For May, we were back at Unwin’s Brewery on Oxford Street. Tucked into one of the arches under the rail line, Head Brewer and Owner Tom has built a fantastic little brewery in just six months.
This meet-up was also the showcase of challenge #29. Each brewer recieved 400g of experimental hops from Charles Faram. 200g x CF302 and 200g x CF349 to brew anything they like with.
We knew two things about these hops, a loose description and the alpha. Anything else was for the brewer to discover.
- CF302 – Orange Citrus – 5.0%
- CF349 – Floral, dank, papaya – 6.34%
With 13 beers to try, there was time for a few pints of Unwin’s before we had to make a start.
The usual, low to high ABV didn’t fit the challenge this time around, so we took a different approach, and loosely grouped similar styles together to help compare the hops, and maybe learn which styles they fit in with.
Group A – Golden & Pale
Our first grouping was pales and golden ales. With one exception all brewers utilised a roughly even split of the two hop varieties.
| Brewer | Style | ABV | Primary Hop(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | Golden Ale | 4.2% | CF302/CF349 |
| Ian P | Session IPA | 4.5% | CF302 |
| Almeric | Pale Ale | 4,8% | CF302/CF349 |
| Ian F | Golden Ale | 5.6% | CF302/CF349 |
Group B – Two Hops, One Recipe
Next up, we had a really interesting comparison from Will and Rob who switched hops so they both had 400g of one hop at their disposal.
| Brewer | Style | ABV | Primary Hop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will | IPA | 6.0% | CF349 |
| Rob | IPA | 5.6% | CF302 |
Group C – Hoppy Lagers
Moving on to lagers, and lager adjustant beers. These were a good excuse for the brewers to brew something a little lighter that would help express the hop characteristics
| Brewer | Style | ABV | Primary Hop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remy | Czech Pale Lager | 5.9% | CF302 |
| Mark | Cold IPA | 6.2% | CF302 |
| Paul | Cold IPA | 6.0% | CF349 |
| Rowan | West IPL | 6.6% | CF302/CF349 |
Group D – Darker Beers
And finally, we finish up on the darker end of the scale. Three darker, maltier styles that really allowed the hops to sing in there
| Brewer | Style | ABV | Primary Hop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pete | Red Rye IPA | 5.3% | CF302/CF349 |
| Tom | ESB | 5.8% | CF349 |
| Jack | Schwartzbier | 4.9% | CF302 |
So, what did we learn? Well for one, I need to take better notes. As always, the quality of the beers was very high. A heavy, but fun evening.
Join us next time, back at Basement Beer on 25th June!
Feedback
Thankfully, our brewers did have feedback on the hops.
CF302
Some of the brewers picked up an apparent sulphur aroma which did mellow out over time and give a peachy note. The flavour on this are British trad orange and floral, like an amped up first gold.
Would definitely benefit from some conditioning.
CF349
Had more new world characteristics, but still restrained in intensity like an English hop. Some new world stone fruit, but still some of that hedgerow British character.
Its thought this would suit a golden ale, American Wheat, or perhaps a hazy pale.
