The next set of tasting notes is for a batch that was brewed with Summit. These were 15.5% AA
and came from Austin Homebrew Supply. The pellets themselves smelled dank, with
herbal/grassy notes and a distinct onion aroma. There was a rather
indistinct citrus note behind the dankness, but onion and dank were the
main aroma from the hops themselves.
I was surprised by the aroma
of the finished beer. There was a huge blast of tangerines with some
grapefruit. There is a bit of dankness/spiciness in the nose, but it is
way in the back behind the citrus.
The flavor profile is a
different story altogether. It's like eating onion rings. It's not
overpowering, and I like the taste in general, just not in a beer
(especially not in a session beer). I think it's the malty Munich flavor
that combines with a savory/spicy onion-garlic note that really reminds
me of breaded onion rings. I think I picked up something that reminds
me of aged parmesan or asiago as well.
So my thoughts on Summit
are, maybe it's only suitable in small quantities, or maybe it's better
suited for dry-hopping only. Maybe it would be OK paired with another
hop. I just know that while I like the flavors that I'm getting in this beer, I just don't like them in beer.
On the other hand, this beer will likely be awesome to cook with.
Eric, I've followed your posts on the AHA forum and really appreciate your new blog. It's inspired me to work on a series of single-hop beers on the stovetop this winter, following your procedure. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHave you been able to blend your single hop beers at any point to find interesting combos or even work out hop ratios for future full-scale beers? I tried doing something to isolate hop character but I did so by dryhopping bottles of Miller Lite. I think I just ended up oxidizing the beer and all the 12 hops I tested tasted and smelled the same! I'm hoping your approach will put me on the right track to kick these out quickly.
Thanks Brad! Good luck with your upcoming brews.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've never thought to try blending these, but I definitely should. When I taste these beers I'm generally thinking "what would I use this in" or "what would I pair this with", and I've come up with quite a few recipes based on my results. But I should definitely mix & match more often, or spike another beer with some of these.
Thanks for the suggestion!