So Eric, add more hops if I add fruit or pecans, or any kind of nuts for that matter? What's the reason, just curious. And thank you for the tips. And I don't know if it was the pecans or something else that he added, I wasn't there for the brewing. But three of those beers knocked me on my but and I am a seasoned veteran from Wisconsin who has also spent 3+ years in Germany. LMAO
Sorry - I just saw this! I was just listing some ideas of how to change/improve the beers. Dry hopping or increasing the hops will change it, maybe in a way you like.
And actually, if you add fruit or nuts, then I would probably decrease the later hops. A lot of what fruit contributes is aroma, so if you keep the hop aroma low, you get more of the fruit. That's also true with yeasts that give off esters, so you want to let them shine more than hops.
Example, with a Belgian style yeast for a farmhouse or saison style, I might do hops at 60 and 30 minutes or 60 and 15, but at the end, add fruit or spices. I've done orange peel/zest, coriander, and lemongrass at flameout and it is great. The yeast is fruity and the fruit and spice is, too.
If you do an American wheat with US-05, then add orange and coriander at flame out or 5 minutes, you'll get the smell and it will be really good. No need to increase the hops there.
But if you just want more hops, then make an American wheat with US-05 and ferment it, then add dry hops for 5 days before bottling. Use some kind of interesting hop (not Cascade, which is kind of "normal" at this point). Citra, Amarillo, or Centennial would be good dry hops in a light beer. I've used Meridian and El Dorado for dry hops and they are interesting.
OR dry hop it with Cascade, BECAUSE it's normal!
Literally add almost anything at flame out and it will be interesting. Hops, fruit, spices, nuts, a hot dog, whatever.
