Dry-hopping with Saaz

General Homebrew Discussion
1

I brewed a honey blonde ale in Febrewary using 1# of honey post boil, .5 ounce hallertau fwh, 1 ounce tettnang at 30 minutes and .5 ounce hallertau at 10 minutes. OG was 1.060 and FG was 1.006. I used wlp060 and fermented at 60f. After 14 weeks of lagering I finally tapped it and it tasted good, but not great. Clean beer, nice honey character, but missing something. Well I had just opened a pound of saaz and thought why not dry hop? So 3 ounces in 5 gallons and 5 days later, it tastes terrible! It has an overpowering floral/medicinal flavor. Has anyone else experienced this dry-hopping with saaz? Any suggestions to fix it? Dump it?

2

IMO you just overpowered the beer with too much hops.  A half ounce to one would have been plenty in that beer.  Only thing to do now is let it sit some more and wait for the dry hop to come out some.  Maybe others have a different take.

Dave

3

+1 to giving it time. You can also try cold-conditioning it for a month or so. That has helped me on beers that I’ve over-dryhopped in the past.

4

FWIW  I have only dry hopped with Saaz one time.  I did not care for it at all.  The flavor just wasn’t right.  This was in a blond ale.

5

Thanks for the replies.  Fortunately keg space is not an issue at the moment, so I’ll keep it for now. But if it’s not drinkable by mid July- slug bait! I’ve never been much of a dry-hopper, but IME 3 ounces hasn’t been overpowering with other varieties in other styles. I enjoy saaz, but this is my first and last time dry-hopping with it!

6

And in a hoppy style, 3 oz is definitely a good amount for dry hops (with the right variety). For something like a blonde where you don’t have enough bitterness to back it up it may I could see how it might get overpowering.

7

It can get overpowering and it did! But I have to think 3 ounces of another variety of hop would have been ok. Still a little over the top for a blonde, but drinkable nonetheless. The saaz was just weird. Like drinking cheap perfume! Not that I would know…

8

You could brew another Blonde and blend the two. Or, blend it at the taps with something a bit more maltier & hoppier that can handle the SAAZ…  Cheers, and good luck!!!

9

+1.  I think a beer that finished @ ,say 1.012,  could have handled the 3 oz of Saaz much better.

10

Yep.  Years ago, I was warned not to dry hop with Saaz.  I did it anyway with the same results as you.

11

Denny, in a Blonde or another style?  I’ve dry-hopped many a BoPils with Saaz with excellent results.

Dave

12

A pseudo pils made with WY1007.

13

Yea, that’s a really clean strain.  I use 2001, 2124 or 2278 for my BoPils.  They all stand up to the flavor very well.  It may change  your mind!  I’ll bring one to NHC for ya…

Dave

14

Thanks!

15

So what happened to your Saaz dry hopped beer? Age til the hops drop out? Dump it? Pinch your nose and choke it down? Give it to that beer disposal friend we all have?

I agree that 1.012 could have handled 3 oz of hops better but the Saaz just didn’t work. Maybe it reacts with the honey to make some offensive new chemical? I cannot get to the bottom of a small glass. It’s that bad.

As far as blending- I just wouldn’t do that to another beer! I have nothing on tap that’s lacking a cheap cologne taste!

16

Seems like one would want to dry hop with a great aroma. To me Saaz is to funky.