[redrocker652002]

I just wanted to take a few seconds and thank all of you who have put up with my rambling posts and repeated stupid questions.  I appreciate all the input, and while I know I ask some pretty dumb questions I honestly am enjoying the learning process.  I tend to ramble, like I am doing now.  LOL.  I just wanted to say thanks to all who help me out and who take the time to read my ramblings.  Be safe out there all. 

RR

[Village Taphouse]

There are no dumb questions! 

Sincerely, we have all been there where we ask WAY more questions than we can answer and this board is a great place to look for direction. 

[fredthecat]

my upcoming brew will be my 77th. and with certain whole parts of homebrewing i feel like i am still a novice. i also feel like i ask a lot of advice/questions here and people keep replying thankfully.

my weakest knowledge point is that in all my years of brewing i really feel like i only have a strong handle on maybe 6 or 7 hop types, and tend to rely on those, and don't effectively use hops in general as much as a lot of other people.

the only way to cure this problem is to do something about it and try some stuff.

[Megary]

my upcoming brew will be my 77th. and with certain whole parts of homebrewing i feel like i am still a novice. i also feel like i ask a lot of advice/questions here and people keep replying thankfully.

my weakest knowledge point is that in all my years of brewing i really feel like i only have a strong handle on maybe 6 or 7 hop types, and tend to rely on those, and don't effectively use hops in general as much as a lot of other people.

the only way to cure this problem is to do something about it and try some stuff.

Just because others use a greater quantity of hops (amount and variety) certainly does not mean that they have any more of a handle on them then you do.   
That you are comfortable with 6 or 7 types sounds like a big win to me.

[redrocker652002]

my upcoming brew will be my 77th. and with certain whole parts of homebrewing i feel like i am still a novice. i also feel like i ask a lot of advice/questions here and people keep replying thankfully.

my weakest knowledge point is that in all my years of brewing i really feel like i only have a strong handle on maybe 6 or 7 hop types, and tend to rely on those, and don't effectively use hops in general as much as a lot of other people.

the only way to cure this problem is to do something about it and try some stuff.

Just because others use a greater quantity of hops (amount and variety) certainly does not mean that they have any more of a handle on them then you do.   
That you are comfortable with 6 or 7 types sounds like a big win to me.

[/b]

I was thinking the same thing.  I have one so far that I think I nailed pretty well, and to be honest it was a fluke.  I used the wrong Malt and messed up a bit on the hops, but I wrote everything down, so when this keg is done, I am going to try again and see if I can get the same results.  To have 6 or 7 go to beers is my goal to be honest.  LOL. 

Thanks again to all who replied.

RR

[fredthecat]

thanks guys, lol yeah im no beginner of course, but the way homebrewing keeps changing and developing it would require fulltime dedication at the level of a job to really be an up-to-date expert

these are my personal thoughts on the hops i know, feel free to disagree:
EKG - gives medium bitterness per estimated IBU, excellent taste of herbal/hops, black tea, bright fruity. gives a lot of flavour
magnum - bitterning hop that feels very clean to me, gives slightly less bitterness than AA would have you believe imho. got light pineapple from it before
nugget - despite online descriptions, i find it gives a smooth and clean bitterness. woody, lightly spicy
hallertau (tradition? the ~4-5% AA one) - gives medium bitterness per est. IBU. herbal, spicy, floral.
tettnang - been a while since i used it, but similar to hallertau above but not as powerful a flavour
spalt - also been a while since i used it but for whatever reason it was my go-to noble hop. it is very mild and subtle. bitters as expected per IBU
chinook - slightly stronger than expected bittering per AA but not "harsh" imho. pine, "american", bright and lasting. i dont use it so much anymore


hallertau, tettnang and spalt are all interchangeable imho. you wouldnt ruin a beer if you switched them as long as the IBU was kept the same.

EKG is a hop i couldnt brew without. i cant think of a substitution

[erockrph]

thanks guys, lol yeah im no beginner of course, but the way homebrewing keeps changing and developing it would require fulltime dedication at the level of a job to really be an up-to-date expert

these are my personal thoughts on the hops i know, feel free to disagree:
EKG - gives medium bitterness per estimated IBU, excellent taste of herbal/hops, black tea, bright fruity. gives a lot of flavour
magnum - bitterning hop that feels very clean to me, gives slightly less bitterness than AA would have you believe imho. got light pineapple from it before
nugget - despite online descriptions, i find it gives a smooth and clean bitterness. woody, lightly spicy
hallertau (tradition? the ~4-5% AA one) - gives medium bitterness per est. IBU. herbal, spicy, floral.
tettnang - been a while since i used it, but similar to hallertau above but not as powerful a flavour
spalt - also been a while since i used it but for whatever reason it was my go-to noble hop. it is very mild and subtle. bitters as expected per IBU
chinook - slightly stronger than expected bittering per AA but not "harsh" imho. pine, "american", bright and lasting. i dont use it so much anymore


hallertau, tettnang and spalt are all interchangeable imho. you wouldnt ruin a beer if you switched them as long as the IBU was kept the same.

EKG is a hop i couldnt brew without. i cant think of a substitution

When I started brewing I focused on hops specifically. I have 10+ pounds of hops in my freezer at any given time. That being said, I've generally moved to using a small handful of hops for simplicity's sake. I mostly use EKG's and/or Styrian Goldings for English ales, Sterling for lagers, and then I have an assortment of hops to choose from for IPA's and other hoppy styles. Most of the brewing knowledge I've picked up over the years has led me back to simpler ingredient choices and procedures.

I'm glad I've done all the experimenting over the years, and I still like playing around with new methods and ingredients from time to time, but my brewdays are usually more like putting on my favorite sweatpants than pulling the tags off of a trendy new outfit. My 3-tap kegerator almost always has an IPA, a 4% English ale, and a 4-5% lager on tap. But I spent years of developing my brewing chops and learning from experienced brewers to get to this point where I know what I like and how to make it, and I can put it on cruise control most of the time.