Poll: Favorite Hop

I've really been loving Amarillo lately. It's got that great candied orange and grapefruit pith flavor, yet balanced out with that nice grassy and earthy dankness. It's like a marriage of Citra and Simcoe.

 

Mosaic and Citra come as no surprise in this poll. Goin' retro with Centennial, Summit, and Amarillo. The best IPA I ever brewed was all Amarillo, I grow Centennial in my back yard and Summit has always been a personal favorite.

 

Goldings have been around for over 200 years and have never been matched.Fuggles and Challenger are also excellent.
All three actually taste of hops.Not grapefruit,mangoes or citrus. Just hops.

 

Hardly. Take a trip through England and sample many of the great ales. While some British brewers are experimenting with the new universe of hops, their standard ales- often with Goldings, Fuggles, and Challenger- are still my favorites and always satisfying.

 

I selected "other" because there's a bunch of really great hops out there that I enjoy that weren't listed (EKG, Fuggles, Aramis, Sorachi Ace, Madarina Bavaria, Saaz just to name a few off the top of my head).

If I had to pick one though, and I'm gonna cheat a bit here, I'd choose any of the Hallertau varietals. Such a versatile, well rounded hop with a distinct, wonderful taste.

 

I nearly cut myself on the edginess of your snark

 

changed my vote from mosaic to nelson.

it was galaxy in between the 2 as well, so my favorite hop definitely changes over time.

 

Citra. Doubt I could ever drink enough Double Citra or Double Sunshine.

 

Simcoe

 

I do love dem juicy Citra hops, but it's been bumped down two spots because Mosaic has been my fave of late, and Simcoe, not listed in the poll, comes in at number two. Galaxy and Nelson would tie for fourth.

 

I thought I had some opinions on hop varieties then decided I was more interested in what the brewer does with them.

 

Based on recent experiences, I have come to believe that hop varieties can't really be sorted into a ranking due to the huge variance in flavor within the varieties. I had been unhappy with the Cascade that my last brewery was getting on contract due to what I perceived to be a spicy flavor. I ended up doing a lot selection with a broker in Oregon and the lot I selected was the winner of the 2016 Cascade Cup (awarded to the grower that is deemed to have the best Cascade). I finally brewed with some of that same Cascade at my new brewery and it was fantastic. I prefer it by a lot to a beer I brewed that was basically the same but used Amarillo. The Cascade flavor from that lot made me realize the potential that Cascade has for greatness. Some of the lots I smelled though were very underwhelming. 8 different lots smelled like 8 completely different varieties. Most brokers will blend lots together so that there is more year to year consistency, but is sucks to think that this wonderful single lot of Cascade would be ruined with blends of inferior lots.

 

My favorite hop that I enjoy from commercial beers would be Simcoe.

My favorite hop to use as a homebrewer would be Columbus (or maybe Apollo).

 

Saaz, I home brew with it often and it is a mainstay in my favorite style.

 

Galaxy

 

I voted other because I don't have a favorite hop. What may be a great hop in an IPA may be out of place in a stout or a Pilsner.

 

I used to always say Citra but lately I've been loving Nelson. Citra is still up there though.

 

I like beers with Mosaic hops Citra is a strong second, but in all reality I like anything hoppy.

 

I like nelseon, galaxy and saaz equally.

 

I voted galaxy, but honorable mention to Chinook & Jade. When used together in a batch from bond brothers late last year I literally could not stop myself from visiting the brewery day after day.