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In all my batches so far, I adopted a strategy for saving $ on hops, by opting to bitter with a small amount of high alpha-acid hops at 60 and flavoring with noble (low alpha-acid) hops at 20. I have done this, mainly because it makes financial sense. You achieve the same level of bitterness with a much smaller amount of hops.
Now that I have a few good batches under my belt, I'm wondering about the difference that it would make, if any, if instead of using a few grams of a high-alpha acid hop for bittering, I used a much larger amount of low-alpha acid hops to achieve the same IBUs.
From what I have read, flavor wise, it makes little difference,since most of the flavor in the hops added at 60 will be boiled off anyway.
However, since hop compounds are anti-bacterial and prevent spoilage. Would there be any benefits from using the larger amount of low alpha-acid hops? Are alpha-acids the main compounds responsible for the preservation effects beer? If there were other beneficial non-bittering compounds in hops, then one might see the upside of spending more money to hop the beer with lower alpha-acid hops in a larger quantity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Are there any down sides to using larger amounts noble hops at the same IBUs?
Now that I have a few good batches under my belt, I'm wondering about the difference that it would make, if any, if instead of using a few grams of a high-alpha acid hop for bittering, I used a much larger amount of low-alpha acid hops to achieve the same IBUs.
From what I have read, flavor wise, it makes little difference,since most of the flavor in the hops added at 60 will be boiled off anyway.
However, since hop compounds are anti-bacterial and prevent spoilage. Would there be any benefits from using the larger amount of low alpha-acid hops? Are alpha-acids the main compounds responsible for the preservation effects beer? If there were other beneficial non-bittering compounds in hops, then one might see the upside of spending more money to hop the beer with lower alpha-acid hops in a larger quantity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Are there any down sides to using larger amounts noble hops at the same IBUs?