Pure Late Hopping.

[Terrazza]

I'm looking for something outside of the guidelines to try next. My last few batches I eliminated the first bittering hops, and hit my IBUs by bumping up on my flavor and aroma hops at 25 minutes and down. The first time I did this was last fall with an all late hop pale ale with an entire hop plants worth of fresh crystal hops. Sooooo good!!!

More recently I decided I'd go back to late-hopping and try a few more things. Fresh ideas I'm fermenting now:
1. 95% all wheat malt Porter (pale wheat malt + caramel wheat malt + chocolate malt) all late hopped of course! It turned a few heads at the home brew store... We'll know in a few weeks what this will turn out to be like.

2. Also one week away from tasting is my all late hop (30 min columbus/15 min amarillo/5 min crystal) pale ale with 2-row, munich, victory, and wheat malt.

My question - can any style be changed to pure late hops with no bittering hops by adjusting the IBU's at the end? Which beers do you think would take to this type of hopping and which would not?

This fall, I should have a bunch of fresh Nugget, even more fresh Crystal, and a but load of fresh Sterling Hops... Tell me, what do you think of an all late hopped Czech Pilsner with harvest Fresh Sterling Hops - worth thinking about? I live in Portland and the water profile is pretty close to Czech here. It will be my first lager also...

Belgians and late hopping??? Too many questions... Thanks

[MF Tyler]

I did a late hop CAP with 80%6-row and 20%Flaked Maize w/ all sterlings. I used the same hopping profile that is outlined in Brewing Classic Styles (IBU wise) and that bad boy came out f'n fantastic. Hoppy and wonderfully dry (I mashed at like 148*F) with this nice sweet corn flavor. Even my grandma liked it...IMO definitely worth your time.

Belgians and late hopping also seems like a worthwhile idea. It might make a pretty sweet Belgian IPA ala Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel (which is one of my recently discovered favs).

Just try all of your ideas and send them to me...I'll tell you if they were good ones...my hindsight is better than my foresight.

[6thstreetbrewer]

Made an APA with all late addition Summit hops a couple of years ago and it was fantastic.

[BDawg]

My IPA and APA recipes use only a tiny FWH addition, and the rest are late.

I'd stay away from late hopping styles where hop flavor and aroma are supposed to be low to none. Hefeweizen, Bock, Scottish, etc.

HTH-

[brewcrew]

Sorry I have nothing usefull to add but I have a question.

I tried an American IPA like this several years ago and it came out tasting like an English IPA, sweeter and malty without the bold hop quality I expected. I dont have the IBU's handy but I used a combination of Santiam, Simcoe, Warrior, Cascade and Centennial totalling 12 oz in the last 15 minutes for a 5 gal batch. What is a good example of a late hopped recipe?

[Sent From My iPhone]

I think you just described a good example - an American IPA with a butt ton of hops in the last 10-15 minutes. If it came out too sweet, try a lower mash temp.

[MF Tyler]

12 oz in the last 15 minutes for a 5 gal batch

I think 12oz in the last two min would give you the IBU contribution of an IPA even with a high mash temp.
If you look at something like Jamil's Evil Twin recipe it uses like 5 oz in the last 20 min and it still has ample enough bitterness to stand up to 1.066 OG even with a 154*F mash temp.
The best reading I've done on late hopping is the article on the mrmalty site. I think that's all I read before I embarked on my first late hop brews.

[BDawg]

I like the bold flavor and aroma of the late hops. I also don't have my own hop farm, so that's why I do the middle ground.

This took a 1st place at a small local competition with a 38, but it got its ass kicked in the BOS round because it lacked bitterness punch, and it needed more aroma.

5 gals

9 lbs Maris Otter
2 lb Munich 10L
3/4 lb Caramunich 57L
1 lb Victory

1/4 oz Centennial @ FWH (<- I did this as a mash hop - trust me do a FWH - this is one reason it got its ass kicked in BOS)
3/4 oz Centennial @ 30
3/4 oz Centennial @ 20
1/4 oz Willamette @ 20
3/4 oz Centennial @ 15
1/4 oz Willamette @ 15
3/4 oz Centennial @ 10
1/4 oz Willamette @ 10
3/4 oz Centennial @ 5
1/4 oz Willamette @ 5
1 oz Cascade @ flameout
Whirlfloc @10

I didn't dry hop it. That's the other reason I think it didn't do well in BOS. Dry hop this with an oz or 2 of Cascade or Amarillo

White Labs WLP007

HTH-