Simcoe hops

[MriswitH]

My only experience thus far has been a combination of Simcoe and Amarillo in an IPA / Pale I made.

I think the keg lasted 3 weeks? Needless to say, it was forking delicious.

 

[Stout-n-Braggot]

Simcoe and Cascade are wonderful together as long as they're not fighting each other, don't allow either one equal shares of aroma, flavor, or bitterness, make sure each is present, but that each aspect has one dominant hop and the other(s) in the background, then they mesh perfectly.
As for not using Simcoe for bittering, I understand why one wouldn't want to sacrifice the flavor and aroma, but sometimes you just need that specific twang to the bitterness that only Simcoe has.

 

[JuanKenobi]

Simcoe is a great bittering hop being high alpha. Although I rarely use a bittering hop that isn't used in late additions as well unless the style doesn't call for late additions. I prefer to first wort hop in hop-forward styles which imparts more hop character than just adding at the beginning of the boil (although it does require brewing all grain). Also simcoe has particularly low cohumulone levels which lends to a "softer" bittering than a lot of other high alpha hops.

 

[rycov]

I prefer to first wort hop in hop-forward styles which imparts more hop character than just adding at the beginning of the boil (although it does require brewing all grain).

could you explain this for me? what does first wort hop mean and how is that different than adding at the beginning of the boil? i'm still pretty new to all grain

 

[Steelers77]

FWH- is when you add hops to the wort as you are running it into your kettle from your mash tun. These are added to the kettle not the mash.

 

[rycov]

oh ok. couldn't you get a similar effect just adding the hops to the wort before you reached boiling with extract too?

 

[Steelers77]

Interesting question. I have never done it but if you added them when the temp was say 145-150 and continued to heat, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[deggenbe]

to the people who get the cat-piss smell (flavor? lol)
what hops schedules did you use?

do we think simcoe cat pee fumes come more from a bittering usage (60, 75, 90 min)
or possibly from a 20, 30, 40 min usage?


yeah, i'm trying to re-create it, lol

 

[UncleJohnnys]

Gotta support simcoe here. I've never use it by itself, but I love it for all stages in big IPAs. Goes great with any of the American C-hops. If you can get ahold of it, look for Wayerbacher Simcoe Double IPA. All simcoe in a big DIPA. Fantastic.

I got a hold..or should I say...it got my $12 for four of the worst beers ever.
I got a four pack of the Wayerbacher DIPA....tastes like maple syrup...not a hint of Simcoe to me. Maybe they were old??