Out of curiosity, I picked up 2 ounces of New Zealand Pacific Jade hops at my LHBS today. The description is citrusy with black pepper notes. Has anyone tried these? I was thinking of using them in a saison.
I haven’t used them but that description matches extremely well with a saison; good call. Saison Pipaix-like, I’d guess.
I’m not so sure—while the Pacific Jade hop profile description (citrusy w/ black pepper notes) does suggest the profile of a Saison, one needs to remember that it is the saison yeast (e.g., WY3711 or WY3724) which contributes a substantial amount of this character already.
While the use of Pacific Jade hops may be complimentary, it may also be masked, or outright clash.
If you’re trying to investigate the characteristics of the Pacific Jade hop itself–I’d suggest using a less complex beer style (e.g., pale ale or blond ale) that uses yeast possessing a cleaner profile (e.g. WY 1056).
I’ve been going thru and doing test batches for all the NZ hops… this one is on the list but I won’t be able to get to it for a few more weeks. I’ll put it to the top of the schedule. So far I’m very impressed with all the NZ hops.
Maybe I’ll try a couple different beers with these. I’ll start with an established saison recipe I’ve been making regularly and swap the hops out with Pacific Jade. That should help me differentiate the hop flavor contributions vs. yeast flavor contributions. Based on my experience with this recipe, I expect the hops to complement the flavors. I’ll report back when it’s done…
when I ‘test’ a new hop and sometimes a specialty grain, I do 1gal batches. I use only pale malt and add the hops at 60m and 10m. Gives me a real good idea of how they bitter and flavor/aroma. From there I take notes and then start thinking where I could use them and what I could mix them with.
They sound like they’d make an excellent Saison, but if you’re wanting to get a sense of the hop character make an American Pale Ale with them instead.