Columbus as a single hop

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by mnstorm99, Jun 12, 2012.

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  1. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Hey all, I brewed an Amber ale which is very close to being great, but there is just a wierd little flavor in there. I would almost explain it as a touch of tobacco mixed with pine and citrus (can't differentiate). Here is the recipe:
    http://hopville.com/recipe/1387132/american-amber-ale-recipes/86-amber-night-columbus-delight

    Wondering what some opinions might be, but I am blaming the columbus hops (for now). They seem to give off an amazing aroma, and the bittering is very nice and clean. What are experiences out there when using columbus (only) for flavor? Could some of this be coming from the mix of columbus and the golden naked oats? This beer is just so damn close to great, but all I can say is it is alright...
     
  2. nathanjohnson

    nathanjohnson Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2007 Vermont
    Deactivated

    I just brewed an all-columbus pale ale/ipa (~50 ibus) and its primarily orange and pine.

    I have nothing to back this up, but my perception is that columbus seems to vary more from farm to farm, ie, terroir. My columbus are from hopsdirect.
     
  3. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Mine are also from Hops Direct. And the aroma is "in-your-face" orange and pine, but the flavor is just short of wierd.
     
  4. evantwomey

    evantwomey Initiate (0) Jan 1, 2008 North Carolina

    I remember a few years ago a friend and I were using Columbus hops from Hops Direct. They were really weird and we ended up throwing them out. Almost like rotting fruit. Other times I've used Columbus hops I've either bought them through Freshops, Northern Brewer, or the LHBS, and they always smell like dank and cannabis-like (which is what I like about this hop).
     
  5. Naugled

    Naugled Pooh-Bah (1,882) Sep 25, 2007 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Could be from the cara150L. I use C120 more so, but I get occasional tobacco notes from that.

    Is it like ashy tobacco? or more sweet raisin like tobacco like Beechnut side chew?

    The last beer I drank where I got very apparent tobacco notes was Cigar City's Jai Lai (the Beechnut kind). I was in Tampa, and got a few sixers, and they all seemed to have that tobacco note. I don't seem to pick it up from the ones I procure in NY though. Could be related to freshness. Or their hops and malt bill. It would be interesting to see what their stated recipe is.
     
  6. NiceFly

    NiceFly Initiate (0) Dec 22, 2011 Tajikistan

    I just brewed an all Columbus IPA with Hops Direct hops. Still in primary but I will let you know what I made.
     
  7. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Beechnut, less raisin like though to me. It is probably an overall recipe profile, just hard to pick out.
     
  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I have not personally homebrewed with Columbus. A very recent anecdotal story: I recently attended a Hill Farmstead event as part of Philly Beer Week. Shaun Hill is the owner/brewer of Hill Farmstead and he is an OUTSTANDING brewer. I had a number of Hill Farmstead beer at the event. My personal favorite was the Citra Single Hop Pale Ale. One of the beers I drank was Society and Solitude #3 which is a DIPA brewed with Columbus hops. I made mention to my wife while drinking this beer: “This beer is good but not a favorite of mine. I suppose I will never homebrew with Columbus hops?” My thought process is that if Shaun Hill’s beer doesn’t ‘thrill’ me then I have zero chance of homebrewing a Columbus hopped beer to my liking.

    Below are descriptions of Columbus hops from various sources:

    Freshops: “High on the bittering scale yet also valued for its oil content creates a hop that is an interesting dichotomy of sharp and herbal.”

    Another source: “Columbus (US)14-16 both aroma hop and bittering hop Pungent”

    One more source: “”dank, onion, garlic, spicy”

    So, there are a number of ‘interesting descriptors used for Columbus hops. None of these ‘descriptors’ are very appealing to me.

    I suspect that based upon my perception of Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude #3 and the three descriptions above that it seems likely to me that Columbus hops could very well be the reason for:

    · “weird little flavor”

    · “all I can say is it is alright...”

    · “the flavor is just short of weird”

    Cheers!
     
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  9. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    FWIW, a couple of my favorite beers I ever have brewed used Columbus. A DIPA with Columbus, Summit and Cascade as well as an American Brown Ale which recently kicked (100% columbus for hops). With that said, I am a fan of this hop, but the wierd flavor seems to be coming from the hop in this one(or the way it melds with the malt profile).
     
  10. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    “FWIW, a couple of my favorite beers I ever have brewed used Columbus.” Thanks for that input.

    Everybody has different tastes. I will continue to keep an eye out for commercial Columbus hopped beers to try. At this point in time I am still thinking that if Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead can’t make this hop ‘shine’ for me then in all likelihood this is not a hop for me.

    To repeat what I posted previously, the descriptions from Freshops and other sources just aren’t appealing to me.

    Cheers!
     
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  11. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Was the beer 100% Columbus? I am starting to think it doesn't work in this application (for a pale ale at least). I guess what I was trying to say is that until you use it, it is really hard to say you wouldn't brew with it. I buy a pound every other year and have always been a fan of this hop (until this recent beer). I don't get the onion and garlic (like I do in Summit, which I personally like), but I do get pungent, dank and a touch of citrus. We all have different palates, and preferences so I can understand you may not like this hop at all. This hop is used quite often in commercial beers as far as I am aware, or at least the acreage would suggest so.

    Either way, this is the wonderful world of brewing :sunglasses:
     
  12. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    “Was the beer 100% Columbus?” I am not 100% sure. Columbus hops were the only hops detailed on the beer menu for this beer.

    “I am starting to think it doesn't work in this application (for a pale ale at least).” Well, I have only one ‘data point’ here but I tend to agree with you.

    “I guess what I was trying to say is that until you use it, it is really hard to say you wouldn't brew with it.” True enough. My ‘dilemma(s)' is that I was not a huge fan of the Hill Farmstead beer that was Columbus hopped. I also find the descriptions for this hop to be unappealing. I like to try ‘new things’ from time to time. For example I have a Simcoe/Citra hopped IPA in my fermenter right now. I have never combined these two hops together but I am fairly confident that I will like the resulting beers. I have previously brewed an all Simcoe hopped IPA and an all Citra hopped IPA and I really liked both of these batches. I have a ‘good feeling’ that these two hops will complement each other.

    “I don't get the onion and garlic (like I do in Summit, which I personally like), but I do get pungent, dank and a touch of citrus.” My taste buds are similar to yours. The description of “pungent, dank and a touch of citrus” is pretty close to what I perceived in the Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude #3 beer. I am guessing that the pungent/dank aspect is the ‘off putting’ aspect to me?

    “We all have different palates, and preferences so I can understand you may not like this hop at all.” Well, I thought that Society and Solitude #3 was good but not great. I think that I really need to ‘explore’ commercial beers that us Columbus hops a bit more. I will not say I will never us Columbus hops in my homebrewing but I doubt that I will use it anytime soon.

    “Either way, this is the wonderful world of brewing” Yea Verily!!:slight_smile:

    Cheers!
     
  13. telejunkie

    telejunkie Savant (1,107) Sep 14, 2007 Vermont

    i am a big fan of columbus but have had trouble with it as well from certain sources...more often than not, when it is labeled Zeus. My first all-columbus ipa remains fairly high up on my list of favorite of mine, basically a 2-hearted clone with columbus instead of centennial. To me it was mainly pineapple with some tangerine & pine goodness but did have a harshness to it. I went onto brew a Pliny clone which was columbus driven with that batch of Columubs which also kicked ass. I bought a lb of zeus after finishing that first bag. I got a lot of weirdness from and really didn't enjoy it unless kept less than maybe 25% of late addition hopping. I mainly used the Zeus for bittering additions. I have gone back to a bag of Columbus and once again please with the results have brewed a Rye IPA with it and APA using healthy amounts in the mix.

    All that said, CTZ to me is great a driving force hop, but not necessarily 100% of the hop profile. Maybe <75% of the profile.
     
  14. nathanjohnson

    nathanjohnson Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2007 Vermont
    Deactivated

    What was the source of your columbus? This discussion seems to be bolstering my belief that columbus (more than other varieties) varies from farm to farm greatly.
     
  15. telejunkie

    telejunkie Savant (1,107) Sep 14, 2007 Vermont

    north country malt supply was my source for bulk hops for years, so that is where I probably would have got the columbus & most likely the zeus....last order of Columbus was from Nikobrew. Trying to think of other places I have purchased bulk hops from. I bought from Farmhouse Brewing and Hops to You as well but I think those would have been for other varietals.
     
  16. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    No...IMHO a fine hop that works better in tandem with just about anything else. Don't like Nelson Sauvins much by themselves either...but great when blended with others...IMHO

    Disclaimer: had one commercial beer (IPA and IIPA)that were excellent and maybe single-hopped Columbus...from Columbus, Ohio if I remember right.
     
  17. Patrick

    Patrick Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2007 Massachusetts
    Deactivated

    Jack, you should have tried Hill Farmstead's Columbus IPA. It was fantastically dank. I just had Society and Solitude this past weekend, and the beer had an almost minty/herbal finish to it.
     
  18. dave73ok

    dave73ok Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2008 Minnesota

    love Columbus. I frequently FWH and dry hop with it, sometimes in the same recipe.
     
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  19. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    “Jack, you should have tried Hill Farmstead's Columbus IPA. It was fantastically dank.” Hmmm, that is supposed to sound ‘good’!?!

    “I just had Society and Solitude this past weekend, and the beer had an almost minty/herbal finish to it.” I did drink a Society and Solitude #3 this past weekend. It is not a favorite of mine.

    I guess I don’t understand your ‘message’!?!

    Cheers!
     
  20. Patrick

    Patrick Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2007 Massachusetts
    Deactivated

    My message is don't discredit Columbus just yet. I don't think Society and Solitude #3 is 100% Columbus hops, it was too fruity, but I guess that could be the yeast as well. The Columbus IPA was 100% Columbus as part of their single hop series and it was drastically different in terms of hop profile.
     
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