I’ve been using Magnum as my bittering hop for everything from AIPA’s to roggenbiers to RIS’s. I’m coming up on time to make another bulk hop order, and was thinking about switching to Warrior. Anyone have any experience, particularly between the two?
I’m really looking for a clean, subtle bitterness. My understanding is that Warrior is a derivative of Saaz whereas Magnum is a derivative of Hallertauer.
Magnum to me is cleaner bitterness than Warrior. Both are great hops i use them in about everthing. What i love about Warrior is the intense bittering and aroma of citrus that it has.
I like to use Magnum for bittering 95% of the time. It’s been a while since using Warrior, but I seem to remember slightly harsher bittering flavors from it.
Warrior is not a bad hop in the right beer, but it’s character is definitely not what I’d call subtle. It’s got a pretty intense bitterness of the more earthy variety, making it more suitable for dark beers than pale beers, in my experience. I used it once in an IBA, and it was good, but the beer took about a good 3 months in the bottle to really get to the point where the bitterness wasn’t too overwhelming, but that was of course in a beer where the BU/GU ratio was almost 1:1. I used it in a stout once where the bittering level was lower, and that was a bit more mellow, but the Warrior flavor was still quite noticeable, a bit more than I really liked. All in all, I would say that it’s a hop that’s worth experimenting with, but I’d take it slowly. Only use it as one of a blend of hops to start with, and keeping adding more per batch if you like what they’re doing. Don’t just go whole hog with them and use them exclusively in any beer the first time you use them, even for just the bittering addition. They are intense, and you may or may not like their character. That’s about all I can say.
Have you ever tried Nugget hops. I like them realy well in my ipa’s. Also what about Palisade. I been using palisade my ipa’s, pale ales and brown ales.
I bought a lb of Magnum back during the hop shortage and used them for a whole slew of styles over a couple years. I thought they were just fine, except maybe for IPA’s or beers where I wanted a more assertive bitterness. The bittering qualities were very mellow.
Last year I bought a pound of Warrior, and I’ve been using them for bittering in a wide range of styles. I’ve enjoyed it in all but my last batch of Patersbier, which is a delicate beer to begin with.
I think both have a pretty unobtrusive bitterness, and the Warrior has been a better hop for the hop-forward styles.
YMMV. Why not pick up an ounce of each and do a split batch, and see for yourself what you like before you commit to a pound?
I am debating about switching it up for my next big bittering purchase, but that’s likely another year in the future.
Thanks for all the replies. This is a good call, I may do this with Magnum and Nugget as opposed to Magnum/Warrior.
I’ve been thinking about trying some Nugget too. My brother in law is working through a half pound of Herkules. Not sure I’d go that route, due to the high cohumulone levels. Who has experience with Galena? Sounds to me to be even more mellow than Magnum.
I used Herkules in a pale ale last fall, and they made for a great bittering hop. I wish I could get some more from NB, but they don’t seem to have them any more.
I used Herkules in a pale ale last fall, and they made for a great bittering hop. I wish I could get some more from NB, but they don’t seem to have them any more.[/quote]
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