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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Recipe Discussion --> Spicy Hops

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testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


Has anyone had Gossamer from Half Acre? I think they use Crystal and Liberty hops in that beer and it has this really nice spicy note that I'm wanting to get into an IPA.

I tried Crystal with a bunch of american hops and I don't get any spicy, and I used a ton of them. They were only 2.5AA so I figured they might be weak, but I still feel like I can't taste them.

I wonder if the pair is necessary to really get that spice. It's kind of a black pepper/cardamom/anise kind of flavor. Hard to describe other than "spicy"

I'm also considering Australian Ella hops because they are described as spicy.

Does anyone know a noble-esque hop with a higher AA content?




Posted 34 days ago.

nickosuave311
Charter Member
Saint Paul, MN
18 Posts


Sterling! I LOVE these hops. Their AA is normally in the 7-9 range, closer to something like Cluster. They're quite similar to Saaz but with a higher AA and oil content. They also store quite well too, much better than noble varieties.

You could also try Perle, which I'm growing very fond of using in my lagers. It's not too spicy, more fruity and floral than anything, but a nice balance too. Similar AA to Sterlings but with a more continental heritage.

Also, Crystal hops don't store very well at all. They're one of the worst hops to store long-term and are really only best fresh or recently harvested. I'd bet that the hops you used were a bit older and their contribution was very low.




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by nickosuave311

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I like Perle.  I agree with Nick... they have some spice, but they are pretty balanced.

I get some spice from Saaz, but I'm sure you've already considered it.





Posted 34 days ago.

uberg33k
Charter Member
The Internet
314 Posts


"black pepper/cardamom/anise"

Those things are really, really different.  If you're getting notes of all of them off this hop, consider me intrigued.  

I can second Sterling as a nice "spicy" hop as well as good old Tett.




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Yep, Tett.  Knew I was forgetting something.



Posted 34 days ago.

CXR1037
San Diego, CA
23 Posts


I've got to jump on the Perle bandwagon. I made an English Pale Ale with Perle a few months back that came out really nice. Like nick said, they aren't as spicy, but I definitely got more of the floral side of them. 



Posted 34 days ago.

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