Varietal hop development has seen a vigorous upswing recently, while classic cultivars are just as popular and noble as ever. Brewers are finding creative ways to showcase them all. This wealth of variety and expression is pure gold to homebrewers, if sometimes a bit overwhelming. Skillful, expert hopping is not as daunting as it may seem, and an understanding of a few basic concepts is all one needs to fine tune that recipe—be it balance, bombast or something in between.

Hop Utilization

Most recipes require a certain level of bitterness, as measured in International Bittering Units, or IBUs. Attaining this level requires proper hop utilization, extracting the bittering alpha acids (AA) throughout the duration of the boil. To calculate IBU, all that’s needed is an IBU equation (there are several available) and a utilization chart that relates kettle gravity to boiling time. Sure, you’ll need a little mathematical moxie, but plugging in the variables will become second nature.

My advice is to pick one equation and one chart from a reliable brewing resource and stick with it. Then, critically evaluate your finished beer and adjust as needed. Find an equation that accounts for pellet vs. whole hops. A full rolling boil is the surest and best way to get consistency and adequate extraction from hops.

A hydrometer or refractometer will become your best friend on brew day, as it is needed to monitor gravity during a session. All of this will require some attention to detail and practice, but the results are well worth it.

Recipes will occasionally give bittering additions in AAU, or alpha acid units, which is the weight in ounces of hops multiplied by alpha acid percent. This is used in fairly standardized recipes as a shortcut and assumes that all other parameters will be met while brewing.

There are some considerations to make between using whole or pellet hops. Some brewers swear by whole hops as a superior contributor to flavor and aroma. They have a lower utilization factor. Pellets, macerated and extruded, are more processed. They are easier to store, and they separate from wort in the kettle better and provide superior utilization. Some brewers use a hop bag with whole hops in the kettle, but I do not recommend it since it can give inconsistent and/or poor hop extraction.

Building a Schedule

Putting together a coherent and effective hop schedule is artistic brewing at its best. The three common additions are known as bittering, flavoring and aromatic. Hop types are generally labeled by their best application: bittering (high AA, harsher flavors), aroma (subtle, pleasant flavor and aroma, low AA) or dual-purpose hops (fairly high AA, but still excellent contributors to flavor/aroma). There dozens of each and, in fact, quite a few new recent cultivars from the U.S., England, Germany and New Zealand. Hop vendors and homebrew shops offer full descriptions of each. Those specs are an invaluable resource for building hop schedules. Many of these new hop varieties are a result of the very influential and robust North American brewing scene.

Flavor components are best extracted at 20 to 40 minutes in the boil, and aromatics from 20 minutes to flame knockout. Boiling drives off aromatics over time, so choose your timing carefully: the later, the better. A “hot stand,” letting the wort steep without chilling for 30 to 40 minutes post-boil, will also help intensify late kettle additions.

If you are seeking to clone a schedule of your favorite commercial beer, check if the brewery offers some clues on its website.

First Wort Hopping

First wort hopping is an old German method used to smooth out the hop profile and marginally increase hop utilization. It has gotten the attention of modern brewers and is an excellent option for homebrewers. Hops (up to a third of the overall measure) are added to kettle while it is being filled, exposing the hops to hot, but not boiling, wort. This prolonged exposure seems to seal and enhance the more delicate flavors and aroma, while at the same time increasing AA extraction and softening the harsher, hoppy edges.

First wort hopping will increase utilization by about 10 percent.

Dual-purpose varieties are tailor-made for this method since they offer excellent flavor/aroma qualities as well as decent AA content. First wort hopping is wise for any beer that favors later hop additions, be it a modern hoppy barrage or something more subdued. Whole hop flowers are extraordinarily suited for FWH.

Dry Hopping

Dry hopping, originally used to help preserve aging cask beer, had the side benefit of imparting wonderful hop aromatics. It is now largely used for the aromatic effect, and seldom are those hops in contact with the beer for more than a few days. It is done at cellar or fermentation temperatures, and all fleeting volatiles are retained. Dry hopping is best employed late in the fermentation stage or in the keg/cask used for serving.

Brewers who opt for the fermenter method have a couple of options. Hops can be added to the primary fermenter as activity wanes, left for a few days and then racked to the secondary. Use pellets in carboy primaries and either pellets or whole cones in a bucket primary. Alternatively, the hops can be added to the secondary fermenter during racking. They will eventually sink to bottom of the carboy, out of the way of the racking cane during transfer to bottling bucket or keg/cask. Expect a little hazy carryover during the rack.

Since most homebrewers keg rather than cask their beer for serving, 5-gallon corny kegs offer a superb chance to duplicate the cask method. Whole hops are preferred to pellets. Stuffed into a muslin or hop sack, they can be suspended with a string in the keg or the “pillow” allowed to sink to the bottom. The flavor will change dramatically over a few days as the scrumptious soluble compounds are leached from the cones. There is no need to pasteurize the hops used for dry-hopping.

SMaSH and Single Hop Brewing

There is no better way to investigate the footprint of a single-hop variety than with SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) brewing. Dual-purpose hops fairly scream for the practicality and simplicity of this strategy, especially if you are a minimalist brewer, as I am. There are so many American hops available now that a virtually endless array of beers can be crafted. Classic noble hops are excellent candidates for German or Czech SMaSH brews. Explore English dual-purpose hops, such as Bramling Cross, First Gold, Pioneer or Progress, and one can’t go wrong with the classic East Kent Goldings. Once a recipe has been honed, iadjustments are easier to make.

Body and mouthfeel can be adjusted by altering mash temperature, color and caramelization, and intensified by prolonging the boil. With some creative thought, you’ll be amazed at the number of beers that can be made this way with English pale ale, Pilsner, Vienna or Munich malts and two to five single-cultivar hop additions. If single-malt brewing isn’t your thing, add some character malt to the grist, but keep the grain bill simple to tease out the hop character more distinctly.

Hop Bursting

The popularity of hop-forward beers has brought the concept of hop bursting to the forefront. If you’ve ever wondered how brewers get that sublimely round bitterness and enormous flavor and aroma into their beer, it is probably via hop bursting. The method entails adding nearly all hops within the last 30 minutes of the boil, including the bittering hops. This will preserve all ephemeral flavor and aroma, and softly contour the bitterness. It requires at least twice the normal amount for bittering, and even more for subsequent doses.

Boil for 30 minutes to get good kettle interactions and then start the hop schedule over the next 30 minutes. An addition every 5 or 10 minutes through kettle knockout followed by a “hot stand” and dry hopping will furnish an impressive burst. I think this method works impeccably for regular IPAs, offering an intense hop profile with less potential palate fatigue.

No matter what kind of beer is on your brewing docket, there is always a way to make it better. These simple strategies should help get you there. From helles to hop bombs, all will benefit from a deft hoppy hand.

English IPA
(All-Grain)

5 gallons, OG 1.065, 55 IBU

Mash 1# 60° L crystal malt and
12# English pale ale malt
for one hour at 152° F

First Wort Hop: .5 oz Bramling Cross

Bittering: 40 IBU (about 1.5 oz) Bramling Cross, 60 minutes

Flavor: 1 oz First Gold, 20 minutes

Aroma:  z Bramling Cross,
10 minutes; 1 oz East Kent Goldings, 5 minutes

Ferment with Wyeast 1028 or White Labs WLP005

Dry Hop: .5 oz East Kent Goldings whole hops in keg/cask if serving draft, pellets in secondary fermenter if bottling

Hop Burst American IPA (Extract)

Full wort boil (starting with 6 gallons to yield 5 gallons), OG 1.070, 60-65 IBU

Steep 1.5# 40° L crystal malt for 20 minutes at 155° F and add 7# Light DME

Boil for 30 minutes and add
2 oz Centennial hops

Boil for 10 minutes and add
2 oz Amarillo hops

Boil for 10 minutes and add
1 oz Amarillo hops

Boil for 10 minutes and add
2 oz Cascade hops

Turn off the burner and do a 30- to 40 -minute “hot stand”

Chill as normal and ferment with Wyeast 1056 or 1332 or White Labs WLP001 or WLP041

SMaSH German Pils (All-Grain)

5 gallons, OG 1.052, 40 IBU

Mash 10# German Pilsner malt at 150° F for one hour

First Wort Hop: 1 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh,
Tettnang or Hersbrucker hops

Bittering: 30 IBU, same hops as FWH

Aroma: 1 oz same hops as FWH

Ferment at 50 to 53° F with Wyeast 2124 or 2042, or White Labs WLP830 or 838

Alternative Recipes

Replace Pilsner malt with up to 30% Vienna or 15% Light Munich

For Czech Pils, use Saaz hops throughout and Czech or Bohemian Lager yeast

For American Pils, use Mount Hood,
Liberty or Vanguard hops

Try a blend of hops or some new German cultivars: Opal, Saphir or Smaragd

For extract, use 5# Extra Light DME and
1# Munich LME

The more elusive, though, are German Kölsch and altbier of the Rhine Valley. Not only are they quite different from all other German brews, but each is also distinctive enough to be the calling card of a city, and it is this provenance that sets them apart.

The two cities that they call home, Köln (Cologne) and Düsseldorf, are separated by barely 20 miles, but the cultural differences and rivalries are great. Ironically, the two beers share some essential brewing methods, and they are both something of a challenge to make well. If you’re up to the task, they can be brewed by following a few unique and rigid guidelines. Beyond that, the possibilities are actually rather broad if you want to make some interesting and very personalized hybrids, German-accented or otherwise.

Hybrid Defined

Kölsch and altbier combine top fermentation (typical of ales) and cold conditioning (typical of lagers). I love the self-explanatory, seemingly oxymoronic designation obergaerige lagerbier (top-fermented lager beer) that is often used to refer to these two indigenous German brews.

The yeasts used for both are specialized, selected over centuries to accommodate the environs and critical to their brewing. Tailored to the mild climate of the Lower Rhine Valley, Kölsch and altbier yeast work most comfortably at 55 to 65 degrees F, conditions that suppress the fruity esters and spicy notes associated with the ales of Britain and the other top-fermented brews of Europe.

Lagering is done at a modest 40 degrees F for about four to six weeks, warmer than the near-freezing condition of bottom-fermented lagerbiers. The character of the yeast and the lagering method suggest that these strains have been culled from bottom fermenters but adapted to slightly higher temperatures (much like the California Lager yeast used to make California common).

Beyond that, brewing Kölsch and altbier is merely a matter of selecting a proper grain bill and hop schedule, and selecting one of the several yeasts available to craft your homebrew. The stickiest requirement is ensuring that the yeast is comfortable during fermentation, always a consideration, but more so with these.

Brewing Kölsch

Kölschbier is the lighter of the two, always a shade of gold. This means, of course, that it is made primarily with Continental pilsner malt, and usually that malt alone. A simple bill of pilsner malt from Germany or Belgium, mashed for high fermentability, will produce classic Kölsch. Traditional wort strength is OG 1044 to 1048. I like to mash at about 148 degrees F, leaving little residual dextrine.

Malted wheat is not a stranger to Kölschbier grist, and it will add a bit of mouthfeel and depth. A touch of Vienna malt, up to 15 percent, will also provide extra character and deeper gold color.

Should you opt for a more dextrinous brew, mash into the low 150s, or use about 5 percent dextrine malt in the grist. Caramel flavors are not part of the Kölsch profile, so stick with dextrine malt over light caramel/crystal varieties. If you use American two-row malt, light specialty or toasted malt addition is advised. Extract brewers should use the lightest malt extract available, either on its own or with a touch of wheat or Munich malt extract.

Hop rates in the low- to mid-20s provide the perfect complement to the elegant malt character. Minimal aroma hops are traditional and, in a beer this delicate, even a meager aromatic addition will be noticeable. As one who loves to make classic versions of beers, I usually stick with German low-alpha-acid varieties such as Tettnang, Hallertau, or Hersbrucker, as well as Czech Saaz for aroma. American hops with German pedigree are also acceptable.

There are several Kölsch yeasts available from both Wyeast and White Labs; all of them are highly attenuative and will serve to retain the feathery malt character that you have so ardently striven to achieve. I have found that some lend an herbal character, enhancing the hops, while others provide a soft malty and even vinous note. As always, consult the vendor specs online.