Dry Hopping with Low Alpha American Hops

I think I read it in a Gordon strong book that low alpha hops will always produce a better beer. Seems subjective but low alpha hops are great and the beer industry isn't pushing them because large scale brewing seems to have a less with more aa attitude. I appreciate a cascade pale ale very much so and smuttynose finestkind has some Santiam I believe. Either way I think low aa American hops are being overlooked

 

i guess your supposition that these homegrown a are low alpha is based on your experiences using them to bitter? Is it possible that you have grown high alpha cascade and Santiam? Also you are brewing this with other flavorful hops. I'm sure your beer would blow my mind, so please don't take my natural-borne skepticism as insulting. I'm just questioning whether you can pinpoint exactly why your beer is so extremely awesome.

 

Cheers!

 

I never doubted it!

 

I love dry-hopping lighter belgian-style beers, especially saisons, with either noble, noble-ish (American or NZ versions of noble hops), or English noble hops. I also love to do pale ales that are all GP or GP + wheat with tons of the same. If there's any caramel/crystal malt, or if the ABV creeps above 6%, I need some of the dank that only a high AA% hop can provide.

 

+1 to using low aa hops. pales. English styles, fruit beers and some Belgians that I make all use low aa homegrown, usa or other low aa hops. All are great.

 

They do often get overlooked for the big aa ones

I recently brewed a saison with a fair amount of crystal hops and bobek, I'm looking forward to it. Also one of the first IPAs I ever brewed used a shitload of Mount Hood hops, that was excellent and unlike ones I could buy.

 

Unlike things you could buy is the key phrase! If you're looking to go super floral, low alpha hops are the way to go.

 

It seems to me that whatever hop varieties are used for the late additions, whether low or high AA, if you don't like the smell/taste characteristics of those chosen hops then you aren't going to like that beer. We all have different palates, and I don't have experience with very many different hops, but I've had some that I don't like, and I suspect that we're all in the same boat. So choose your hops wisely is the name of the game (even if you dry hop in your beer glass ).

 

I threw some hallertau hops in a half empty keg of cream ale because I had some sitting around and I wanted to hop the leftover beer, the hops smelled good, and I wasn't particularly thrilled with the beer to begin with. It wasn't bad, just not great either. Hallertau hops are not american, but they are low aa. Its been a couple days shy of a week, I'll get back on how it turned out if I remember, but I suspect it will be in octobers edition of homebrewings/doings.