A review of hops
Posted by Jared Birbeck on Thursday, July 30, 2009
One thing I have noticed in all of my brewing and search through new hops is the distinct lack of reasonable reviews of hops and their impact on the final beer. Sure, there are general comments coming out of the breeders or retailers about the type of hop and possibile substitutions. But, when it comes down to it although it may be similar to another hop the very fact that it is sold as a different variety indicates that it has its own unique flavour profile.
If you're a beer forum frequenter there may be a user's review of the hop or there may be a thread devoted to the hop but invariably that thread is littered with generic comments like "I like this hop and would use it again" which aren't much use when you're planning a beer. So what I will do here is provide a detailed review of hops that I use that may actually provide some guidance as to the use of the hop and the flavours imparted. First up, Warrior.
Warrior
I recently bought a couple of 100g packs of this because I wanted to do a single malt and single hop brew (SMaSH). The generic comments used for this hop was it was similar to Nugget or Columbus. I gave it a try on that basis. I love Columbus, the smell of it, the flavour it imparts. Warrior had one up on Columbus in my view on reading the specs. That is, smoot bitterness. Warrior has alpha acids of around 16%. The one I picked up was 16.4%. But the cohumulone, that factor of the how harsh the bitterness is was around 25%. Columbus on the otherhand has alpa acids of around 15% with the cohumulone of 30%+. Sounded ideal to me.
The first couple of beers I used it in were merely as bittering. One was a lightly hopped ale probably in the style of Little Creatures Bright Ale. Unfortunately, the beer became infected some point towards the end of fermentation. I bottled it regardless and I can say that the bitterness was incredibly smooth. However, the infection stripped a lot of the hop flavour and aroma.
The second beer I used Warrior in was an oatmeal stout. Perfect. One thing that I have found can happen with stouts it if you get a harsh bittering hop it can work against you pretty heavily. The dark grains can add a harshness of their own and combined with a harsh hop the beer, although still tasty, can be a little mouth puckering. Warrior in this stout was amazing. The perfect bittering hop, the beer is smooth. I bittered to around 30 IBU, which isn't much admittedly, but try 30 IBU of a high cohumulone hop and you'll feel it.
The most recent use of Warrior a SMaSH. It was a big brew day. 100+ litres of beer using Warrior all the way through. Bittered to 32 IBU (a lot of the beer was for commercial beer drinkers) it is beautiful. Very smooth. I added 1/2g per litre at 20 and at flame out. Now Warrior is not supposed to have much aroma so I could have gone a bit more without doubt. Next time I will. There is a limited aroma coming from the beer but it it a wonderful fruity smell. A subtle citrus and spice. The flavour is amazing in my view. Again citrus but not overpowering, subtle. Its not orange, or grapefruit but something sweeter, something smoother. Its like a well made orange and mango juice. Hints of citrus and mango with a smoothness that has to be tried to be believed. In fact I'll try it again later today and update the blog with my tasting notes and all of my impressions.
There are hundreds of other hops out there to review. One of my favourites, Green Bullet, will be on the list soon along with a few other 'Southern Hemispere' hops, the much maligned Pride of Ringwood (I love it), Topaz, Riwaka, Rakau, New Zealand grown Styrian Goldings and the list goes on.
But, please feel free to request a hop review. I'll do up an beer and let you know my thoughts. I love to brew, but more than that I love to try new flavours in my brew. I think I'll need my friends to come around to my house more to drink my beer to free up space. :)
If you're a beer forum frequenter there may be a user's review of the hop or there may be a thread devoted to the hop but invariably that thread is littered with generic comments like "I like this hop and would use it again" which aren't much use when you're planning a beer. So what I will do here is provide a detailed review of hops that I use that may actually provide some guidance as to the use of the hop and the flavours imparted. First up, Warrior.
Warrior
I recently bought a couple of 100g packs of this because I wanted to do a single malt and single hop brew (SMaSH). The generic comments used for this hop was it was similar to Nugget or Columbus. I gave it a try on that basis. I love Columbus, the smell of it, the flavour it imparts. Warrior had one up on Columbus in my view on reading the specs. That is, smoot bitterness. Warrior has alpha acids of around 16%. The one I picked up was 16.4%. But the cohumulone, that factor of the how harsh the bitterness is was around 25%. Columbus on the otherhand has alpa acids of around 15% with the cohumulone of 30%+. Sounded ideal to me.
The first couple of beers I used it in were merely as bittering. One was a lightly hopped ale probably in the style of Little Creatures Bright Ale. Unfortunately, the beer became infected some point towards the end of fermentation. I bottled it regardless and I can say that the bitterness was incredibly smooth. However, the infection stripped a lot of the hop flavour and aroma.
The second beer I used Warrior in was an oatmeal stout. Perfect. One thing that I have found can happen with stouts it if you get a harsh bittering hop it can work against you pretty heavily. The dark grains can add a harshness of their own and combined with a harsh hop the beer, although still tasty, can be a little mouth puckering. Warrior in this stout was amazing. The perfect bittering hop, the beer is smooth. I bittered to around 30 IBU, which isn't much admittedly, but try 30 IBU of a high cohumulone hop and you'll feel it.
The most recent use of Warrior a SMaSH. It was a big brew day. 100+ litres of beer using Warrior all the way through. Bittered to 32 IBU (a lot of the beer was for commercial beer drinkers) it is beautiful. Very smooth. I added 1/2g per litre at 20 and at flame out. Now Warrior is not supposed to have much aroma so I could have gone a bit more without doubt. Next time I will. There is a limited aroma coming from the beer but it it a wonderful fruity smell. A subtle citrus and spice. The flavour is amazing in my view. Again citrus but not overpowering, subtle. Its not orange, or grapefruit but something sweeter, something smoother. Its like a well made orange and mango juice. Hints of citrus and mango with a smoothness that has to be tried to be believed. In fact I'll try it again later today and update the blog with my tasting notes and all of my impressions.
There are hundreds of other hops out there to review. One of my favourites, Green Bullet, will be on the list soon along with a few other 'Southern Hemispere' hops, the much maligned Pride of Ringwood (I love it), Topaz, Riwaka, Rakau, New Zealand grown Styrian Goldings and the list goes on.
But, please feel free to request a hop review. I'll do up an beer and let you know my thoughts. I love to brew, but more than that I love to try new flavours in my brew. I think I'll need my friends to come around to my house more to drink my beer to free up space. :)