The saga continues with the ever more beerlike brew being transferred from the cozy warmth of the boiler room, to the cooler climes of the basement, where it can stare in awe at all the adult beers incarcerated there, awaiting their consumption by yours truly.
But before locking them up, I added some extra hops to both jars. Using two small batches i'd set aside during the siphoning stage last week, I did some experimating in the time since the jugs started lagering. I added 2 g/l of Cascade hops to one batch, and an exual dose of Challenger hops to the other.
Five days later, the effect is remarkable: the beer has cleared significantly, and much of the harsh resiny flavour has mellowed out. More importantly, the added hops have imbued the beer with a fresh, ethereal aroma, taking it to an entirely new level.
The comparison between both hop species is also quite revealing. The Challenger is typically used as a bittering hop, while the Cascade is mostly an aroma hop. The former, while adding some hoppy qualities, left a bit of unpleasantness behind, an earthy, almost soapy flavour. It also strongly echoed the bitter basis of the beer, empasising rather than complementing the brew.
The latter hop, the Cascade, did exactly what I wanted dryhopping to achieve: the nose exploded with green and grassy hoppy-ness, and the overall flavour and mouthfeel were much mellower and elevated.
So instead of splitting my brew in two different dry-hop brew, I've decided to stick to "just Cascade" for now. One jug I will subject to the normal dose (2 g/l), the other will take a double dose.
With both jugs generously supplied with hops, I've now banished them the basement, where they will undergo lagering. In a week or so, it'll be bottling time.
Until then!
Greetz
Jo
But before locking them up, I added some extra hops to both jars. Using two small batches i'd set aside during the siphoning stage last week, I did some experimating in the time since the jugs started lagering. I added 2 g/l of Cascade hops to one batch, and an exual dose of Challenger hops to the other.
Five days later, the effect is remarkable: the beer has cleared significantly, and much of the harsh resiny flavour has mellowed out. More importantly, the added hops have imbued the beer with a fresh, ethereal aroma, taking it to an entirely new level.
The comparison between both hop species is also quite revealing. The Challenger is typically used as a bittering hop, while the Cascade is mostly an aroma hop. The former, while adding some hoppy qualities, left a bit of unpleasantness behind, an earthy, almost soapy flavour. It also strongly echoed the bitter basis of the beer, empasising rather than complementing the brew.
The latter hop, the Cascade, did exactly what I wanted dryhopping to achieve: the nose exploded with green and grassy hoppy-ness, and the overall flavour and mouthfeel were much mellower and elevated.
So instead of splitting my brew in two different dry-hop brew, I've decided to stick to "just Cascade" for now. One jug I will subject to the normal dose (2 g/l), the other will take a double dose.
 |
| Because I like hops |
Until then!
Greetz
Jo
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