Has anyone ever used them? The descriptions range from Saaz-like and herbal, to Saaz-like with strong citrus notes (lemon/grapefruit). They sound a bit like Motueka to me, and have about 1-2 times the oil content.
I picked up a 4oz bag from Farmhouse to try out. I have a 100% Red X saison with Belle Saison and a whirlpool-hopped Pils on deck soon, and I’m thinking of using it in one of those - possibly in combination with Motueka. I’ll post back with some tasting notes once the beer is ready.
I can’t help, but you should use some smoked malt and call it Rauch the Kazbek.
Brilliant! If I ever brew a rauchbier, this will be it.
with sushi = Rauch and Roll!
I am hesitant to resurrect this very punny thread, but I’ve been using Kazbek in a lot of my brews lately and I’ve become quite fond of it. I would compare it to Sterling in that it has that spicy, Saaz-like noble hop character, but with a bit of a lemony undertone. The difference to me so far is that I get some lemon out of Kazbek even at fairly low hopping rates, but I don’t get much from Sterling until I start getting to larger amounts late in the boil. I haven’t tried a Kazbek in a heavily-hopped beer yet, but I definitely will be soon. This would be really nice in hoppy lagers, like a Pivo-style dry-hopped Pils.
I just picked up a half pound of Kazbek myself. Bought them to try in conjunction with Saaz in a hoppy pils…we shall see.
Oh, I’ve got to try it in a pils.
Some friends have used it in their Czech Pils, very nice beer.
I’ve used kazbek a lot on the commercial side, not on the homebrew side. It definitely has the saaz-like spice and herbal character, and it also has a noticeable green bell pepper aroma and flavor, with a little black pepper as well. I can’t say that I’ve ever picked up citrus notes from it. Very good in a pils.