I’m a relatively new brewer and am just getting into formulating my own recipes. One aspect that I really don’t have a good grasp on is blending hops. It’s easy to find descriptions of the various hops, but how do I know which hops will play nicely together? Or the type of flavor that will be imparted by combining various hops. Experimentation is an obvious solution. Is there a more practical / scientific approach?
I think experimentation IS the scientific approach - make a pale ale with something neutral for bittering, like Magnum, then late hop with one hop the first run, then another hop the second, then if you liked both and think they might play well together, combine the two. You could also add in sampling of commercial beers with known recipes.
I agree that it comes from experimentation. I found I really like Cascade and Chinook. And even better, for me, is to add Simcoe into that mix.
Simcoe and Amarillo is a really nice blend also.
Just play around with a few different kinds, maybe try not to mix more than 3 or 4 at a time. I think the flavor could become too muddled if you get too crazy with it.
This is exactly why I started doing a whole bunch of 1 gal batches. I’ve been doing 3 at a time and each set of 3 I focus on a single difference. Either malt hops or yeast. So I may have 3 with the same malt and yeast but change up the hops. Next batch of 3 will be the same malt and hops but different yeast. As I brew a set I keep notes on the exact recipe in each and add tasting notes when done.
I think I find more combinations that I have not liked than I do like. I always come back to Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe/Amarillo. I should say that i have not liked more than my standard 
Citra and Belma have not played well with some others.
One thing you can do to get a “general” idea is to use a french press (for coffee). Brew a basic, mildly bitter pale ale (or just buy some). Drink some to get a “baseline” on the flavor. Pour a glass (or less) worth in the french press. Add some of the hops you would like to taste, some that you would like to blend, etc. Let them sit for a few minutes. Press the hops down like you would coffee grounds. Then, pour the beer into glass and drink. This is a good/decent (not perfect) way to get a feel for what different hops add to beer - especially if you are looking at what hops add in the way of late additions and dry hopping.
Ultimately, brewing different beers, keeping good beers - research… is going to give you the information you really want, but this is an “ok” shortcut to get a start on it.
When I blend (and I usually do) I try and group hops with similar but distinct characteristics. For example, when citrus is a theme I use Centennial for bright grapefruit, something like Summit or Citra for an orange, Sorachi Ace for lemon. No use using two that are both primarily grapefruit. I’ll also throw in a little Columbus for some pine, and some Simcoe for a funky cat pee kind of citrus. I have a bad habit of kitchen sink brewing though, and sometimes a two hop blend might allow something like Centennial to shine a little better.
I don’t tend to blend my bittering hops. I mostly use Magnum (smooth) or Chinook (bold), although I have used other high alpha varieties at times. I can’t see using a fancy/hard-to-get hop like Simcoe for bittering.
Kind of hard to go wrong on blends, I would just offer that some hops are strong and will overpower others if added at equal amounts. You can look at oil content as a rough way to gauge the amount of aroma/flavor you’ll get in a late addition.
Theres a fairly new book out called Hops, by Stan Heironymous. Be worth getting and reading that if you want to really understand your hops a little better.
I just did a lighter pale ale with Saaz and Cascade hops.
I really liked the spicy aroma from the Saaz, and I think they will blend nicely with the moderate citrus notes from the Cascade.
It’s in primary now, so I won’t know for a few weeks yet.
I’ve only had one combo that did not work out: Centennial and Glacier (even when using a ratio that accounts for oil content). The aroma was amazing, but I found the flavor unexpectedly lemony. Some guests really liked it though. I knew they weren’t just being polite when they asked for a second glass.
You can’t go wrong sampling commercial products when the brewer tells you what hops are used. Obviously the only problem with that is you don’t know quantity, ratio or hop schedule. But it should give you an idea without waiting a month to see how your experiment turns out. I’ve used this for inspiration a few times.
Apparently Anchor keeps a good amount of Bud Light on hand for their tasters and brewers. An ounce of so of bud light, crush up a few hop pellets, mix, give it a try.
Of course, it would seem you would need to microwave the hops or something to get them to volatilize.
The other option is to mash and wind up with 6-7 gallons of extract/pre-boil wort. Then do 5 separate boils, each with magnum for bittering, then heavy late hops of some hops and dry hops (tail end of fermentation in primary) you want to evaluate. You need a few fermenters, but you could honestly even use 5 gallon ones as the CO2 coming out during fermentation will create a big enough blanket. I had a lot of fun with this a few summers back. Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, Centennial and Sorachi Ace were what I went with.
Agreed with above replies. Lately I’ve been experimenting with various hops, using a neutral bittering hop and assorted other hops per batch for flavor and aroma. Recently have done a belma blonde, calypso pale, and all centennial brew. Keep the grain bill simple and the flavor of each hop shines. Planning on testing some super galena soon for bittering to see how it turns out.
