I think I'm becoming a hop head.

[Banjo-guy]

I've been brewing for a year. Last year I would always say that I liked malty beers but after drinking the citra IPA that I just brewed I think I've totally changed.

I split a 2 gallon partial mash and did one gallon with citra and the other gallon with fuggles. Each hop was added at the same times and amounts.

.25 oz @ 60.00
.10 oz @ 20.00
.10 oz @ 5.00
.40 dry hop

12 oz two row pale
4.0 oz Carmel 80L
12 oz light DME
US 05 yeast

5.5 ABV ,
Citra IPA has an IBU of 44.3
Fuggle is 16.6. IBU

It's not overly bitter and the citra was so fresh and great smelling!
I cracked it open at 3 weeks conditioning and it's one of my favorite brews that I've done.

I have a feeling that the fuggle is going to be a let down. I'll try it tomorrow.

[Beer-lord]

Welcome to my world! I can't get enough of it and think I am suffering from Hopititus. There is no cure.

[mashani]

I like hops. I like malt. Wheee!

[FedoraDave]

Tastes do change as we become more conversant with the various styles. I used to insist I preferred balanced beers, but I'm coming to enjoy the highly hopped styles, and I definitely appreciate the maltier varieties, too. I think a lot of it has to do with a more educated palate. But there's also the knowledge of how a style is made, what seasons/occasions/foods it suits, and knowing what kind of thirst I'm experiencing at the moment.

[John Sand]

Hop addiction. It's a terrible thing. It's costing BMC millions. In every town in America, we see poor bastards standing outside of beverage centers going to Ruination. Or some other IIPA. It's time for C.F.B.B: Campaign For Bland Beer. The first step is recognizing that you have a problem: Don't be an Arrogant Bastard (drink one!).

[BlackDuck]

Hops are great....I can't get enough either. I wonder if you could mash the hop pellets up and stick a bit between your cheek and gum like a nice pinch of tobacco? But then again, maybe not.

[berryman]

Hops are great....I can't get enough either. I wonder if you could mash the hop pellets up and stick a bit between your cheek and gum like a nice pinch of tobacco? But then again, maybe not.

Ha I tried that with some leaf hops, not as good as it smells.

[bucknut]

Love the hops, and like your grains it can add another layer of flavor to your beer. Just be aware of the Lupin threshold shift, it can come on with out notice and then your really hooked.

[Banjo-guy]

Just be aware of the Lupin threshold shift, it can come on with out notice and then your really hooked.

I didn't know that drinking hoppy beers could be so risky!

[Brewbirds]

Just be aware of the Lupin threshold shift, it can come on with out notice and then your really hooked.

I didn't know that drinking hoppy beers could be so risky!

Not as much risky as sneaky, especially where hops are concerned. After a few over the top hopped craft beers I wasn't sure about it either but time (read drinking beer) healed that problem.

I like reading all the posts where newbies want to add a bunch of stuff to boost the ABV; little do they know that it is the Myrcene that hooks you.

[Inkleg]

Welcome to the dark side Banjo-Guy.

Here's a good thread to follow on a hoppy beer.
Complete with descriptions like this. "The aroma coming from this glass has me looking around for the pine cone that was pissed on by one of my cats, it's that strong. Man I love it. The taste is like peeling the enamel off your teeth with that urine soaked pine cone". If I do say so myself.

But please, work your way up to this level of bitter taste bud wrecking of no return. You will not be sorry.

[Yankeedag]

Cat piss IPA? um... no.

[FedoraDave]

This brings up my own personal hobby horse regarding highly hopped beers, specifically, is this a phenomenon that truly reflects the tastes of the beer-drinking public, or is it a fad along the lines of "You're not really drinking craft beer until you drink this IPA that's so bitter it'll turn your face inside out!"

Look, I like a good, bitter IPA. I really do. And it seems as if Banjo-Guy is coming around to an appreciation of the magic that is hops. Hey, I've had a couple of Hop Epiphanies since I started brewing the beer I drink. I'm not anti-hops, by any means.

But I mentioned to my new manager at work that I'm a homebrewer, and he mentioned that he likes the hoppy beers. And he's asked me if I've tried certain beers that are "like getting hit by a hop sledgehammer", in his words. I don't know if that's the only thing he drinks. I don't know if he knows good beer and can appreciate a well-made stout, or if he's drinking bitter beers as a result of thinking he has to in order to prove his appreciation of beer that isn't BMC.

Hell, I don't know, and I'm starting to not care, outside of idle curiosity.

Hops can definitely contribute to a beer's personality. Of course, the right malt does, too. Do an IPA recipe with Centennial hops, and do the same recipe substituting Simcoe. Radically different beers. Do a blonde (in a nice way, I mean) with 2-row and Maris Otter, and do the same recipe with 2-row and Munich. Radically different beers.

Bottom line: Brew what you like, and if you like the beer you brewed, YOU DID IT RIGHT!

[Banjo-guy]

For me it was a revelation that I could really love a hoppy beer. I didn't even understand what a hoppy beer was until I started brewing and could smell and see the hops up close and in person. It wasn't that long ago that I would confuse a highly carbed beer with a highly hopped beer.

I'm still a noob but it seems to me that the real challenge is to balance all of the elements in a brew. What is considered balanced is subjective.

It reminds me of food that is very spicy or music that relies on over the top technical ability. Sometimes the subtle interpretation of a musical piece or of a food dish is the one that shows true artistry. The public usually loves the bombastic in your face virtuoso performer.

After writing all of this I still have to say that I love that citra heavy brew that I just made! One year ago I would not have liked it at all.

[John Sand]

Banjo, that's beautiful, I'm not kidding.
I've come to enjoy hoppy brew, and many others I didn't like only a year ago.