Equinox Hops

@DrMindbender may have some info for you.

 

I have had the 2014 SN Equinox Single Hop IPA. I really liked that beer! I found the Equinox hops to add a cedar quality in that beer which I found to be intriguing.

Please report back on how your Equinox beer turned out.

Cheers!

 

Holy crap they are awesome! Possibly my favorite hops right now, along with Galaxy. Similar to Citra but has a more ripe and juicy flavor. I'm about to do a WLP 644 IPA with all Equinox and a Brett Saison with it as well. It blends well with other hops to make great IPAs, for sure. I did a Simcoe, Amarillo, Galaxy, Equinox and Mosaic IPA recently that may have been my best IPA ever...the keg only lasted 1 week

I personally think they're better in a homebrew than in the SN Equinox Harvest.

 

SN had an Equinox beer at the Beer Camp in Chicago. I had many samples of it, as the hop was enticing. Used it in the dry hops for the last beer I made.

 

I have 8 oz of these in my freezer, looks like they will be going into my next IPA. Glad to hear a citra comparison as this will replace citra in my house recipe.

 

They're pretty awesome. Modern Times did a single hop red ale with them that showcased their qualities (Pine, citrus, slight dank).

Personally, I did a SMaSH XPA with marris and equinox that I really liked. The beer had a very strong dank, nelson like quantity, citrus and a good deal of pine with a hint of diesel character that was similar to what you get when over hopping a beer with Riwaka or Amarillo (I used a metric shitload in my XPA: 8.5 oz, two 3 oz dry hops, 5 gal batch).

I've been meaning to use them in conjunction with Simcoe and Citra for an XPA or IPA the next time I have the desire to do something hoppy.

I didn't find them as much like citra, more like a mash up of Simcoe (Pine, citrus, catty) and Nelson (Catty, weed/dank). Then again, I used a heavy hand with them in my test batch (see above).

 

Interesting take on them as well. Either way, I will be giving them a go in my next IPA, that mash up you describe sounds awesome as well! I will wind up using 8oz in this beer so there will be a healthy dose and I will get a good idea of the contributions that they make. I am pretty excited to give these a go.

 

Please report back.

Cheers!

 

That is why I posted: "I have had the 2014 SN Equinox Single Hop IPA."

Cheers!

 

Seems like I'm always way behind the curve on the latest and greatest new hop. Anyone ever hear anything good about a hop called Amarillo?

 

It'll have to get in line behind Cluster.

 

Actually, I have never used Cluster in anything, so it would be just as novel to me as equinox.
Its been several years since I used Amarillo, and I probably have only used it 2-3 x, so it still seems like a new hop to me.

 

I make a wet hopped Harvest Ale every year from what I am pretty sure is Cluster Hops. That beer is a joy to drink!

Cheers!

 

This surprises me in many ways. I hear a lot of negativity towards cluster and a lot negativity towards wet hopping. Are your hops from a suspected wild hop source or old hop farm remnant? Is that why you think it is Cluster?

A few years ago, I was riding my bicycle on a trail in west-central Wisconsin and there were hops growing all around one stretch of trail. I assumed these were Cluster and possibly go back to the days when Wisconsin was the largest hop producer in the country (I want to say 1870s). It makes me wonder how long hop plants live. Given their vegetative propagation, it could be a long time. I also wondered how many males are out there to fertilize and make hybrid varieties. Were these hops all vegetatively propagated from days of old, or were they younger, hybridized plants? Makes me want to go back to that bike trail and sample hop cones.

 

Peter,

The rhizome was a birthday present from my sister to my wife. It was drop shipped from gardeners.com and all it stated on the package was "hop rhizome". I know Stan Hieronymus pretty well and I sent him several pictures of various leaves and cones. The only way to know the variety of a hop with 100% certitude is to do a genetic test. The leaf/cone of the plant 'looks' like Cluster and since the plant was from a 'generic' gardening supply retailer the probability is that it is Cluster.

What I can tell you from brewing with this hop plant is that I am certain it is not a potent hop (e.g., Citra, Centennial, Cascade, etc.). I use a large amount of wet hops for the end of boil (and a 40 minute hopstand); something like 12-13 ounces of wet hops. The resulting beer has a moderate-low amount of spicy/herbal flavor/aroma. IMO it is a pleasant drinking beer.

Cheers!

 

No ones mentioned the green bell pepper aroma that Equinox has been known to give off. It's not every time I use it but it's there sometimes. I love using Equinox to layer in some interesting aromas in a dry hop.

 

I have only had a few Equinox hopped beers but I have never perceived green bell pepper from that hop. Sierra Nevada mentioned the green bell pepper flavor on their bottle labels but I did not pick up that flavor in that beer.

Have you noticed any 'trends' on when you are able to perceive green bell pepper in your beers? For example, does using Equinox for dry hopping accentuate the green bell pepper flavor/aroma? Is age a factor (e.g., green bell pepper when the beer is very fresh?)?

Cheers!