43 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

I've been using Gr Magnum as my go to bittering hop for a while now. One of the guys in my club noticed that I seem to have a "house flavor" that he described as "that smell when an orange has been on the ground a little while". I know what flavor he is describing and I kind of agree. It's a slight fuity/citrusy pungent flavor. It can be unpleasant if it dominates. Now, I did get dinged for a soapiness in a few beers in my last comp. They all had magnum in them, and I think it was an old bag. So, I opened my newest bag that was about a year old and have been using that. The beers I have made with that batch haven't been tested yet, so I don't know if the "house flavor" is there or not. All the beers that my buddy has tried that doesn't have magnum in them do not have this character so far.If it's a hop character and not just an age thing then I may want to change my go to bittering hop. I would like to use a clean bittering hop that is high alpha. What is your favorite, and can you describe it's character in your beers?Cheers,Rich

[MtnBrewer]

Magnum is actually my favorite but now you've got me wondering. I don't really care for the aroma of Magnum so if any of that snuck into the finished beer, I can see that being a problem. I generally use US Magnum but will use GR Magnum when I can't get the US version. I bought some Bravo recently to see how they do. Other bittering hops that I've liked in the past are Target, Newport and Galena. Apollo are also supposed to be good but I haven't tried them yet.

[positiveContact]

I use magnum (german I believe) and haven't noticed any issues with it. I agree it might not be my favorite for flavor/aroma.While not clean I really enjoy columbus for all types of additions.

Edited by StudsTerkel, 03 December 2012 - 02:47 PM.

[Big Nake]

I do not care for US Magnum and I notice more Earthiness from them then I do from German Magnum.I will use Gr. Magnum as a bittering hop for a beer that I just happen to be making up. If it's something I just want to throw to together (whether it's a blonde, a pale ale, amber, red, maybe even on Oktober, etc.) I reach for Magnum. That said, I also use a lot of Mt. Hood and Liberty although they're lower AA% and dual purpose. If I'm making something "German" I may use Nobles too. Personally, I love the idea of using Mt. Hood as a bittering hop. I realize you don't get the bang for the buck because they're anywhere from 4% to 6.5% but I love their character. Northern Brewer, Perle, Crystal, Sterling and Vanguard also come to mind because they're clean but also low in the AA% dept.

[johnpreuss]

Target and Northern Brewer here.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I do not care for US Magnum and I notice more Earthiness from them then I do from German Magnum.I will use Gr. Magnum as a bittering hop for a beer that I just happen to be making up. If it's something I just want to throw to together (whether it's a blonde, a pale ale, amber, red, maybe even on Oktober, etc.) I reach for Magnum. That said, I also use a lot of Mt. Hood and Liberty although they're lower AA% and dual purpose. If I'm making something "German" I may use Nobles too. Personally, I love the idea of using Mt. Hood as a bittering hop. I realize you don't get the bang for the buck because they're anywhere from 4% to 6.5% but I love their character. Northern Brewer, Perle, Crystal, Sterling and Vanguard also come to mind because they're clean but also low in the AA% dept.

I use a lot of mt hood, but its tough on the wallet to get to the ibu's with it in a 10 gallon batch.

[Big Nake]

I use a lot of mt hood, but its tough on the wallet to get to the ibu's with it in a 10 gallon batch.

I know that there are hops out there that homebrewers and also microbreweries/brewpubs use because they are high AA% and clean. I typically don't use a lot of C hops so what does Centennial and Columbus get you? Are they "clean"? I will also say that I have never noticed a "common" flavor when using German Magnum as a bittering hop. I would typically only use around 5 AAU of them to bitter (depending on the beer, clearly) but that can be a ½-ounce or less in 5 gallons so maybe I'm just not using enough to get that flavor. Magnum is still the numero uno bittering hop for me.

[Big Nake]

A quick search for HIGH ALPHA BITTERING HOPS brought up some results that would suggest these are worth looking into: Horizon, Galena, Summit, Tomahawk, Sun, Zeus. All high AA% and meant for bittering. Some of these had substitutions of "Magnum". I haven't used ANY of those but maybe someone else could say if these are 'clean' or not.

[MtnBrewer]

Here's a good resource for researching hops varieties. They even have a lot of the newer varietals listed. https://beerlegends.com/hops-varieties

[BlKtRe]

Do you really think a house flavor can only come from using the same 60 min hop?

[BlKtRe]

I would think if there was something wrong with the hops it could be. It is at least worth looking into to eliminate it from the list of suspects.

A house flavor isnt necessarily a bad thing unless there is something wrong with ingredients or technique.

[BlKtRe]

True, but the comments from the judges/friends seem to think it is a negative.

I think there needs to be a definition of house flavor. To me its a flavor that can come across all your beers or all of the same type of style. It can be good or bad. In Schwanz case it could be from using old hops. But to me a house flavor isnt in just a few batches as seems to be the case here. A house flavor is what can be expected from a brewer/ery across the board every year. Again, it can be good or bad. People have said I have a house flavor in some of my styles. They just know what to expect from me in those beers. Been that way for years. Luckily for me its not a bad thing. It has to do with technique, yeast handling, attenuation etc etc....those types of things.

Edited by BlKtRe, 03 December 2012 - 04:25 PM.

[Big Nake]

Could be water, something in the process, the brand or cleanser or sanitizer and probably something in the air that could add flavor but not necessarily contaminate the beer. House flavor could definitely be yeast since many breweries use the same one or two strains. Could be constant under- or over-pitching, not oxygenating enough, etc. Old hops could definitely do it. I've had hops that came across as cheesy and dirty socks... not good.

[djinkc]

Gr. Magnum has been my main 60 min hop for clean IBUs. Columbus, Bravo, Apollo and Galena have been in the mix over the last 9 months or so. I've used all moderately (well, for me ) as later additions too. I have a porter and RyePA with nothing but Columbus and Galena around now. Pretty pleased with both.I've been tagged for a house flavor too. I guess it was a compliment. I usually mash low 98% of the time and ferment on the low end for most ales. Most stuff is pretty hoppy. And since I'm in the basement, I'm sure some ambient bugs find their way in too.

[HVB]

Depends what my goal for the beer is but I will use Magnum, Horizon, Northern Brewer, CTZ, nugget or if I want a rough bitterness I use Chinook. I guess I have no goto hop at the moment but will be using a lot of CTZ from here out because I have a metric ton of them.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I think there needs to be a definition of house flavor. To me its a flavor that can come across all your beers or all of the same type of style. It can be good or bad. In Schwanz case it could be from using old hops. But to me a house flavor isnt in just a few batches as seems to be the case here. A house flavor is what can be expected from a brewer/ery across the board every year. Again, it can be good or bad. People have said I have a house flavor in some of my styles. They just know what to expect from me in those beers. Been that way for years. Luckily for me its not a bad thing. It has to do with technique, yeast handling, attenuation etc etc....those types of things.

I've known these guys for only 7 months from my club, but I trust their palates. So they haven't had a huge sampling of my beers, but everything with magnum in it (all from the same bag) has this flavor in it. They do not get the flavor in beers that don't have that hop in it.I have a 2012 crop 1lb bag on the way. I'm gonna toss the ones I have now even though they aren't as old and were only opened recently.I'll probably experiment with another bittering hop or two though.

[BlKtRe]

I use Gr. Mags exclusivity.Ive never had your issue. I did get some weird flavors from it when I used them late and dry hop when the original SN Torpedo clone came out. But never at 60 or even 30.