Hops: Amarillo

Source: BSG

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 8-11% (online) 8.1% (on package)

Stated flavor profiles: Red grapefruit, similar to Cascade hops, tropical fruit, ripe melon. Floral.

Typical uses: American pale ale, IPAs, and Imperial IPAs.

Background: This hop comes from the state of Washington. It is exclusively managed by Virgil Gamache Farms of Toppenish, where it is also known as VGXP01. Interestingly it was originally found in the wild in 1998. It has a higher acid content adding to its demand. It is often added in late-kettle or whirlpool additions and as a dry hop. This hop is said to be similar to Cascade, Centennial, and Simcoe.

My notes

• The hops smell like lemongrass and a little minty.

• The smell is also fresh and green.

• The hop water seems to directly transfer that taste. It is not very bitter, though it does catch that part of my tongue.

• The flavors come off citrus and light and as time progresses, the bitterness builds.

• This is a medium-bodied hop water that lacks complexity but is still more reminiscent of an IPA than something that would be lighter on the hops.

• The main flavor coming through is citrus.

• The hop tea follows a similar pattern, with a citrus front and ending with bitterness. With a way to curb that bitterness, this hop could prove to be even better for hop water.

Hops: Cascade

Source: Yakima Chief

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 6.3%

Stated flavor profiles: Grapefruit, floral, pine

Typical uses: American pale ales, IPAs

Background:

Cascade hops seem to be a variety grown often in the pacific coastal areas. It was first bred in 1956 through a USDA program from English Fuggle and Russian Serebrianka. Today it is the most widely-grown American aroma hop.

My notes

• These smell like the hops I would expect of hops and have the flavor I would expect of an IPA

• It smells fresh and green, like pine

• The flavor of the hop water is that of citrus

• It does have that soapy taste from the floral notes

• The hop water from this tasted similar to H2OPs

• As prepared (a 1g to 100 mL tea with 30 mL into a can of seltzer)

• This feels like full-bodied hop water. The hops come out strong. The result is a very crisp drink that is very forward with citrus and floral flavoring.

Hops: Centennial

Source: BSG

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 9.5-11.5% (online) 9.6% (on package)

Stated flavor profiles: Cirtus, grapefruit, pine needles, lemongrass

Typical uses: American IPAs, pale ales, stouts, porters, wheat ales, blonde ales.

Background:

This hop was bred in 1974 and released in 1990 By Charles Zimmerman and S.T Kenny at Washington State University. It comes from Brewer's Gold, Fuggle, East Kent Goldings, and Bavarian hops. It is used in finishing and dry hopping for its intense aromatics. For this is referred to as super Cascade.

My notes:

• Floral lemon citrus smell that is intense enough to give me a headache.

• Also hints of pine and lemongrass in the smell

• The citrus comes through in the hop water, unlike other hop waters I have made. It almost tastes like citrus of some sort was added.

• There is a very little bitter burn on my tongue which is so prevalent with other hop waters that use the preparation method I use for single-hop teas.

• I find this more enjoyable than using Cascade hops and given the lack of bitterness could see this being a hop variety added to a blend to make more complex hop water.

• The flavor is full-body, not very intense, and simple.

• Even the concentrated tea did not leave a bitter burn. The flavors are more intense, as expected, but it seems no flavor is lost in the dilution.

Hops: Citra

Source: BSG

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 14%

Stated flavor profiles: Lush tropical fruit flavors such as peach, passion fruit, guava, lychee, lime, and gooseberry. Due to its high alpha acid, it is a strong flavor but is also described as smooth floral and citrus.

To me, it smells a little like mint. The overall smell is smooth and floral. There is a hoppy smell that seems balanced.

Typical uses: Used as a dry hop or late addition. American wheat beers, pale ales, IPAs, and Belgian-style ales. It is also commonly used in single-hop beers.

Background:

Citra is highly sought after for its unique flavor. The aroma is distinct and intense. It was developed by the Hop Breeding Company of Yakima and released in 2007. It was derived from Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Tettnang, Brewers Gold, and East Kent Golding.

My notes

• I named a DnD character after this hop. Citra Feldspar is a Dwarven fighter.

• A beer I commonly have with these hops is Lagunitas Super Cluster. This beer is described as using only Citra hops and a lot of it. There is so much Citra that the brewers describe it as taking on a whole new taste. It will be interesting to see what the effect on hop water could be.

• These pellets were more brown and dry than the other hop pellets I’ve been working with. The smell was of lush fruit.

• When pouring the water over the hop smell was between that Galaxy and Cascade hops, which were low and high respectively.

Hops: Ekuanot

Source: BSG

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 14.5 - 15.5%

Stated flavor profiles: Lime, apple, melon, berry, cedar, papaya, eucalyptus, clove, sage, and tobacco.

Typical uses: Hazy/juicy IPAs, sours, wheat beers.

Background: The hop hails from the USA, developed by the Hop Breeding Company and released in 2014 as HBC 366. It was formerly known as Equinox, but changed due to trademark issues.

My notes:

The hop pellet smelled more herbal and spicy than Citra hops, giving a darker sensation than the uplifting citrus with Citra hops. While brewing the concentrated hop tea, the smell reminded me of earl grey tea, hinting at the herbal citrus notes in the flavor profiles. The hop water was not crisp with citrus notes as I've been previously drinking with Armarillo and Citra hops. This one was not very bitter with herbal notes that lingered. The initial taste is very light with fruity hints. I can see this pairing well with Mosaic hops, but maybe I'm just a fan of Hazy IPAs. I'm not sure if it is how I made it, but my initial result tastes pretty light-bodied. After drinking a couple of liters, the taste feels drier than other hops I've tried.

Hops: Galaxy

Source: BSG

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 13.5-15%

Stated flavor profiles: Musky tropical fruit (passionfruit, apricot, lime) dank citrus, and earthy blackcurrant.

Typical uses: Used as an aroma and dry hop. American pale, IPAs, wheat beer, saison.

Background:

This Australian hop came from breeding programs in the 1990s coming from German Perle. It was released in 2009.

My notes

• This hop is a favorite of mine in beer from my local brewers. I like the dank fruity flavors.

• The hops smell fruity but not too much like citrus. There is an earthy element, like sweaty weeds or something.

• The tea of this immediately reminded me of licorice.

• Coming from cascade hops, the hoppy flavor is surprisingly absent from the hop tea. I’m going to have to drink this over a couple of days to see how the taste progresses.

• The strength is rather light as prepared. That being said, the flavor feels more complex, and making a stronger tea could become overwhelming. Specifically, the medicinal/licorice taste could become overwhelming.

• After more tasting, the licorice flavor blends with a mild hop flavor in a pleasant way.

Hops: Hersbrucker (Hallertau)

Source: Unknown, maybe Artisan hops (my package was unlabeled)

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 2-5%

Stated flavor profiles: Spicy, floral, fruity

Typical uses: German Lagers, Pilsners, Bocks, and other traditional European Styles

Background: Considered a quintessential German hop developed through natural selection rather than a breeding program. A spin-off is used by Anheuser Busch for their drinks. The low alpha acid makes this hop less used for bittering and more for the aroma it imparts on the drink. A similar taste can be found in Mt. Hood hops.

My notes: The initial smell of the tea was sort of like a Christmas tree. The hop itself had some great floral notes. The hop water itself is more smell than taste. In this light-bodied way, this variety seems like a good choice if other hop water is too bitter. The floral notes give it a nice nose while drinking, especially with the carbonation.

Hops: Magnum

Source: BSG

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 11-16%

Stated flavor profiles: Smooth, clean bittering. Mild floral and fruit aromas.

Typical uses: German Pilsner

Background: The hop hails from Germany. It was bred in the Hop Research Center in Hüll for high alpha and yield performance and registered in 1993. Magnum is a daughter of Galena and the German male 75/5/3. It is used for bittering, having high alpha content. It is often used as an early boiling addition. It is described as having a fine character, showing restrained and mild flower and fruit aromatics.

My notes:

The hop water has a mild crisp bitterness. As a result of the smooth bitterness, it gives a nice mouthfeel on top of the bubbles from the seltzer. The hoppy flavor is not as strong as others, but it is light and refreshing. For hops that do not taste too bitter, this could make a good base tea to add stronger hop flavors too. Interestingly, the feeling is warmer than the other hops I have tried so far. The bitterness is more full than other hops, leaving a lasting aftertaste that feels full-bodied. It feels more like biting into bitter fruit.

Hops: Mosaic

Source: BSG

Form: Pellets

Alpha Acid: 11.5-13.5%

Stated flavor profiles: Citrus, fruit, pine, herbs.

Typical uses: Hazy Ales

Background: Known for being similar to Citra, this hop is popular with Hazy style and those aiming for fruity/citrus aromas. It was released in 2012 by the Hop Breeding Company, LLC. They have a high alpha acid but low cohumulone. The result is a hoppy flavor with fruit notes of mango, citrus, tropical fruits, and stone fruit. Additionally, there are hints of pine and herbs. Mosaic comes from Simcoe and Nugget and is sometimes referred to as Citra on steroids.

My notes

• To me, it has a complex hop smell. It reminds me of lemongrass. The bitter hop smell seems balanced, but this is often different from the resulting hop tea.

• The hop water was like Citra but more bitter leading to a crispness that was like Cascade hops, but nowhere near the same intensity.

• The flavor has a complex crisp flavor coming from the bitter hoppy flavor and the more fruity flavors to bring in some sweetness.

• The overall taste is full-bodied that leaves a tingly bitter mouthfeel.

• Despite this, it is not aggressive or strong.

• However, I think using more hop tea into the mixture would not make it any better if the goal is to gain a more intense flavor.

• To add more intensity, I think doing a 4:1 ratio of mosaic to cascade would add to the hoppy flavor without drowning the mosaic characteristics.

• To add more complex flavor doing a 4:1 mosaic to galaxy would add even more herbal flavorings to this and bring down the hoppy levels. I find galaxy overpowering, so I might even go with fewer galaxy hops.