BeerBorg

I’m currently heating the water for a steep while making a BB Pale Ale recipe kit. It came with 2oz cascade for bittering and 1oz citra for the last 5 minutes of the boil. No hops for flameout or dry hopping included. I do like a hop flavor/aroma but don’t want to overpower. I’m not looking for an IPA type hop-blast, just a nice flavor/aroma.

I have 1oz of Kent Goldings on hand that I was thinking of adding and would like suggestions. I’ve read up on the Kents and like that they are not overpowering and blend well with the malts.



So:

Should I do the citra for more than 5 min, say 15, and add the Kent at 5 or flameout? Add to the primary?

Should I reverse the 2 (kent at 5-15 min, citra at flameout/primary?

Are these 2 even compatible?

I kind of know what the Citra will bring, but haven’t used Kent before so I’m just looking for some thoughts.


Oh – I’ve got about an hour before I need to add the hops so quick responses would be appreciated

You could add it at flameout or do 1/2 oz at flameout and dry hop with 1/2 oz for 3-4 days. The dry hop will add some aroma.
I've only used Kent Goldings once before and it was pretty mild so I don't think you'll get too much of a hit from it.

If you like more hop flavor and aroma than bitterness I would switch up that hop schedule. I would use the Goldings for bittering with some of that Cascade if you have to for IBU's and save those Cascades and Citra for late in the boil. Maybe even adding them at 10 min and flame out. Goldings are a great English hop but for an american Ale I wouldnt mind using them for bittering.

I wasn't looking for a BIG hop aroma (but I do for a LOT of other beers I brew) so I might just go with the 1/2 the Kent at flameout and half a few days in as Beer-Lord suggested.

The expected IBUs are between 32 to 36. I consider this mild-mid compared to some IPAs I've had and brewed, so I'm not worried about the bitterness. I was leaning towards the English style, but will have to try the Kents in an LBK batch and see how it is.

Thanks guys. Much abliged.

Let us know how it works out.
I made BB APA, and it's not right. It has a sharp, unpleasant bitterness. I may have screwed up the hops, but it also had other problems: foamed over and got moldy. I might never figure it out, but I'm interested in how yours turns out.

John – Funny you mention a foam over, after I pulled the grains and was bringing the wort to a boil, I went outside and started cleaning the snow off my car. Next thing you know the wife is hollering ‘IT’S BOILING!! IT’S BOILING!!!. Sure enough it boiled over even before adding the LME and DME.

I’m hoping it doesn’t adversely affect the batch. Everything went just fine afterwards.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

It boiled over and she's still talking to you? You have a keeper!

It boiled over and she's still talking to you? You have a keeper!

Yup she is. She even helps me wash bottles!!!!!

You are a lucky man! I brew when my wife isn't home. And I learned the hard way not to turn away from the boil until after the hot break, and I've turned it down a little. Burned wort on a glass top stove is a real mess!

I normally do stand guard like a Gitmo MP after adding DME and watch for the hotbreak…..but this was just getting the steep water up to a boil. I do keep the lid on the pot until it starts boiling, so this didn’t help either. I have an electric stove and it normally takes 10-15 minutes before it boils. I just lost track of time.


WOF (wife of Fred) is rarely home when I do l full boils so when I’ve had ‘messes’ in the past, she was none the wiser as I’ve always had it cleaned up before she got home. Luckily, this time we were sharing the kitchen (her making Xmas chocolates) or else who knows how bad it would have been if she wasn’t there to alert me.

It's a sign that you need to keep brewing!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!