Hop Amounts: Flavor/IBUs

Well, Spalt is a noble hop that I have not brewed with, but I would expect a 2% AA hop to give you 1/2 the IBUs of any 4% hop if everything else is the same...and as far as the flavor...it is what it is...and it's noble (very subtle flavor and aroma). What kind of beer are you brewing?

Edit: more hops in the 15 min to 5 min area will give you more flavor, but noble hops are noble hops...so don't expect anything like an in your face American Super-Designer Hop flavor. : )

 

I would expect these hops to be on par with the serebrianka hops (2.3% AA) that I had a pound of. They were tasty but you needed to use quite a lot of them to get any kind of strong flavor. They worked great for wheat beers and beers requiring subtle flavors, but don't bother with them for IPAs especially if they are leaf. Willamette and fuggles are sort of in this category too, depending on the AA% of your batch. They are very tasty hops, but are meant for giving more subtle flavors and not in-your-face IPA boldness. Same deal with the tettnanger I'm currently using (4% AA).

None of this is meant to degrade any of these lower AA, more subtle hops in any way. I used a bunch of serebrianka in a stout and I thought the hops levels were perfect, even tho the overall stout came out a little sweeter than I wanted. It wound up being a very nice sweet stout and a so-so oatmeal stout, but with tasty hop flavors at the right proportions.

 

IBU does not equate to hop flavor.

 

I estimate flavor and aroma contributions to be directly proportional to weight and independent of alpha acid. This may be slightly inexact, but I think it works well enough. So I would treat 2 oz of 2% hops to contribute twice as much flavor as 1 oz of 4%.

 

However, at least for many of the newer American varieties, I feel like there are high alpha varieties that also deliver big flavors. I also feel like I have seen a trend that high alpha correlates with high essential oil content. But others more passionate and knowledge about hops may have more to say about my general impressions.

 

It's all about the oil !

 

a very good resource is Ray Daniels recipe formulation book. or any place you can get a breakdown of the % and type of each oil found in a particular hop variety.
like this
http://www.spalthops.com/index.html


for example, Magnum is a high AA variety, but it is typically described as "clean", while a high AA% Nugget is anything but clean. Cluster is a medium AA variety, and famously described as harsh, or catty. there are dozens of significant hop oils, and the percentage of each within a hop will determine how the hop can best be used.

fwiw, Spalt is a great hop, as are all the Noble hops. but you will find it very difficult to get good bittering from this one. you will need ALOT of Spalt to make a high IBU beer. better to use a small amount of clean bittering hop for the BUs and use Spalt for what it is meant for- aroma and flavor.

Cheers.

 

Peter, in the book For the Love of Hops there is some mention of alpha acids and essential oils. An extract from the book (I would highly recommend you buy this book):

“Boston Beer now buys hops that are harvested up to seven days later than what was considered to be the ideal date. They contain between 0.5 and 1.5 percent more alpha acids and corresponding higher levels of essential oils.”

Whether the above can be ‘generalized’ to all hops (i.e., higher alpha acids equates to higher amounts of essential oils for all hop) I do not know.

Cheers!

 

Hi Jack,

I own the book. I just can't quote chapter and verse yet!
I'm pretty sure wherever I got my info was not this particular chapter and verse, but am glad to know that perhaps I was not making it up.

Peter

 

Low-alpha Goldings are amazing when used in huge quantities. You start getting cirtus flavours when you use them in large enough amounts.

 

What billandsuz said: Here's a pretty good link that details acid level and oil composition for most hops and gives practical examples:

http://beerlegends.com/hops-varieties