Scott Ickes said:
I understand the hop bursting schedule that you propose using on a smash. Is it safe for me to assume that you get a lot more aroma and flavor by adding all of the hops at the end?
Yes. it maximizes your perception of the unique varietal hop characteristics (floral, citrus, earthy, etc).
Scott Ickes said:
Is there any other reason for doing this?
Um. No, not really. Hops are all about flavor and aroma. There's no processes/chemical reason to do this. I find the same computed IBU contribution will have a much difference overall character. The bitterness will be less sharp. I MUCH prefer the flavors from this approach versus the 60 minute additions. There is probably a chemical reason for this, as well as flavor perceptions affected by the additional aromas.
An interesting effect I've seen is that people who express distaste for "bitter" beers, don't have the same feeing about the hop bursted beers. My mother is a case in point. She "hates" anything approaching an english IPA (not to even look at an AIPA, or DIPA, or IIPA). But, she loves these 50 IBU "bursted" beers. She doesn't think they are "bitter".
Scott Ickes said:
I want to experiment with different hops, but I don't really want to use that much per 5 gallons. I usually have a 60 minute addition to get most of my bitterness, and then other later additions to get my aroma and flavor. I've never done a brew with all the hops at 15 minutes or later. Please help me understand the reasoning behind this strategy better.
There's nothing magic about the 50 IBU number I quoted above. Try 30, or 25 or whatever. However, now that I've said that...there IS something magical about the over-the-top hop-bursted IPA. If you have any hop-head tendencies (maybe even if you don't)...you should consider trying it once. Honestly there is something fun about tossing in an entire quarter POUND (or more) of hops into a 5 gallon batch for the first time.
The first time I did this, I made 6 different beers this way with 6 (2 german, 2 english, to american) different hops (all using MO base malt). I did it as a way to understand the unique flavor / aroma differences between the basic hop characteristics (floral, citrus, earthy, etc). It is still my go-to method for understanding a new hop. You can do the same thing with a single addition at different times (0, 5, 15, 30). Control for IBU or mass, as you think appropriate and see what you think of the hop at various boil times. Do both. Which works better? Conventional wisdom is that mass works better as a control under 15 minutes or so, than IBU does. Do you perceptions agree with that theory?
When it comes to hop experimentation, I do not recommend using a bittering addition AND a late addition. It will confuse the differences, as you perceive more or less of the bittering addition. Keep it simple. I've tried it, and it just minimized the perception differences. Go big, or...
Once you understand how each addition is different, try blending these beers. What percentage works best: 50/50, 25/75, 90/10? Do you like the blend or the constituents better? Why?
MaltLicker said:
So for a SMaSH, the more "identity" from that single hop to learn what it's capable of producing.
Totally agree.