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Beginner Hop Selection

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  • Beginner Hop Selection

    So I want to purchase a few different varieties of hops. Being a complete Noob I'm wondering what would be a good selection of hops to have on hand. Due to where I am located it is much cheaper and easier to do a small bulk purchase then a bunch of little purchases. I was looking at ordering 5 or so varieties of Hops in 100g bags to keep in the freezer for future brews.
    I was thinking something along the lines of:
    100g cascade
    100g centennial
    100g Simco
    100g Saaz
    100g Citra

    Thoughts? My brews of choice going forward will be IPA, APA, NEIPA

  • #2
    drop the saaz, it will be lost in those, i'd add mosaic and amarillo - check out brulosophys macc ipa recipe - delicious. simcoe has a strong flavor and can be overbearing. what are you bittering with? magnum is neutral enough, chinook and cascade works well together. keep in mind when doing ipa and dry hopping your going to run through your hops.

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    • #3
      OK, so my recommendation is going to be simple.

      1. Buy two types of bittering hops. One being on the fruity/citrus side of things, and one being on the earthy/resinous side of things. You're going to use these two for your 60 minute additions to boost your IBUs.
      2. Buy two or three types of flavour/aroma hops. Find a flavour you're liking, and stick to it. For one, I can see that you have 4 hops there that are all quite similar, and then Saaz. Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe are all very similar, with Citra being slightly more citrus-oriented. Saaz, on the other hand, is very different. It's quite earthy, herbal and almost "pungent" if you ask me. It's nowhere near the same as the others. It seems like you're aiming for the fruity hops, so for starters I would actually recommend a packet of Citra/Cascade/Centennial/Simcoe and then something that compliments it, like the South African U1/108 (Soutern Tropic), African Queen or Southern Passion. They will all suit your IPA/APA/NEIPA brews well.

      I have to press one thing - don't buy too much hops outright. It's a mistake everyone makes initially, and before long you find a favourite or something you don't like and then you're stuck with a bunch you don't like.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
        drop the saaz, it will be lost in those, i'd add mosaic and amarillo - check out brulosophys macc ipa recipe - delicious. simcoe has a strong flavor and can be overbearing. what are you bittering with? magnum is neutral enough, chinook and cascade works well together. keep in mind when doing ipa and dry hopping your going to run through your hops.
        Okay awesome thanks! so should I up the quantity? I could get SA hop for bittering, but I think they only have T90 blend 1kg packs left at bevplus.. but the price is right R209

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Toxxyc View Post
          OK, so my recommendation is going to be simple.

          1. Buy two types of bittering hops. One being on the fruity/citrus side of things, and one being on the earthy/resinous side of things. You're going to use these two for your 60 minute additions to boost your IBUs.
          2. Buy two or three types of flavour/aroma hops. Find a flavour you're liking, and stick to it. For one, I can see that you have 4 hops there that are all quite similar, and then Saaz. Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe are all very similar, with Citra being slightly more citrus-oriented. Saaz, on the other hand, is very different. It's quite earthy, herbal and almost "pungent" if you ask me. It's nowhere near the same as the others. It seems like you're aiming for the fruity hops, so for starters I would actually recommend a packet of Citra/Cascade/Centennial/Simcoe and then something that compliments it, like the South African U1/108 (Soutern Tropic), African Queen or Southern Passion. They will all suit your IPA/APA/NEIPA brews well.

          I have to press one thing - don't buy too much hops outright. It's a mistake everyone makes initially, and before long you find a favourite or something you don't like and then you're stuck with a bunch you don't like.
          Okay thanks, all good points, what would be too many hops 500g, 1 kg ? I'll drop Saaz from the mix.
          I am seriously having trouble knowing what to get as I have no idea which hops bring out the flavours I like.. I'm kinda looking at trying a bunch and see what gels with my palate

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by hopingmadinZam View Post
            Okay thanks, all good points, what would be too many hops 500g, 1 kg ? I'll drop Saaz from the mix.
            I am seriously having trouble knowing what to get as I have no idea which hops bring out the flavours I like.. I'm kinda looking at trying a bunch and see what gels with my palate
            Before you pull the trigger, do some reading http://www.hopslist.com/hops/
            I cant comment (yet) on ZA hops. I have just bulked up on hops for german and english (2kg) styles, i'll do the apa thing until i'm out then not replenish for a bit. i still have around a kilo (if not more) of random hops in the freezer too.

            however, there's a large variety when it comes to hops and styles

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            • #7
              Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
              Before you pull the trigger, do some reading http://www.hopslist.com/hops/
              I cant comment (yet) on ZA hops. I have just bulked up on hops for german and english (2kg) styles, i'll do the apa thing until i'm out then not replenish for a bit. i still have around a kilo (if not more) of random hops in the freezer too.

              however, there's a large variety when it comes to hops and styles
              Thanks I was looking through that the other day. Reads a bit like a foreign language at the moment with the experience I have (or lack there of). Cheers,

              Comment


              • #8
                -> very simplified and traditional reply

                alpha acid or AA indicates how "potent" your hop will be, traditionally when you boil you'd usually add a bittering hop right at the start, then later on flavor and aroma hops, these hops tend to be lower in AA. Dual use hops can be used either way. Look at the descriptions and whittle down your preferences.
                If you bitter with a hop with low AA, you're going to need more of it at the start of your boil. higher aa hop would mean less hops needed to bitter.

                then preference comes into play, ideally your bittering hops should be neutral in taste (dependant on style) then you can explore flavor/aroma hops at different intervals and quantities.

                -> i tend to be a bit more unconventional in my approach and like to tip holy cows that certain brewers aren't able to let go of or attempt...quite harmful to hold onto debunked methodologies

                my approach to apas recently for instance, no bittering hops in the boil, massive 5min addition of lowish aa hops - bursts of flavor. my first south african hopped (southern passion) beer will have 200g in the hopstand, with nothing in the boil. i'll dry hop it with 100g of the same hop to boot.

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                • #9
                  I'm with you Groenspookasem. Want to attempt the same on my next one. But much lower hopped. Only 60g at flameout and leave it in for the dry hop.
                  You say you like IPA. APA and NEIPA. can you be more specific on flavors? That way we can be more specific on recommendations.
                  But like Groen also said these Stiles can rocket through hops. A common amount of hops for a neipa is 250g. So your shipment will make 2 beers

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by jannieverjaar View Post
                    I'm with you Groenspookasem. Want to attempt the same on my next one. But much lower hopped. Only 60g at flameout and leave it in for the dry hop.
                    You say you like IPA. APA and NEIPA. can you be more specific on flavors? That way we can be more specific on recommendations.
                    But like Groen also said these Stiles can rocket through hops. A common amount of hops for a neipa is 250g. So your shipment will make 2 beers
                    Thanks all for the responses, as for my flavour preferences... I can't actually remember, it's sad but it has been about 2 years since I've been able to drink anything other than a commercial light lager...
                    I remember loving CBCs amber weiss, I had a grapefruit IPA once that was pretty amazing. I think I like citrusy fruit flavours, but it has been so long I'm not really sure. From the YT videos I've watched the Juicy IPAs look amazing so I am aiming at trying to make a few of those with a slightly reduced bittering addition, I'll ease myself in to that. When I lived in the USA I found most American style IPAs a bit overhopped, but APAs just right. Never tried a NEIPA... but looks like it'll float my boat.
                    I'm really just on a discovery voyage, you SA people are very lucky to be able to pop down to the local tops and get a non-commercial beer to try, let alone on tap at the local bar.

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