I have an esb type ale in primary and 3 oz challenger, 2.5 oz Willamette, and 2.5 oz glacier. I've never gotten much out of dry hopping with Goldings. Anyone have experience dry hopping with these? Anything encouraging? I did use 3 oz whirlpool hops. Haven't taken a gravity/taste sample yet.
Of the three, I've only used Willamette and have been pleased. It does well dh'ing an American Amber I regularly brew and I intend to use it in my next Trappist Single . . . I believe the monks of Spencer are also fond of it. Typically I whirlpool an ounce of Willy (usually with another ounce of fruity American hops), then dh the same quantity. Can not think of a reason it wouldn't work in an ESB.
Peter, FWIW I homebrew an English Bitter Ale every year and I use EKG hops for aroma: 1 ounce at end of boil and a 30 minute hop-stand 2 ounces for dry hopping; 14 day contact time The resulting beer does not have an aroma that smacks you in the face but it is perceptible. It is my understanding that EKG hops are not high in essential oils as compared to hops like Citra, Simcoe, etc. so if you are looking for a BIG hop aroma you would likely need to use a lot for dry hopping; maybe 4 ounces? What are you looking to achieve here with your ESB? Cheers!
What am I trying to achieve? Just maybe something pleasant and different at the same time. Exploring the Hopiverse, you know?
IMO dry hopping with 2 ounces of EKG = pleasant. If you are looking for more aroma oomph I would suggest using more for dry hopping. Cheers!
Can you get some? My apologies for not reading properly here. I have never dry hopped with any of the hops you mentioned you had on hand. Needless to say that I am a BIG fan of dry hopping Bitter Ales using EKG hops. Cheers! P.S. Maybe dry hop with 1 ounce each of Willamette and Glacier?
1oz Challenger and 2oz Willamette should be fine for a British Ale. You didn't say how the beer was kettle hopped.
Wow, dredging up the dead muck there, ain't ya? For whatever it's worth, I recall ending up hating that IPA/ESB with Challenger. It didn't age well. I don't remember much more than that, from EIGHT YEARS AGO, except that my initial impressions were wrong and I really didn't like it.
No, I didn't give details. Here goes, skip all the crap and head straight to the hopes if that's the way you roll. It was my first ever intentional brew in a bag. I was expecting a lower than usual efficiency so had 2#s of homemade invert #2 on hand to augment the gravity, as needed. Instead I had a higher than usual efficiency. Presumably because I had better recovery of sugary wort by draining and squeezing the bag. Because of the high efficiency, I did not add any of the invert sugar. Recipe: ESB Brewer: Peter the Quetzal Asst Brewer: His faithful dog Ariel Style: Strong Bitter Recipe Specifications -------------------------- Boil Size: 6.75 gal Post Boil Volume: 5.5 gal Measured OG: 1.060 SG Estimated Color: 10.2 SRM Estimated IBU: 42.2 IBUs Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 % Boil Time: 90 Minutes Ingredients: ------------ 10 lbs Maris Otter (Fawcett) (4.0 SRM) 12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (Fawcett) 4.0 oz Amber Malt (55.0 SRM, Fawcett) 0.0 oz Homemade Invert #2 (45.0 SRM? Probably not) Not added 0.50 oz Challenger [8.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 12.5 IBUs 0.75 oz Glacier [6.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 7.4 IBUs 0.75 oz Willamette [5.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 5.8 IBUs 0.50 oz Challenger [8.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 6.2 IBUs 0.75 oz Glacier [6.50 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 30.0 min 9 5.7 IBUs 0.75 oz Willamette [5.10 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 30 min Hop 10 4.5 IBUs Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, 156 F 1.0 pkg West Yorkshire Ale (Wyeast Labs #1469) (1.5 L starter)
I have made some all-Challenger beers and found them to be sort of tobacco-like, although I never dry hopped or used more than a couple ounces of late hops, if that. Others seem to find fruit in it (at least they did in that dead much post). I wonder if it is a case of how old, what crop, etc.
Okay, I'm home from work now. Betty was right... I've got 6 pages of notes on this Challenger IPA. This was the one that caught a Lacto infection, so it turned into a sour IPA, which was actually disturbing and not tasty. Initially the beer was quite good, floral with a hint of citrus. But very soon after it went sour and was just weird. I think this was because I had purposely used the same plastic bucket for making sour beers previously, so it caught a permanent Lacto infection. I suppose Challenger might be a worthy hop, but I wouldn't know for sure since I think I dumped half the batch after it went sour which only took a couple weeks.
I have used goldings and fuggles at FO with excellent results. Did try a dry hop with Brewers gold in an English IPA which was less that good.
I feel like there is no harm dryhopping with a touch of cascade. Not American Pale Ale levels, but just some. Like an ounce of EKG and an ounce of Cascade. I know it flies in the face of what we would consider traditional English or British Ales (spoken by someone that brews mostly English style Ales), but there are examples now of UK brewers making Pales with combinations of the traditional EKG and some of our "older/well used/recognized" American hops. Depending on what you are going for in the final product a little Cascade and a little EKG could give that hop presence on the nose.
I'd be on board with this, in general, although it is not what I want to do with this beer. Cascade hopping is a little too similar to something else I have planned.
She had that name when I rescued her from the needle for committing the unforgivable crime of being a pit bull. It's just coincidental that Ariel also happens to be the name of an androgenous sprite from a Shakespearean play that everyone has heard of but no one has ever read (they have both been fixed?), the curvaceous companion of Thundarr the Barbarian (no, not the Mok), and yes, my favorite Disney princess (and we lived happily ever after).
