What varieties of American hops are especially suitable for brewing a Single Hops American IPA? Any varieties that should NOT be used?
My suggestion would be to use Centennial.
I wouldn’t use any British or German hops in a single hop AIPA, for starters. So no Kent Goldings, Fuggles, Hallertau, Saaz, etc.
These are good for this : Centennial, Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, Ahtanum, Chinook, Equinox, Nugget, Columbus, to name a few.
EDIT - I’d add Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Azacca, Calypso and El Dorado. An El Dorado IPA would be a ‘fruit bomb’ but it might be interesting…once.
yep the C’s are nice-centennial, cascade and citra. i use them together in my pale ale and am going to brew an IPA this weekend with them.
+1
Personally I avoid Citra as a single hop.
I felt that way for a long time too Steve, and then I had a Lawson’s Double Sunshine which is almost all Citra AFAIK, and that changed my opinion…
I always felt the same too. Three Floyds Zombie Dust is an all Citra that I actually enjoyed fresh. And a brewer friend of mine made an all Citra IPA that was actually pretty darn good. It’s not my favorite hop but I like it now and then.
thirsty dog citra is another single hop (citra) that i think is really nice.
I made and all simcoe session ale this past summer that was very drinkable.
Thirsty Dog (out of Akron, OH) Citra Dog is one of my favorite IPA’s because I usually get it very fresh. I love it, but it doesn’t have the same pineapple/mango flavor that I get when I brew with it. It has a more grapefruit taste.
I have brewed a single hopped Citra APA and I didn’t care for it. I love Citra, but when I brew with it, I have to have something with it. This is why I mentioned Centennial. Cents are about as well-rounded a hop out there for American hoppy ales IMO. Bell’s Two Hearted is one of my go-to’s and it’s exclusively hopped with Cents.
Beat me too it. Thirsty Dog makes good beer. I don’t think many people outside of Northeast Ohio has had much of their beer.
+1. That’s why I just don’t care for most single hopped beers. The right combo can play off each other and be a lot more interesting. Back to Citra - Simcoe is a good balance for Citra too, and both have about the same intensity, ie., a lot.
Double Sunshine is one of the best beers I have ever had - It was great. I have grown very fond of brewing with Citra for my IPA’s. My “house” IPA uses Columbus FWH and then 3 ounces of citra at 5 minutes, 3 ounces whirlpool and 3 ounces dry hop for 3 days. I can’t brew it fast enough - for myself or my friends.
My club is doing s single hop pale ale experiment - all the same recipe and IBU’s matched (i.e., rather than by weight). My hop is mosaic - the hydrometer sample was very good, so I have high hopes for it once carbed. We do the tasting in December, so I hope nothing fades too badly before then…can’t say what it might be like at a higher IBU level such as an IPA, but I’m thinking it might be a good candidate.
I’ve done it and it’s good. Mosaic is a pretty complex hop to me with piney/dankness and the fruity/berry thing. I think you’ll like it.
I get a lot of garlic from mosaic. I have probably 10-12 oz in the freezer that probably won’t ever get used by me lol
Wow, never had that from them…yet. It really sounds like a harvest thing according to a lot of the wisdom here and elsewhere. The timing of the harvest, soil, etc.
yeah - I have a 2/3mosaic 1/3cascade hopped amber that I just tapped and don’t get that, although ive heard other folks mention the same before. weird.
If it appears, I’m hoping it fades in the next month…I wonder if it is a result of certain yeasts with Mosaic beers - do you recall the yeast you used when you got the garlic thing? Our yeast was US-05 FWIW.