I’m working on a new wheat beer and am looking into trying some hops that I haven’t used before. Beersmith says that Nelson Sauvin should be used in moderation. I see that it’ 12% Alpha, but is it saying that it should be not used in excess because of Alpha or because it gives off a strong citrus flavor? Has anyone tried before?
I’m looking into using only 1oz throughout the boil.
If I boil longer I know you’ll get stronger bittering, but what about tasting? Does the flavor go down the longer it’s boiled?
I’ve used them twice as bittering and have been happy with the results. I can’t say the citrus flavor was strong, but they have some fruitiness to them for sure. I’d personally like to pair them with some Amarillo or Citra, I think they’d go well together. Overall a very mild and pleasant bitterness.
I brewed a 50/50 Nelson/Cascade APA that just sucked. The Nelson clashed with Cascade and it had a winey, dull citrus, white grape, and berry. I don’t like it. Even in moderation.
+1 I have 3oz in the freezer and I can’t even give them away.[/quote]
Wow, I’d take them in a heartbeat. To me, they’re like a way-more-interesting version of Cascade. Big white grapefruit, a touch of dank/pine, and I love what winy note. My IPA starts with a crapload of Nelson and Apollo, then whatever else suits my fancy to round things out.
I’ve used Nelson Sauvin several times now and it seems like it has a strong grapefruit peel taste…not bad , just strong for 1 oz. for at 60 minutes. Just did an ale with Nelson and Cascade but the Cascade was overpowered I believe.
When I use Nelson, I use it at flameout or dry hop. I want those juicy oils in the beer. 2oz in 5 gallons is not too much when I use it in this capacity.
What hop would you use for bittering that would compliment Nelson?[/quote]
Depends on what you’re looking for. I rarely take the finishing hops into consideration when selecting my bittering hops, since you get very little flavor contribution from the bittering hops. I use Magnum for a clean bitterness, and Columbus or Chinook for a sharp bitterness (such as for an IPA).
My personal preference is mainly just to skip the bittering addition altogether and get all my IBU’s from the late additions. The bittering is pretty smooth by doing this, so if you like your IPA’s to have a bit of a bite to them you may want to get at least some of your IBU’s from a traditional bittering addition.
