orange and tangerine, superb flavor.

 

[MrRook]

What hops are in your favorite beer?