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Earthy pale ale hop/grain advice


Cassius

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Lately I've been using a lot of fruity hops. Galaxy, Citra, Vic Secret etc. I've decided I need a crisp, slightly earthy/herby pale ale. I'm thinking something along the lines of 4 Pines Draught (formerly Kolsch) would be perfect, as I don't have temp control. Apparently 4 Pines use Motueka but my LHBS doesn't stock it.

Does anyone have some advice for a similar hop, a decent hop schedule and whether or not a small grain steep would improve it? Apparently Motueka was spliced from Saaz, which I'm happy to use but a slightly higher A/A hop would be good as I'm doing extract only. I'm looking at around a 10L batch, approx 25-30 IBUs and have Nottingham on hand, though I'll buy a different yeast if Nottingham doesn't suit.

TIA, Cassius.

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Alright, since I seem to have stumped the group, I thought I'd move in a slightly different direction. I still want it to be a light pale ale, but I thought I'd move the hop selection to be a bit more pungent and citrusy. Enter Columbus. I still need some input on the recipe below.

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First of all, am I crazy trying to make a refreshing easy-drinker with Columbus?

Secondly, I want to add a grain steep. Is CaraPils the obvious choice given I don't want it too sweet or dark and is 100g enough?

TIA, Cassius.

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Your doubt about Columbus says you know more about it than me.  I have not used it, but your recipe looks fine.

Carapils is supposed to be good for head retention.  100g in an 11L batch sounds like a good amount.  It will not sweeten and it will not darken at that rate.

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13 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Your doubt about Columbus says you know more about it than me.

I know nothing beyond what I have found online but it's a relatively high A/A hop and I want to try something different to my usual cascade/citra/centennial/galaxy/amarillo repertoire. Hopefully someone who has used it can fill me in.

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The one time I did a non hopped kit (23l) and added my own, it needed a lot more hop, but I didn't have the benefit of the recipe sheet.

The fact you've got 30 IBU from yours would suggest it's enough for a pale. If you scaled that to 23l, you've got 100g of hops with half of them in a boil, so not sure about 'light style'.

Only the drinking will tell for sure.

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8 hours ago, Lab Cat said:

The one time I did a non hopped kit (23l) and added my own, it needed a lot more hop, but I didn't have the benefit of the recipe sheet.

The fact you've got 30 IBU from yours would suggest it's enough for a pale. If you scaled that to 23l, you've got 100g of hops with half of them in a boil, so not sure about 'light style'.

Only the drinking will tell for sure.

Hmmm true. I might halve the dry hop.

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Columbus is one of my favourite hops. I wouldn’t say it gives a “refreshing” zing....I’m sure you saw Most descriptors mentioned it’s being “dank”. I had a west coast ipa the other day that very Columbus heavy. I was thirsty so it was “refreshing” so it’s all perception I guess. It’s a good hop though. 
 

in terms of your recipe above.... I’d pair the Columbus up with some centennial. Bitter with Columbus and do a late addition with the two.....

Just spit ballin’

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On 4/20/2020 at 2:44 PM, Cassius said:

Apparently Motueka was spliced from Saaz,

Quote

Motueka. Formerly known as Belgian Saaz or B Saaz, Motueka is a premier New Zealand hop. ... It makes an excellent dual-use hop, carrying an exciting fruit aroma with refreshing notes of tropical fruit and citrus. It can be used at any point during the brewing process and works well in sweet, malty and fruity beers.

 

Motueka is NOTHING like Saaz.

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@Shamus O'Sean I'll give it a whiff when I do the bittering and let that inform my dry hop.

@MitchBastard I definitely saw dank in the descriptors and that was one of the reasons I went for it. I'm not great at describing beer flavours or aromas. I guess I'm just after something that's not too fruity or sweet. I think I'll try just Columbus this time and I've got some Centennial I'll try it with in another batch. Part of the reason I moved to half batches 😄

@Ben 10 Nothing like Saaz but sounds delightful. Just checked again with my LHBS but they don't stock it. Will definitely have to try get my hands on some though.

Cheers all for your help.

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If you don’t want to go with centennial, give chinook a go. I recently paired it with Columbus and cascade in my red ipa. Really happy with that. I think something that’s all Columbus might be a bit one dimensional. I’d maybe sub the carapils for light crystal instead. Carapils is ok but you can a bit more bang for buck with some light crystal. Head retention, some colour and also a touch of sweetness that might help to balance out the Columbus 

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