Bittering Hops; Does it matter which?

[arturobandini]

Given the almost total evaporation of essential oils adding aroma/flavour to a beer does it even matter which bittering hops I use ? Some recipes call for a mixture of say Challenger/Fuggles could I just use Admiral or Target to the same EBU without flavour loss?

This is not so much a cost saving excercise as a hop saving. I don't really want to start buying up loads of different varieties (storage!) if they're primarily used in the recipes I want to brew as bittering hops. Any thoughts?

[flytact]

I've started doing just that. One of the guys at the LHBS told me to start doing this when hops tripled in price. He said back when things were cheap you could use 3 ounces of low alpha bittering hops, but now just use 1 ounce of a super high alpha.
I have yet to taste a difference.

[mysterio]

Agreed this is what i've started doing too. I bought a kilo of 8% aussie hallertau for £20 last year and bittered literally every beer I made with it. Like flytact, I don't personally taste a difference (well certainly nothing negative). I still load up with decent finishing hops though.

[arturobandini]

Going to try this out with some 15.7% Magnum...

[arturobandini]

Cheers Chris. I was thinking to push my low alpha hops to the end of the boil (15/10 mins and 80c steep) and use the high alpha to make up the bulk of the EBU. I'm a bit of a crack addict for Styrian Goldings and would probably be able to push a few more brews out of them this way. Perhaps marrying up a small amount of low alpha pleasant aroma hops mixed in with a alpha acid kingpin might take the edge off? I'll see what happens and make some notes either way.

I wonder what the effect would be in a Stout type of beer using 100% Target or similar..don't say Guinness!

[steve_flack]

I think you do get some flavour carry over from some of the really assertive hops - Chinook for example is known for it. On the other hand some of the high high alpha hops are pretty clean flavoured (Magnum and Horizon for example) so they'd be fine.

I've never been a fan of Target in bitters as I think I can taste a roughness from it but maybe that's only because I know it's there.

[arturobandini]

Thanks for all the responses guys. It looks like Magnum may be the first high alpha that gets trialled. The roasty malt profile in a stout is what I was expecting to cover any Targety flavours Chris so that's another one to pursue. Out of interest has anyone ever use Target as an aroma hop?

No sign of the baby yet Steve? Read somewhere your first was two weeks early! My boy is obviously going to be a lazy fecker as he stayed in the full two weeks they'll let you run overdue before they give the baby a hand down. He's a very good boy so far and only whinges when he's forced to change his clothes or he's thirsty...like his Dad really.

[steve_flack]

Nope, no sign of baby yet....

I like Magnum. I've never used it in a British ale yet - I tend to stick to a Challenger/Goldings combo - but it's worked well in both the lagers and American ales I've used it in.