Single Hop, Anyone?

[DanC]

Ok so I'm looking at preparing a brew for the spring/summer. Whilst a while off, I want to leave plenty of time to mature and be perfect for drinking, so might as well start planning now. Inspired by an ale scheme being run at work (each month, a different single hop ale from around the world) I'm looking to do an interesting single hop brew, something that would be perfect on a hot summers day. What do people reckon in terms of recipe? Has anyone done a single hop recipe they've found was particularly good? Anyone got any tips for producing a perfect single hop brew?

Inspiration and comments please!

Thanks to all who reply in advance,
Regards,
Dan

Edit: This post was written after a long day at work and a pint or 2...Apologies if it makes aboslutely NO SENSE.

[orlando]

Well I was thinking the same thing this very morning, so if anyone was wondering whether to reply to this there is at least two of us bating our breath.

[boingy]

Choose your favourite hop and go for it. I'd suggest a simple grain bill (maybe even 100% pale) to let the hops speak and plenty of late or dry hopping.

I've done single-hopped Cascade, EKG, Citra and Target and I can recommend the first three. The Target was OK but I wouldn't brew it again. The Citra one I have just kegged smells amazing.

[leedsbrew]

Like boingy said, simple grain bill. You want the single variety to shine through. I've done an all galaxy (well apart from magnum to bitter but that doesn't count! ). And it is awesome

Search for Ulysees 31 for the brew day: grain bill was pale, Munich, wheat making up 93% of the grist with 6% caramunich and 1% amber for a bit of interest

Hops were

magnum for 60 mins 21IBUs,
30g galaxy 10 mins
25 galaxy 5 mins
25g galaxy 80oc steep
20g galaxy dry hop

I'll be re brewing this for summer as it'll be a great BBQ beer

Cheer

LB

[gnutz2]

Nelson Sauvin makes for an epic single hop brew

I would use 95% MO or whatever base malt you have with 5% torri wheat to 1.050

Bitter it with something like Summit to 50 IBU

Then 35g of NS @ 10 min

And a 65g of NS for a 30min steep @ 80c

US-05 yeast fermented at 19c

I know it's a different bittering hop but its pointess boiling NS for 90 mins, use a cheaper, higher aa hop IMHO.

[scuppeteer]

Pilgrim.
50 IBU's but then additions at 10 & 2 mins, steeped additions for an hour and dry hopped for 6 days. Bloomin' lovely!

[Spud395]

I've had good results from some of my single hopped brews as well.
Lke above I bitter with Magnum but I only go to 35 IBU's, both Columbus and Amarillo worked very well

[DanC]

Well I was thinking the same thing this very morning, so if anyone was wondering whether to reply to this there is at least two of us bating our breath.

Great minds 'ey?

And thanks to all who replied so far, it's been most enlightening. As a side note (please don't shoot me for this) what would one do should he wish to brew this as an extract brew? I ask purely because, whilst I have every intention of being set up for AG by the time I come to brewing this (hopefully within the next month to 6 weeks) financial and living circumstances may force my hand (not to mention SWMBO circumstances!). What DME would you go for and what procedure?

Regards,
Dan

[dave-o]

For a single hop summer ale i'd probably go Amarillo, or good old Cascade.

[Spud395]

financial and living circumstances may force my hand

Regards,
Dan

Living circcumstances I understand.
Financial I would look at in detail, there are several ways of getting into AG brewing cheaply, which is another debate
Take a look at the price of DME, it is by far the mosst expensive way to brew IMO.
If you plan on doing it long term to avoid set-up costs of AG I would do some sums

[Lime Corridor]

For a single hop summer ale i'd probably go Amarillo, or good old Cascade.

Yep, I would second that. Really impressed with Amarillo.

[raiderman]

I'll second all Citra, I've just finished a barrel , no bittering hops and 100g added at 20,15, 10,5 and 0m to give a very aromatic brew, awsome. I'm going to repeat with moutuka which will be more flora but should be killer bee and having had an East london brewing Co IPA in which you could almost taste the resin in the hops I'm tempted to try the same approach with goldings

[BeerEagle]

I'll second all Citra, I've just finished a barrel , no bittering hops and 100g added at 20,15, 10,5 and 0m to give a very aromatic brew, awsome. I'm going to repeat with moutuka which will be more flora but should be killer bee and having had an East london brewing Co IPA in which you could almost taste the resin in the hops I'm tempted to try the same approach with goldings

Interesting. What's the brew length and OG for your 100g of hops?

[Lugsy]

I've done single hop Amarillo, Citra, Columbus, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin and Simcoe, all very nice but I think the Citra, Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin brews were my favourites. I tend to go with something like 4500g of pale and 500g of Munich in a 23l brew giving an OG around 1.050 (maybe a bit higher), 100g of hops with lots of late additions to about 40 IBUs.

I would certainly consider going BIAB if you have financial constraints - all you need is a big pan and some voile. Chances are you'll be needing to buy a pretty big pan anyway to do extract brewing, BIAB will let you use grain which is much cheaper than extract as Spud points out. I used a 20 litre stockpot for my BIAB brews, you can probably get one for less than £30 and a piece of voile will cost you a couple of quid. If you offset this against the price of extract you'll recoup your money in a few brews. I'm a recent convert to multi-vessel brewing but I made nearly 30 brews with BIAB and was delighted with them all (well, nearly all - I had a couple of donkeys but they were entirely my own fault!)

[far9410]

You could always try something like the all Apollo brew, that I've done today. Se post "#ag18 SaturnV"