Suggest me some hops

[ravey]

In a previous thread I asked about whether people acquired a taste for hops as I was a bit unsure about my latest hopped brew. In the end I liked the brew (2+2+2=yum) so I asked for suggestions for some hops to try, but tagged onto the end of an old thread may not have been the best place, so a new thread....


I'd like to experiment with dry hopping/hop teas to see which varieties I like, but there's so many I don't know where to start. There appears to be spicy, earthy, citrusy (is that a word?), etc. If you had to pick 5 hops that give a fair representation of what the different varieties offer, which would they be?

If the type of beer makes a big difference I'm lager drinker who is expanding my horizons into other light coloured ales, and have 7 IPA kits, 6 bitter kits, and 1 lager kit lined up to brew.

 

[568ml]

I have tried a few random hobs, but since I brewed up Coopers Marilyn's Secret, my favourite hobs are Motueka and Vic Secret. I loved the taste of that blonde ale, so much so I might get a third pot going :)

 

[Godsdog]

In a previous thread I asked about whether people acquired a taste for hops as I was a bit unsure about my latest hopped brew. In the end I liked the brew (2+2+2=yum) so I asked for suggestions for some hops to try, but tagged onto the end of an old thread may not have been the best place, so a new thread....


I'd like to experiment with dry hopping/hop teas to see which varieties I like, but there's so many I don't know where to start. There appears to be spicy, earthy, citrusy (is that a word?), etc. If you had to pick 5 hops that give a fair representation of what the different varieties offer, which would they be?

If the type of beer makes a big difference I'm lager drinker who is expanding my horizons into other light coloured ales, and have 7 IPA kits, 6 bitter kits, and 1 lager kit lined up to brew.

There are fruity.citrus.lemon.floral.resinous.orange.spicy.blackcurrant.lychee.pine.cedar.black pepper.grapefruit. honey.raisin.passion fruit.earthy.herbal.lime.tropical.peach.coconut.liquorice. vanilla.and maybe a few others I haven't mentioned and hops can have 3/4 of those characteristics. I found its best experimenting with flavours that you like with fairly bland beer kits like ceverers and wilkos hoppy copper as they are a great base to fiddle about with.my personal favourite tastes are grapefruit and citrus,so tend to go for Chinook,cascade and citra with some Amarillo thrown in and had some lovely hoppy beers

 

[Wabby]

My favourite at the moment: Simcoe

 

[cheapbrew]

Its all down to personal taste really, some people say citra is like the crack cocaine of hops, but I'm not so sure.

I suggest trying a few commercial beers with different hops and seeing which ones you like

 

[pms67]

Mosaic all day long for me, its so pungent, try M&S Mosaic Pale Ale and you will see what i mean.

 

[BeerisGOD]

Its all down to personal taste really, some people say citra is like the crack cocaine of hops, but I'm not so sure.

I suggest trying a few commercial beers with different hops and seeing which ones you like

I was wandering why I looked a bit ashen after a pint with citra hops in

 

[Tim1975]

I dry hopped 10g Galaxy, 10g Mosaic and 20g Amarillo in a lager and it really is the best thing I have ever drunk, blooming marvellous!!

 

[DoctorMick]

I was wandering why I looked a bit ashen after a pint with citra hops in

I explains why I always want another one! :lol:

As for varieties, it might be a good idea to try wildly different varieties.

- Citra - big American citrus hop.
- Centennial - another American citrusy but very different to Citra, my personal favourite.
- Saaz - noble hop, described as spicy and clean. Often used in lagers I think.
- Fuggles - English hop, spicy and floral. I can't stand it but plenty of people do.
- Goldings - another English hop but very, very different to Fuggles, much more subtle.

 

[terrym]

Try these ......

Hops Chart
Suitable hops for English and American ales - The HomeBrew Forum
Hops | The Stout Palace
Hops Varieties for Brewing Beer Guide | Where legends are made

 

[The Idiot]

The interesting thing about hops are that not all hops are good at all things! Certain single hop beers work very well, but they can be a bit two-dimensional. Often the hop shines in one part of the process but the beer is lacking in other characteristics where another hop might have lifted it.

For me, hop combinations are more important. A good bittering hop and a decent flavour/aroma hop fill both ends of the spectrum, and often two flavour hops that complement each other (or ones that clash but clash well) can create a beer that is simply far superior to any single hop variety, no matter how much you love it.

 

[ravey]

Thanks for the suggestions, I realise that it's all subjective but I don't know what I like (I like some spicy food but have no idea what a spicy hop would taste like).

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[AdrianTrace]

You can buy single hop beers at the supermarket - M&S do a specific range to make it easier (but not necessarily cheap). You could try a few and find out both what you like and how the various hops are described.

Just a warning on the M&S range - they state the brewery on them so you can look out for the actual beer: for the M&S Citra (Oakhams Brewery) I looked along the shelf and they also had Oakhams Citra on sale at 20p less than the M&S branded version.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I dry hopped 10g Galaxy, 10g Mosaic and 20g Amarillo in a lager and it really is the best thing I have ever drunk, blooming marvellous!!

I can vouch for galaxy and amarillo a great combination, but I dry hop 50g galaxy & 50g amarillo :whistle:

 

[ravey]

You can buy single hop beers at the supermarket - M&S do a specific range to make it easier (but not necessarily cheap). You could try a few and find out both what you like and how the various hops are described.

Just a warning on the M&S range - they state the brewery on them so you can look out for the actual beer: for the M&S Citra (Oakhams Brewery) I looked along the shelf and they also had Oakhams Citra on sale at 20p less than the M&S branded version.

Yeah I know but I'm cheap. Maybe I'll get some for chrimbles.

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[Tim1975]

I can vouch for galaxy and amarillo a great combination, but I dry hop 50g galaxy & 50g amarillo :whistle:

Holy Moley that's a ramp up in grams Vs what I use, maybe I'll give a 50 / 50 a go next time 😊

 

[Hoppyland]

If you had to pick 5 hops that give a fair representation of what the different varieties offer, which would they be?

Well, bittering is first up. I don't think it matters that much - so my first variety is Warrior. Lots & lots of bittering, not much else.
For flavour and aroma:
Second hop, for British beers - Fuggles and Goldings. Choose either one depending upon quality. Get them fresh and green and either is equally good.
The other three. Definitely Mosaic, probably Amarillo. Then its a dogfight. Centennial or Citra maybe. Lemon Drop even?

 

[Covrich]

I find it hard to describe a spicy hop like challenger, I would say you get a floralness but it has a little zing on your tounge, its not going to be like drinking a pint of vindaloo, it just has a subtle zing and bite to it thats all..

 

[ravey]

I've tallied up how many mentions each variety got and the read up on them, deciding on amarillo, challenger, citra, fuggles and mosaic.

As I have 6 each brewmaker IPA and bitter kits, does anyone think either would make a better test platform to try these in?

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[Hoppyland]

Well, I'm not familiar with the kits. But the orthodox approach would be:
English Bitter - Fuggles & Challenger
IPA - Mosaic, Amarillo, Citra

However, if you're only wanting to dry hop or add hop tea then you're not really looking at bittering. If so, then personally I'd ditch the Challenger (a dual-purpose hop, but a nice one). Instead, you can't beat East Kent Goldings for flavour and aroma in my opinion :)