What to make with my hops?

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Hi guys,

So I bought a bunch of hops when I started out, and I was daft. I just bought "cheap IBUs", so to speak, and never really paid attention to what I can use it for. So now I have a few packets I seem to never use, and I want to know what can I make with them. IPA? APA? Barleywine? Where to start?

I have some Cascade, U1/108, Southern Star, Southern Promise and a tiny bit of Saaz. I'm planning on using the Saaz in a lager, so that's fine, but the rest...?

[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

Yip, Saaz would be great for the lagers + pilsners you make

The Southern Star is nice to have around as a bittering hop.

Cascade is nice in an IPA ... I love the grapefruit notes you get from them.
The U1/105 (Southern Tropic) I think you can mix with the cascade in that IPA ?

The Southern Promise Im not to sure .... suppose to have woody and earthy notes, so not something Im usually after ?

[camsaway Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close camsaway]

What JIGSAW said.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Thanks for that guys. I was thinking the same. Thing is though, I'm sort of over the "hop craze" I went through a while ago, so I'm not REALLY in the mood for a full-batch IPA. What other styles can I do that'll use those tropical/grapefruit hops? APA? Maybe a barley wine?

I see they recommend it for pretty much all beer styles, which is odd for me. For example, I see them mentioning it in a Red Ale as well, which is odd as I've never really picked up those citrus notes in the RAs I've had before. I always found them rich, malty and quite sweet. Does that then not perhaps refer to an American Amber Ale? Or a Red APA?

Struggling to make a decision here. Whatever I choose though, it seems like I'm leaning toward the "stronger" side this time. I want to make a beer in the high percentages this time. Maybe a nice 8% Red Ale. I have some CaraAroma and also some Munich I, some Pale Ale and some Vienna malts on hand. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a red beer now, actually.

[jannieverjaar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jannieverjaar]

If APA is 18B. American Pale ale then I suggest. Can still play with the grains. But you like Vienna and Caraaroma. So this should fit nicely.and be well balanced

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[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

I'm actually thinking that I want to brew this, ferment it, then cube it and let it sit in the fridge for a few weeks/months. Then I'll dry hop and bottle. I want to see if I can enter a homebrew comp this year perhaps, and maybe this isn't a bad brew to attempt it with. That recipe looks good, thanks, think I'll give it a shot sometime!

PS: Only 30 mins boil?

EDIT: Oh yes, the hops are U1/108 or Southern Tropic. I don't think there's a U1/105 in my fridge.

[jannieverjaar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jannieverjaar]

I never boil more then 30 min. I consider it wastage.

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[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

OK so if my process and equipment is perfectly dialed in for a 60-minute boil, I'll just add the hops later?

[jannieverjaar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jannieverjaar]

Or add less star at 60min. And just keep the rest as is

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[groenspookasem Banned Find all posts View Profile Close groenspookasem]

I never boil more then 30 min. I consider it wastage.

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+100 ! Couldnt agree with you more. I do still mash "long" but will play a bit with shorter mashes and bump the grainbill to make up for lost efficiency or few raw ales as a test. My next avenue on hopping is around my APAs. I dont bitter them at all anymore, just chuck a feck tonne of hops in at 5min, but still keeping it balanced or in style. Comes out delicious ! I want to move this method into the hop-stand and have no hops in the boil, dropping it to 15min in the process. My time is important, I could justify the hop wastage on electricity savings, or say it's a clever way of brewing in load-shedding windows or just getting rid of hops that's getting long in the tooth or even extending the failure window of my element ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, a 60min or longer boil would destroy any flavor from your hops and leave you with the bittering effects only. Also bOiLlInG oFf dMs which with modern malts becomes less of an issue, except if the holy cows of outdated brewing principles are too deeply ingrained.

[StevenD (Slainthe) Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StevenD (Slainthe)]

If it's a Red Ale you are leaning towards, you might consider Brewdog's recipe called "Hops Kill Nazis" (# 64 in their recipe book). I made it at the start of lockdown and it is really good. The only thing I changed was dialling back on the dryhopping. I used 100g instead of the 178g the recipe called for, but even that was too much. If I had to brew it again, I wouldn't go more than 35g for the dryhop phase.

Thanks for that guys. I was thinking the same. Thing is though, I'm sort of over the "hop craze" I went through a while ago, so I'm not REALLY in the mood for a full-batch IPA. What other styles can I do that'll use those tropical/grapefruit hops? APA? Maybe a barley wine?

I see they recommend it for pretty much all beer styles, which is odd for me. For example, I see them mentioning it in a Red Ale as well, which is odd as I've never really picked up those citrus notes in the RAs I've had before. I always found them rich, malty and quite sweet. Does that then not perhaps refer to an American Amber Ale? Or a Red APA?

Struggling to make a decision here. Whatever I choose though, it seems like I'm leaning toward the "stronger" side this time. I want to make a beer in the high percentages this time. Maybe a nice 8% Red Ale. I have some CaraAroma and also some Munich I, some Pale Ale and some Vienna malts on hand. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a red beer now, actually.

[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

I never boil more then 30 min. I consider it wastage.

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So glad Im not the only one. I can't remember when last I did a 60min boil. When I see a recipe online that I like to try, I convert it to a 30min boil.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

So a little bit more hops vs a longer boil, essentially?

[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

So a little bit more hops vs a longer boil, essentially?

Essentially yes ... but i usually keep the amounts the same and just add a little Southern Star to make up the IBU's between 60 to 30 min lost

that's why I said its nice to keep some on hand

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Great, thanks! Think I'll try it for a batch over the weekend (the 30 min boil). Need to make something fun for a change...