Sticklebract Hops

[Norris!]

Who has used these hops? I picked up 100g for less than $6, and want to see what they bring to the table.

The name is horrible but the flavours and aroma sound interesting, citrus and pine. How much citrus and pine? When I see pine I think dank flavours and aromas with a resinous flavour? Is this hop like Columbus hops?

I will use it late in a pale ale hoping to get the flavours and aroma from it to come out but will mix with something else, I don't know what yet but something to either counteract the pine or to compliment it, I haven't decided yet. So I am here to get some feedback.

My research shows @BlackSandsand maybe @Ben 10might have used it, Indica86? What did you all get from it?

[Norris!]

Bueller, Bueller.

[ben 10]

Posted 2 hours ago

Posted 15 minutes ago

Impatient MUCH?

I used it and recall liking it. I am unsure what I got from it, that was a few brain cells and angry rants ago.

Good hop though for sure.

[King Ruddager]

Hah, that’s incredibly patient by my standards. I’ve more than once asked things with a shopping cart ready to confirm 

[Norris!]

5 minutes ago, Ben 10 said:

Posted 2 hours ago

Posted 15 minutes ago

Impatient MUCH?

Very much so, obviously! I need sticklebract info stat!

 

5 minutes ago, Ben 10 said:

I used it and recall liking it. I am unsure what I got from it, that was a few brain cells and angry rants ago.

Good hop though for sure.

Cheers Mate. I have a vague recollection of trying a FWK with sticklebract in it a while ago, like 7 years ago and remember thinking it was alright but the one thing that stuck out from that memory is I tried citra right after it, I didn't look back after that, thinking maybe I should have.

Edited August 11, 2020 by Norris!

[ben 10]

The only beer I could see it in was from 2016. No idea what it was like

[Norris!]

2 minutes ago, King Ruddager said:

Hah, that’s incredibly patient by my standards. I’ve more than once asked things with a shopping cart ready to confirm 

I was half expecting a reply like a Skype message or something but then reality set in and the teacher from Ferris' day off popped in, I felt at the 2 hour mark it was appropriate in this day and age of now.

I am what is wrong with the world.

[Norris!]

I think it will be right. Looking forward to trying it out. Probably will put it into my house pale and see how it goes with some Amarillo or maybe riwaka? Probably try Amarillo 1st as I am more familiar with Amarillo than riwaka and can pick up the flavours better. Probably should of bought another 50g or so to do a proper SMASH or at least single hop brew.

Last question now that I have some bites! Southern Tropic or Idaho 7? Anyone used these and what did you get? Yes I know Google, but I don't trust Google and the fake news and want to hear it from true blue blokes.

[King Ruddager]

1 hour ago, Norris! said:

I am what is wrong with the world.

Keep up the good work 

[Hairy]

Sticklebract sounds like a nasty infection. Be careful.

[PaddyBrew2]

With its name and the fact it throws pine and citrus, it reminds me of a toilet bleach ALDI sells 

[Titan]

Sounds like a fish i caught as a boy. Stickleback

 

[BlackSands]

I like sticklebract because they're cheap!    Not sure why they fell out of favour -  displaced by 'new world' varieties, as they seem a perfectly respectable hop to me.  Just bottled a brown ale  that used them for bittering but have also used them often in the past - Pale Ales, bitters etc.    I think the name is a bit off-putting.  I'd mentioned this in a thread previously  - quite some months ago and as Hairy says I too thought they sound more like some kind of infectious disease!  I reckon they just need to be re-branded.  My general impression is they're quite well suited to English styles but as mentioned I did use them in an NZPA along with two other less fashionable and very cheap NZ hops (Dr Rudi and Green Bullet) and it was a perfectly respectable beer.  

[Bribie G]

Sticklebract come from Alsace in France, up near the German border. Alsace was occasionally in France and sometimes in Germany over the centuries but is the major hop growing area now in France. It's the hop used in French beers such as Kronenbourg and also, if you live anywhere where Aldi have a liquor licence you can try it in Sainte Etienne lager from France.

Not a bad euro hop, similar to Belgians. Use as per Hallertau etc. 

[Beerlust]

On 8/11/2020 at 4:49 PM, Norris! said:

Who has used these hops? I picked up 100g for less than $6, and want to see what they bring to the table.

I haven't used Sticklebract, but have sampled home brewed beers that used them as a bittering addition predominantly. Not to say it can't be used successfully later in the boil for more aromatic/flavour orientated characteristics, I just haven't seen anything written from those that have.

The high co-humulone level suggests one should be wary of boiling it for long periods if fermenting with with a clean ALE yeast due to the possibility of it throwing harsher bittering tones. The beers I tasted it in were LAGER yeast fermented beers that tend to subdue & smooth harsher bittering tones, so were both enjoyable to me.

If late boiled &/or steeped in an ale yeast fermented brew it would certainly avoid any of he harsher bittering tones.

I don't know much beyond that. Maybe a gem in the rough?

Just my 20 cents,

Lusty.

[Norris!]

The Kernel Brewery in England has made some brews with sticklebract that have some informative reviews that are giving me an idea also of what to expect and the use. Basically the same general consensus of pine and citrus with some saying it resembles simcoe a lot and how it goes well in English Bitters and ales. 

I agree with everyone about the name, French, historical or whatever that name is just not appealing and maybe has kept the hop out of the light, but as Lusty noted the high Co-hu level versus simcoe and even Columbus kind of makes me lean towards using those hops. But I have not used sticklebract so take that comment for what it is worth.

I wont use this hop early but late and I might use M54 on it just because it is clean, floccs and attentuates well and I will have some slurry for it. I am probably going to blend it with either Amarillo ( surprise) or galaxy...I shouldn't, to really see what it brings but I want to make something I like to drink, science and experiments be damned.

[Norris!]

2 hours ago, Bribie G said:

Sticklebract come from Alsace in France, up near the German border. Alsace was occasionally in France and sometimes in Germany over the centuries but is the major hop growing area now in France. It's the hop used in French beers such as Kronenbourg and also, if you live anywhere where Aldi have a liquor licence you can try it in Sainte Etienne lager from France.

Not a bad euro hop, similar to Belgians. Use as per Hallertau etc. 

Thanks Bribie but these were different ones need in NZ to battle the black rot there in the 1970's, you are referring to strisslesplat hops. 

[Bribie G]

Thanks Norris, you are correct. So many hops, so many names to remember!

[Norris!]

4 minutes ago, Bribie G said:

Thanks Norris, you are correct. So many hops, so many names to remember!

Haha fair enough Mate, but your post was interesting, it got me looking into it for more information on the hops.

[BlackSands]

On 8/18/2020 at 9:41 PM, Bribie G said:

Sticklebract come from Alsace in France, up near the German border.

Yup! as Norris says!  I've seen this same confusion with these two varieties a number of times on forums.  Perhaps another reason sticklebract should be re-branded!

Edited August 22, 2020 by BlackSands

[Bribie G]

Kiwis are good at renaming hops for example B Saaz, Hallertau Aroma (one of my all time favourites) and others over the last ten years.

[BlackSands]

22 hours ago, Bribie G said:

Kiwis are good at renaming hops for example B Saaz, Hallertau Aroma (one of my all time favourites) and others over the last ten years.

I think it came about in the case of several non-NZ varieties that when grown in NZ soils they actually produced quite a different hop - e.g. Taiheke (formerly NZ Cascade) is nothing like the original US cascade. 

[Norris!]

I am fermenting a (hopefully) red ipa with galaxy and sticklebract and it smells really nice, in a couple of days I will see how that translates to the sample. I am getting just great citrus and piney aromas right now.

I always use a blow off tube because a regular airlock doesn't fit in my chamber with the fermenter and this is the 1st brew where the blow off tube was really needed. A thick krausen is coming through the lines into a cup with starsan. I went with verdant yeast, probably should of used something cleaner but it was what I had on hand at 6pm on Sunday. 

Looking forward to this brew and the sticklebract hops used.

[Norris!]

I just dry hopped this brew. I almost tossed it but after the fermentation cycle it tastes clean just really piney. So I went with 40g sticklebract, Amarillo and simcoe in the dry hop. I can pretty much say any issues with this batch is probably due to recipe formulation more than anything else. I will let this sit for a couple of days and then keg and try it out.