I’m just about to kick a keg of pale ale in which I used Centennial, Cascade, and Citra as my late/whirlpool/dry hops (horizon was my bittering hop). It’s a great brew and I’m happy with the malt bill, but would like to see how different I can make this brew taste with different hops. What are your favorite hop combinations that don’t use any of the above for a pale ale?
I like the combination of El Dorado and Lemon Drop. Apparently, that’s the combo used in Stone’s Delicious IPA.
I do something similar in that I keep my malt bill and yeast the same and just change out hops interchangeably from batch to batch although I always use cascade because I want that character consistent. What kind of hop character are you looking for?
Good question, I figured that was coming at some point! Other than “different”, I’d say “not piney”… bright, vibrant, citrus, floral. 40ish IBUs and a big big aroma. Otherwise, I kind of just want to see what happens. I did an IPA a ways back with a similar hop bill and the two brews just came out too similar. I don’t think I’ve ever used El Dorado or Lemon Drop, so I like where we’re going with this. Thanks!
Vic Secret, Meridian, Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Enigma, HBC438, Kohatu and Caliente are all primarily fruit-forward hops that are different than the usual Cascade/Centennial/“C”-hop flavor, and aren’t the mango-bomb that Citra usually is. All of them are worth playing with in any combination.
I have got to get my hands on some of that Vic Secret.
Mosaic and Azacca. Excellent Pale ale.
Simcoe and Amarillo…I don’t care for most of the new ultra tropical fruity ones.
This is pretty much my feeling which is why I have gone back to using Cascade in combination with other classics a lot
Amarillo/Simcoe is always good. Azacca/Mt Hood or Azacca/Lemon Drop are nice in APA, too.
After having an IPA that was primarily hopped with Sterling recently, I want to give that a shot in an APA. I have been using it here and there and really like how versatile it is.
I love Sterling for the same reason. It’s herbal/spicy noble-like at low-to moderate hopping rates, then starts to get some citrus as you push the rates higher. Motueka is another hop like that. It has noble character, but then also gives lime zest and lemongrass characters along with it. The thing is that neither is super oily, so they get lost when blended in with more typical IPA hops pretty easily.
Thanks for the info. Sounds like I should give Motueka a shot at some point. What AA% do you normally see it at? Maybe Sterling/Motueka APA
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Next on my schedule is a rebrew of an amber using simcoe, summit, and saphir. I’m thinking that they’d work well in an APA also.
Motueka is usually around 7% AA. Combos great with Sterling. I use that combo a lot in my hoppy lagers.
I’ve used Sterling several times, but not with Motueka. I need to try that in a lager. Like maybe a summery pils. Sounds good.
That’s pretty much my go-to hoppy lager recipe. 5:1 Pils:Munich @1.052, 40 IBU at 60 minutes, then an ounce each at 170F and dry hops (3 gallon batch). Next time around I’ll probably try the whirlpool at 120F with 3-4 ounces total, and skip the dry hop.
Looks like a winner! I had something pretty similar in mind.
I’m surprised that it hasn’t been mentioned yet. Go for a single-hopped Equinox APA. Usually I’m not a fan of single hopped beers, but Equinox is complex enough that it will hold its own. I feel that it has a flavor profile that’s all across the spectrum except for piney. Fruity, citrusy, resinous, and dank rolled all into one hop.
Another option is one of my favorite combos -Citra and galaxy in a 1:1 ratio.
Agree with all of it, Frank.