I know the vast majority on this board brew IPAs and many will have had more experience/knowledge of how to blend hop varieties than I. Yes, we all brew to our own tastes, and sometimes the palate will perceive the same flavors differently, yada yada yada…
But I would like to know what your personal favorite hop schedule is for the ubiquitous american IPA, and why.
I am borderline obsessed with coming up with the right combination for me, and would likely benefit from other’s experience.
One combo I am working on now, in the dry-hopping stage is one that I have high hopes for:
Bittering: Magnum
FWH: Simcoe
Late hop additions: equal parts Citra and Amarillo
Dry hop: equal part Citra and Simcoe
I’m trying to get that assertive hop presence without an overwhelming grapefruit kick. My hope is that the Amarillo and Simcoe can add a citrus more toward orange/tangerine than grapefruit; that the simcoe might add a touch of the piney character; and that the Citra can do it’s own cosmic thang.
So, what is YOUR favorite combo???
My favorite combo is columbus and simcoe…Its adds a beautiful tropical fruit,citrus,piney…its epic
This is easily my favorite IPA that I make.
[attachment=0]Devil’s Sin Amber IPA.JPG[/attachment]
FWH: Amarillo or Centennial or Cascade (20-30% IBUs)
Bittering: Columbus or Chinook (50% IBUs)
Whirlpool: Simcoe, Amarillo, and Centennial (pick at least two, 20-30 IBUs calc’ed as 15-min addition)
Dryhop: Whatever was used in the boil @ 2.25 oz per keg
I think it somewhat depends on the water you are dealing with. I like low cohumolone hops because I am working with medium hard water which can make the bitterness harsh. I personally think the best IPA’s have a very smooth bitterness so I use Warrior alot for bitterning IPA’s. I use Magnum for lagers alot so I’m sure that would work well for IPA’s also. I flavor hop and aroma hop with Amarillo, Simcoe and have recently screwed aroumd with Mosaic which worked out pretty well. I personally avoid Chinook because I think it has a rather crude, rough taste but there are many out there that would argue that point and of course Stone Brewing is making a fortune using that hop.
Fuggles/Challenger (sub.) and Goldings. I know I am old fashioned, but I can buy a lot of good American IPAs. A good English IPA is hard to come by. I really miss Young’s Special London Ale. My daughter brought me a bottle from London last summer and it was not the same as when it was brewed at Young’s. Goldings and Styrian Goldings would also be a good combo for IPA.
Centennial and Cascades are my preference for an American IPA. I don’t care for all those milk weed flavors and aromas that a lot of the other C hops and new American hops produce. I recently judged IPAs at a home brew competition and we had several beers that smelled like cat spray/pee. Be careful what you use out there. I am not the only one who finds these beers objectionable.
