Bravo hops in New England ipa

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Prep8611, Sep 20, 2017.

Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    Anyone ever use these for New England IPA? I'm out of citra and can get bravo hops for 12 dollars less a pound. They will be used with el dorado, cascade and a little mosaic.
    Brulosophy noted Bravo to have an orange vanillish flavor and thought these may be a cheaper alternative. Probably gonna experiment unless people are overwhelmingly telling me it's a bad idea.
     
  2. Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse

    Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse Zealot (744) Jul 20, 2016 Indiana

    I never think trying a new hop is a bad idea. Save yourself some money. You probably drink enough commercially produced Citra beers anyway. The beauty of homebrewing is that you can produce beers that are different from commercial beers, IMO.

    Although, a quick Google search returned this thread: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/opinions-on-bravo-hops.101228/

    Maybe not what you're looking for.
     
    pweis909 likes this.
  3. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    hmmm someone mentioned citronella candle. That sounds unpleasant
     
    GormBrewhouse likes this.
  4. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    I can get calypso for same price as the bravo. May this be a better option?
     
  5. Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse

    Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse Zealot (744) Jul 20, 2016 Indiana

    Maybe. If you're looking for cheap NEIPA hops, I find Belma is a fairly underused one. It's extremely cheap from HopsDirect. I would recommend blending it with another hop; it's too subtle to lead. I like it with something like Comet for that catty citrus edge to balance it out.
     
    209Hill and skivtjerry like this.
  6. Bryan12345

    Bryan12345 Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2016 Texas

    Experimentation with purpose? Always a good idea.

    Buying whatever is on clearance sale? Mmm...maybe not so much.

    But don't let ME pee on your slide :slight_smile:
     
  7. Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse

    Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse Zealot (744) Jul 20, 2016 Indiana

    I wouldn't call $12 a pound necessarily clearance. As long as these are recently harvested hops (no more than a year old), I see no issue.
     
  8. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    Ya they are 2016
     
  9. Bryan12345

    Bryan12345 Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2016 Texas

    #facepalm

    I guess we'd rather play semantics. Ok then.

    Peace out :slight_smile:
     
  10. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    As long as they are vacuum sealed and kept refrigerated, the only thing that you'll lose is bittering capacity. Your oils should be intact.
     
  11. DrMindbender

    DrMindbender Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2014 South Carolina

    Bravo is a terrible hop IMO...super boring and used for bittering only (I actually threw away most of a pound after making a SMaSH with it because it was so uneventful). Comet is one of the least expensive quality IPA hops. Yakima Valley has them for $15 a pound http://www.yakimavalleyhops.com/Comet16oz_p/hopscomet1-2016crop.htm

    If you can afford to buy the hops for a specific style, then make a different style with less hops...easy answer. NE IPAs are overrated right now IMO, so why not make a clean West Coast IPA with like 5 oz of hops (1 at bitter, 2 at 10-15 and 2 at DH) instead of 13+oz in a typical NE IPA? This formula has made excellent IPAs for me for decades and if you want it cloudy, just dont fine it...then you can still call it NE if you want :wink:
     
    GormBrewhouse and JackHorzempa like this.
  12. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    I likes the New England IPA I made a few months ago. Was just wondering if I could somehow change the hops around and get a similiar or maybe even better product. I find it hard to believe that New England ipas can only be made with citra, galaxy, el dorado, and mosaic...
     
  13. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    I've used it in a few things I've done lately. Mostly as a bittering hop because it's super functional. And stays out of the way of the heavy lifting your late hop additions have to do.
     
  14. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    They certainly don't need to be only those hops. I often use others with, dare I say, excellent results. NEIPAs are about process. The ingredients, like hops, are interchangeable.
     
    209Hill, Prep8611 and MostlyNorwegian like this.
  15. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    Found some Amarillo for 12 a pound. Gonna go with that with cascade, mosaic, el dorado.
     
    pweis909 likes this.
  16. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    Good plan, that. LOVES me some Amarillo in NEIPAs. Also like your inclusion of Cascade in your hop schedule. I find that the grapefruit character balances the tropical fruit very well.
     
  17. MmmmmmBeer123

    MmmmmmBeer123 Initiate (0) Nov 15, 2015 Connecticut

    One of my most consistently well received NEIPAs uses Bravo-Citra-Ekuanot. I specifically picked them because they are 3 of the highest hop oil content varieties...and since the hop oils are what contribute strongly to the flavors/aromas extracted during whirlpool/dryhopping...

    If you also believe in biotransformation, Bravo has one of the higher contents of geraniol...which can biotransformed into compounds that make NEIPAs taste pretty OK.

    Tl;Dr version: Try them.
     
    Prep8611 likes this.
  18. wasatchback

    wasatchback Pooh-Bah (1,574) Jan 12, 2014 Tajikistan
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    On their own they aren't anything stellar but when mixed they can amplify certain aspects of other hops. They definitely can't replace Citra but combining them with Citra or Simcoe is a great option.
     
    hopfenunmaltz likes this.
  19. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    Cascade is one of my favorite hops. It pretty much goes in every ipa I make. Thanks for the advice as well. I may pick up a half pound of bravo just to test it out.
     
    GormBrewhouse likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.