I say ‘clean’ as in ‘not fruity’ like what you get when you use Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, etc. I make an Amarillo-Citra Pale Ale pretty often but I occasionally like to make something with some nice late-hopitude but with cleaner hops like Santiam, Glacier, Mt. Hood, Liberty, etc. I’m looking for some other ideas and I generally stay away from Cascade and Chinook. I may bitter with Magnum, Horizon, Nugget or Columbus and then add late hops anywhere from 15 to flameout plus a whirlpool and/or dry hop. Who does something like this and what hops do you use? Maybe I’ll be inspired to use some new & different hops. Cheers.
I think that Crystal is both an awesome and highly underrated hop for APAs. It’s especially good as a late addition flying solo.
Oh yeah, great idea and a hop I hadn’t used in a very long time. I have a “hoppy blonde” kegged right now where I added a bunch of late Liberty after remembering that they are a sort of American Hallertau Mitt and that I used them in the past but then forgot about them because so many new hops come out all the time. Crystal falls into that same category and I haven’t used it for a long time. Ultra may be thrown into that mix as well. Cheers.
+1 to Crystal, it’s a very nice hop. Since the fruity hops and C hops are off the table, noble varieties or their offshoots like Crystal, Liberty, Mt Hood, Santiam, etc. would seem to be the best fit.
Are English Pale Ale’s an option? If so, Fuggles, Target, Northdown, Challenger, EKG, etc. are all fair game.
Yes, I will grab some 1028, 1099, 1469 or 1968 and use English malt along with Northdown, Target, etc. and then late hop those beers with mostly EKG or the occasional Whitbread Golding, US Golding or even Styrian Golding (which has been coming in at a robust 1.9% lately!). I will also make a “British Blonde” or “English Summer Ale” along these lines as well with the grain bill bringing the beer into the 5-6 SRM as opposed to the 9-10 SRM range. Good ideas peeps. Any other clean hops out there that I have overlooked? Earlier this year I had a nice “clean” pale ale that has Glacier in it and I had never used it. Really nice character when used late.
Sterling is a nice hop of noble heritage. It can get a bit of a lemonade note if you start to push the hopping level, but at lower hopping rates it is pretty clean. Ultra is another clean one, very Saaz-like.
I made a simple Pale Ale with homegrown Sterling but I also mixed in some Cascade and Centennial. I always liked Willamette. If you ever had anything from Lagunitas they use that hop a lot…maybe not late in the boil but a lot in the middle additions. Ever tried Ahtanum? Its a nice very underated hop as well. Its fruity and earthy with slight citrus. Kind of earthy but clean and mellow.
Check out Rogue’s Brutal IPA, formerly Brutal Bitter.
Good call Denny, that’s exactly what I had in mind. And local options for Village (and me) would include Ale Syndicate Municipal or Revolution Crystal Hero.
I did a series of pales this year, each bittered with Warrior and then all late additions of the following: Saphir, Saaz and Perle, each one for a separate batch.they all got nice reviews and where very enjoyable
Saphir, Perle and Willamette are all great suggestions. I have used them all but not as a pale ale addition. For some reason I have certain hops that I use but then overlook and I really need to come back to them. Good stuff Beerheads.
Shhhhhhhhhh! One of the best kept secrets!
They can be tricky to find sometimes too, right? Last time I had them they checked in at about 4% or so. I’m going to hook up with an online supplier and grab some Willamette, Crystal, Perle, maybe Ultra and Saphir too. Woot! 
My current stock of Crystal is 2.2% AA. Only good for late additions.
Yep. Mine that arrived today are 2.5%. They go in at the end of the boil and dry hop for a pale lager.
Crystal is the lone hop in my Cream Ale recipe. It’s very clean, and I think it’s what makes this beer a crowd favorite.
I make a Vienna Malt Kölsch style with Hersbrucker and Mittelfrüh. Lovely and clean. Have switched yeasts around but it always comes out nice and clean tasting hop wise.