Low Alpha Single Hopped IPA

Permit me to make a somewhat alternative suggestion: why not use Sterling instead of Czech Saaz? You will have much less vegetation in the boil since Sterling is a higher alpha acid hop but the beer should taste like you used Czech Saaz.

From Freshops:

"Sterling
6-9%
Herbs and spices dominate, flowers and citrus around the fringes. Moderate bittering values with a mix of Saaz and Mt. Hood properties.
Ale, Pilsner, Lager"

 

I don't think Sterling tastes the same as Saaz, but I agree it might be a good compromise if OP wants to keep the total hop weight down. But I'm not sure that's really necessary. I'd be tempted to try it with Saaz and see. (Easy to say when it's someone else's beer.)

 

“US Saaz and Sterling are also already taken by a couple of other members, and so we will get to find out how different they might be.” That will indeed be an interesting comparison.

Unfortunately I don’t have any good ideas on how you could produce a Czech Saaz hopped IPA without having a lot of vegetation in it.

For what it is worth I once made a Dusseldorf Alt beer where I used a lot of Spalt hops for bittering; 5 ounces of Spalt pellet hops added at the beginning of the boil (20 AAUs). That beer turned out great but the boil was a pain in the neck; I had to constantly watch the boil since there was a constant concern of boil over with all of that vegetation in the kettle. But the beer tasted great!

Good luck with your Czech Saaz IPA!

Cheers!

 

I agree Sterling isn't Saaz- at least not to my palate.

What about adding some FWH, you could pull them after the boil gets started and eliminate some of the hop matter. OR an alternate path would be to cut your 20 minutes addition in half and add a big amount at flame out in a bag and steep them for a set amount of time. say 30 minutes.

Either way, sounds like an awesome group experiment. You'll have to post back with some results.

 

Slightly off-topic: One of best commercial beers I've had was an apparently very fresh single-hop EKG from Mikkeler.

 

I have only the one ‘data point’ of the Dusseldorf Alt beer that I brewed with 5 ounces of Spalt hops for 60 minutes. That beer tasted like I obtained good bittering utilization. I am unfamiliar with any ‘analysis’ on how the amount of hops added at the beginning of boil would affect hop utilization.

As I mentioned, the only ‘down side’ I had with adding so many ounces of hops was the constant concern of boil over from so much vegetation in the boil.

Cheers!

P.S. My Dusseldorf Alt beer was based upon a recipe from Al Korzonas in his book Homebrewing Vol. 1. The book’s recipe listed 6.2 ounces German Spalt Pellets (3.5% AA) boiled for 60 minutes.

 

I would definitely cheat and use Magnum for bittering additions and Saaz for late boil. I believe you'll be much happier with results. There is a reason SN did this with their Pale Ale...then add that 2.5 oz as a DH. My 2cents

edit: on second glance, 8oz in boil isn't that bad...but still stand by the choice of magnums for bittering.

 

“I would definitely cheat and use Magnum for bittering additions and Saaz for late boil.”

How about cheating with Sterling vs. Magnum for bittering?

I used to make an all Czech Saaz hopped Bohemian Pilsner. When I ‘learned’ about Sterling a few years ago (2009?), I thought to myself: why not use Sterling for my bittering addition vs. Czech Saaz since Sterling has a higher AA%? I have been using Sterling as my bittering addition ever since.

On a related note I only made my Dusseldorf Alt with only Spalt hops for bittering that one time. In subsequent batches I used a split of Northern Brewer and Spalt for bittering to cut down on the vegetative matter.

Cheers!

 

Youll need more saaz than that!

 

What about hop extract?

My understanding is that RR uses this for the Plinys to avoid any vegetal flavors with the massive amounts of hops they use. If it is good enough for Vinnie, it should be good enough for you right? Plus it is technically not cheating as you are not actually adding another hop varietal to the beer.

Unless of course, part of the goal of the experiment is to understand the bittering properties of each hop.

 

Well, I can understand you concern. I would just go for it and let the Saaz fall where they may.
The majority of your hops will not be in the boil all that long, so breakdown and such will be minimal.
Sounds like a fun experiment. If they taste your beer and say it sucks, well then I guess the question about if it is too much vege will be answered. 18+ varieties it is unlikely you will be stuck with much of your own brew. Plus, there are thirsty bums everywhere.

 

Why is vegetation in the boil a concern? Just throw them in there and make the beer! It is supposed to be an experiment, and for every successful experiment there are 100 failed ones. I'd be interested to hear the results.

 

I don't think I've produced a wort yet that didn't smell 'vegetal' before fermentation. My guess is your beer will be fine.

 

“I got a touch of the vegitation notes but not too bad. Hopefully it ferments out well.”

Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer!

Best of luck with you all Saaz hopped IPA!

Cheers!