Hop Combo NEIPA

[Laid Back Brewing]

Not trying to create an argument, but some NEIPAs are boring and flavorless. I like IPAs, hoppy, piney, dank, spicy, tropical, fruity, fairly strong IPAs. What I don't like is fruit juice that calls itself IPA.

I like west coast IPA quite a bit. But I do like the mouthfeel and fruitiness of NEIPA. So obviously there is a difference. Not all IPAs are created equal.

So I am trying to create NEIPA with flavor! I have a good one on tap with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe, all in boil, whirlpool and dry hop and it's very good. But I am never satisfied, so wondering what you guys/girls are using for hops to bring the flavor!

So basically interested in your favorite Hop Combos and maybe ones that work with a smaller price tag!

Cheers!

 

[Craigerrr]

I have Amarillo, azacca, citra, cascade and simcoe in my NEIPA

 

[4Bentley]

The hops you highlight sounds good to me. I am using Citra, Mosaic, and Centennial or Columbus for bittering. If you are not satisfied it may be you are trying to replicate what some of the breweries do. I know I have not been able to get the intense flavors that some of the others do. I do know that they use hop oil, hop hash, and/or hop rockets. You might pick the predominant flavor (pine, citrus, fruit, etc) hop that you are trying to feature and try one of these things to see if you can get more satisfaction.

 

[Meatwad]

You have to layer hop flavors in the boil, hop stand (time and temp dependent), biotransformation and dry hopping. Blending hops is also a must. While you can always buy the cheater hops (Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, Vic Secret) they all come with a hefty price tag. Know that biotransformation hop additions will have their oils altered: geraniol turns into citranellol. So, you'll use hops with higher geraniol to get the citrusy flavors.

Use sidekick hops like El Dorado and Cascade to accentuate other hops. Azacca is wonderful and if you want big grapefruit, go with Chinook (if it's Michigan grown it'll be more pineapple) as late additions.

Last but not least, use a yeast that actually contributes something. Chico and London Ale III are all great but swapping to something like Sacch Trois or Dry Hop (Conan/Sacch Trois blend) will elevate hop characteristics to a new level.