Hop Combinations for a pale

[HopIt]

Hi there,

Just done a Citra / Topaz recipe for the second time (hopburst 100g of each) and its a belter. New world pales are my thing at the moment. Now I need to come up with another recipe with some other hops I've got. It'll be a basic pale backbone, maybe some crystal and wheat in there for giggles. Will be dry hopped with 100g of citra pellets as thats the only pellets I've got for the next while.

All 100 g packets

2 * Cluster (haven't heard good things about this one...)
2 * Amarillo
1 * Bravo
2 * Ahtaum
1 * Summit
2 * Topaz

What combo's would you make out of these?

[Jim]

I'm not familiar with those hops (well, except Amarillo), so just giving this one a bump for you!

[Clibit]

You could use Summit for bittering and Amarillo and Ahtanum for aroma. Bravo is mainly a bittering hop too. Cluster is an Amercan hop that's been around for years, I think a lot was imported into the UK at one time for use as a cheap bittering hop.

[HopIt]

I wonder if cluster, bravo or summit could be any good late in the boil or when dry hopping?

I read cluster has a "strongly resinous, herbal character" and summit has an "amazing tangerine/orange/grapefruit aroma" which sound alright

[seymour]

Thanks, mate! I haven't seen any open-ended recipe requests in awhile. In reality, all of your listed hops are intensely-flavoured dual-purpose hops which could be used in any combination, really in any Pale Ale recipe, but here are three of my recommendations:

1.
Don't believe the bad press about Cluster hops. It's because they've been associated with crappy mass-produced adjunct American pale lagers for generations (Bud, Miller, Coors, etc.) Put any hop you like in beer like that, then stick those clear glass bottles in hot gas station windows…of course people will complain about cat piss, it's not Cluster's fault. I love 'em, they are woefully underrated. Did you get a chance to try any of the brilliant Danish brewer Mikkeller's Single Hop Series? The Cluster version was divine. On Ratebeer, 208 people gave it an impressive 81 rating (my personal rating was even higher than the average), I promise it didn't taste like cat piss.

Here's a delicious American Cream Ale recipe which will prove my point. You're gonna love Cluster too, but let's keep that on the down-low so Cluster hops stay dirt cheap. By the way, I just won a homebrew contest using a modified version of this recipe, so I've been invited to brew it commercially soon.

SEYMOUR CREAM ALE
all-grain recipe
6 US gal = 5 Imperial gal = 22.7 L

FERMENTABLES:
60% ≈ 6 lb ≈ 2.72 kg, Pale Malt (US Six-Row is authentic, but your regular Two-Row base malt is okay)
15% ≈ 1.5 lb ≈ 680 g, Pilsener or Lager Malt
15% ≈ 1.5 lb ≈ 680 g, Vienna Malt
2.5% ≈ .25 lb ≈ 113 g, Crystal Malt
2.5% ≈ .25 lb ≈ 113 g, Aciduated/Enzymatic Malt
5% ≈ .5 lb ≈ 227 g, Flaked Corn

MASH at 150°F/65.6°C for 90 minutes
SPARGE to collect 7.25 US gal/6 Imperial gal/27.4 L
BOIL hard for 60 minutes, add Irish moss with 15 min remaining for clarity.

HOPS:
.7 oz ≈ 43 g, Cluster, 60 minutes
.7 oz ≈ 15 g, Cluster, 15 minutes
2.1 oz ≈ 28 g, Cluster, 5 minutes, steep until cooled, then pour through a large strainer into fermentor

YEAST:
Safale S-33. Yep, you read that correctly. It's not a Belgian strain as advertised, it's the historic EDME English ale strain, and it's awesome for stuff like this. Around 68°F/20°C is ideal, cooler if you can during lengthy secondary conditioning.

STATS (assuming ≈ 75% mash efficiency and 78% yeast attenuation)
OG: 1045
FG: 1010
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 35
COLOUR: 6° SRM/12° EBC, golden

2.
Many Jim's members have brewed an Amarillo recipe of mine which has become nick-named Seymourillo. Here's a slightly modified re-post I think you'll love.

SEYMOURILLO
all-grain recipe
6 US gal = 5 Imperial gal = 22.7 L

FERMENTABLES:
80% ≈ 8.89 lb ≈ 4.03 kg, Pale Malt
9% ≈ 1 lb ≈ 454 g, CaraPils/Dextrine Malt/Mild Malt
9% ≈ 1 lb ≈ 454 g, Brown Sugar (from kitchen, added to boil kettle)
2% ≈ .22 lb ≈ 100 g, Oats (from your kitchen: quick-cook, flaked, rolled, pinhead, Scotch, etc)
optional: pinch of calcium carbonate (chalk) in mash

MASH at 152°F/67°C for 60 minutes or until converted
SPARGE to collect 7.25 US gal/6 Imperial gal/27.4 L
BOIL hard for 60 minutes, add brown sugar near beginning to kettle caramelize.
optional: add a pinch of gypsum in boil kettle to make the hops pop, add Irish moss with 15 min remaining for clarity, add the zest of 1 lemon with 5 min remaining because it rocks.

HOPS:
1.5 oz ≈ 43 g, Amarillo, 60 minutes
.5 oz ≈ 15 g, Amarillo, 30 minutes
1 oz ≈ 28 g, Amarillo, 5 minutes, steep until cooled, then pour through a large strainer into fermentor
1 oz ≈ 28 g, Amarillo, dry-hops added to fermentor after primary fermentation dies down, steep one week before bottling/kegging

YEAST:
English ale strain of your choice

STATS (assuming ≈ 78% mash efficiency and 78% yeast attenuation)
OG: 1055
FG: 1011
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 45
COLOUR: 8° SRM/16° EBC, light golden amber


3.
Here's a stab at a crazy fruit-salad summer session ale with your remaining hops:

SEYMOUR-HOPIT SESSION IPA
all-grain recipe
6 US gal = 5 Imperial gal = 22.7 L

FERMENTABLES:
75% ≈ 6.38 lb ≈ 2.89 kg, Pale Malt
17% ≈ 1.45 lb ≈ 658 g, Wheat Malt
8% ≈ .68 lb ≈ 308 g, Honey Malt or CaraMalt

MASH at 152°F/67°C for 60 minutes or until converted
SPARGE to collect 7.25 US gal/6 Imperial gal/27.4 L
BOIL hard for 60 minutes
optional: add a pinch of gypsum in boil kettle to make the hops pop, add Irish moss with 15 min remaining for clarity

HOPS:
.4 oz ≈ 43 g, Bravo, 60 minutes
1.5 oz ≈ 15 g, Ahtanum, 15 minutes
1 oz ≈ 28 g, Ahtanum, at flame-out
1 oz ≈ 28 g, Summit, at flame-out
2 oz ≈ 28 g, Topaz, at flame-out
3.5 oz ≈ 28 g, Citra, dry-hops

YEAST:
a fruity English ale strain, such as Fullers, Marble/Gales, Adnams, Mauribrew Ale, Muntons, etc.

STATS (assuming ≈ 75% mash efficiency and 75% yeast attenuation)
OG: 1048
FG: 1012
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 50
COLOUR: 5° SRM/10° EBC, golden

[Clibit]

Thanks Seymour, that post rocks, never mind the lemon zest. Lots of good info and tempting recipes.

So many recipes, so little time.

I've got TWO deliveries arriving today though. I'm lying in bed like a teenager on a promise. Psyching myself up. I might load some ingredients into the Seymour recipator and see what it chucks out.

[seymour]

Ha! Very descriptive, Clibit, I like it.

But how are you going to make your girly spritzers without some lemon peel?

(shhh...no one tell Clibit that hops are flowers)

[Clibit]

But how are you going to make your girly spritzers without some lemon peel?

Love will find a way...

[HopIt]

Thanks for your great post seymour! Think I'll start with a variation on your Amarillo recipe, yummy

[seymour]

Thanks for your great post seymour! Think I'll start with a variation on your Amarillo recipe, yummy

That's cool, can't wait to hear how it turns out.

Oddly enough, someone else just asked me to tweak the recipe to a single 100g hop packet. So here it is, in case that's useful to you too:

SEYMOURILLO (being a single-hop Amarillo APA)
all-grain recipe
6 US gal = 5 Imperial gal = 22.7 L

FERMENTABLES:
80% ≈ 8.89 lb ≈ 4.03 kg, Pale Malt
9% ≈ 1 lb ≈ 454 g, CaraPils/Dextrine Malt/Mild Malt
9% ≈ 1 lb ≈ 454 g, Brown Sugar (from kitchen, added to boil kettle)
2% ≈ .22 lb ≈ 100 g, Oats (from your kitchen: quick-cook, flaked, rolled, pinhead, Scotch, etc)
optional: pinch of calcium carbonate (chalk) in mash

MASH at 152°F/67°C for 60 minutes or until converted
SPARGE to collect 7.25 US gal/6 Imperial gal/27.4 L
BOIL hard for 60 minutes, add brown sugar near beginning to kettle caramelize.
optional: add a pinch of gypsum in boil kettle to make the hops pop, add Irish moss with 15 min remaining for clarity, add the zest of 1 lemon with 5 min remaining because it rocks.

HOPS:
1.23 oz ≈ 35 g, Amarillo, 60 minutes
.53 oz ≈ 15 g, Amarillo, 30 minutes
.88 oz ≈ 25 g, Amarillo, 5 minutes, steep until cooled, then pour through a large strainer into fermentor
.88 oz ≈ 25 g, Amarillo, dry-hops added to fermentor after primary fermentation dies down, steep one week before bottling/kegging

YEAST:
English ale strain of your choice

ESTIMATED STATS:
OG: 1054
FG: 1012
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 38
COLOUR: 7°SRM/14°EBC, light golden amber

[HopIt]

Quick question, what does the brown sugar do the final flavour and body of the beer? I noticed you've used it in a bunch of your recipes. I was surprised to see in beer engine its practically as fermentable as white sugar. I'd assume this results in a thinner beer given the original gravity.

[JKaranka]

Cluster is not a bad hop. It will not blow your mind but it's good in a blend if you want to 'tune down' some other American hops. It has a fruity character with some pine/herbal notes to it, so it's not a one trick pony. It's one of the underrated hops that I use the most (Brewers' Gold is the other one). It does both bittering and late additions well but I've not got much out of dry hopping with it, so you might want to leave your punchier hops for that.

[seymour]

Quick question, what does the brown sugar do the final flavour and body of the beer? I noticed you've used it in a bunch of your recipes. I was surprised to see in beer engine its practically as fermentable as white sugar. I'd assume this results in a thinner beer given the original gravity.

Yeah, that's right, and as such it allows your hops to shine through more than in an equivalent thicker all-malt brew. Plus it contributes a little reddish brown hue, and nice subtle caramelly, toffee, molasses, rummy flavours. You've already got it in your kitchen cupboard, so give it a no-cost trial.

Cheers!