Last Friday night, I tasted Mike’s Falconer’s Flight IPA and really enjoyed the aroma and taste of all those late addition hops. From our discussion, I think there may be an evolution in terms of IPA hop additions, at least between these Brew Dudes.
We got to talking about the lack of bitterness his beer had as compared to other IPAs that we have had where the IBUs are pushing 150.
I guess that is great for confessed hop heads but I wouldn’t come back for more than one. That’s the issue with them for me.
Although his recipe’s IBU prediction is a modest 55 IBUs, this beer had plenty of hoppy aroma and flavor. The Falconer’s Flight blend of hop varieties really made for a tasty and complex profile.
I don’t think he would have had the same result if he had put more hops into the kettle at the beginning of the boil. The majority of his hop additions happened towards the end. To me, that technique made all the difference in the world.
Could there be an evolution a-brewin’ in brewing IPAs? Do they need to be more and more bitter? I would rather have a small charge of hops at the start of the boil but really explore the late additions and dry hopping to maximize the flavor and the aroma with the overwhelming bitterness.
brewella deville
I would have to agree. It’s odd that two DIPA’s can have roughly the same IBU level, but the one that’s just about the bitterness just isn’t for me. I prefer a balance between early bitter additions and the late/dry aroma additions. In a way, I suppose it’s a lot like my preference for certain salsas, it’s not all about the heat. It better have the flavor to balance out the heat. I guess it’s just the human tendency to explore and push limits that has as an end result these crazy bitter double and triple IPA’s we’re seeing now. I haven’t gone too far from the norm yet with my IPA’s, just the standard Columbus/Cascade and a recent Magnum/Columbus/Amarillo. What are some of your favorite hop combos for your IPA’s?
Chris
Horizon @ 60 min.
Amarillo and Centennial @ 20 min.
Amarillo and Centennial @ 0 min.
I haven’t dry hopped yet. The BU’s are usually around 30. Kind of low, but tons of c-hop flavour. I bought 5 lbs. of the Amarillo and Centennial last year and I still have lots left. I’ll be using them up this spring and summer.
Jack
I agree that hop bursting and hop stands are really catching on now because these techniques really do work. Glad you guys are finding success with hop bursting; I’m starting to play around with hop stands and getting huge aroma without dry-hopping. But these are certainly not new ideas. Bursting, in particular, has been used by homebrewers for a decade at least. Jamil wrote this article in a 2005 issue of Zymurgy:
http://www.mrmalty.com/late_hopping.php
Keep spreading the word. We can make great hoppy beers that don’t melt your uvula off!
John
Hey brewella deville,
I like using a little bit of clean bittering hops like Magnum or Galena early in the boil and really mix it up at the end of boil with lots of fruity hop varieties. Outside of the American hops you mention, I think some of the ones coming out of Australia and New Zealand would be interesting to use.
John
Hey chris,
Yeah, that’s what I am taking about. I don’t think making a beer to boast IBUs is the way to go. Go for flavor rather than some number.
Hey Jack,
Certainly not a new concept but I think it’s gaining momentum. There will always be first adopters and then the rest of us.