The Hop Chronicles | Nugget (2016) Pale Ale

Author: Matt Del Fiacco

A product of Brewers Gold and a high alpha acid male, Nugget is a classic bittering hop that holds a place in the heart of many brewers. The second most grown hop in Oregon, Nugget is lauded for its high alpha acids and low cohumulone content, as well as its ability to retain bittering potential over long storage periods. Used at the beginning of the boil, it is known to impart a strong bitterness with later boil additions contributing herbal and woody characteristics.

Alpha: 13.5 – 16%
Beta: 4.4 – 5.5%
Cohumulone: 22 – 26% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 1 – 3 mL/100g
Myrcene: 40 – 50%
Humulene: 18 – 22%
Caryophyllene: 9 – 11%
Farnesene: <1%
Linalool: 0.8 – 1%
Geraniol: 0.1%
Citral: N/A
Limonene: N/A
ß-Pinene: 0.4 – 0.8%
Parentage: Brewers Gold and a male variety

Given its credentials as a grade-A bittering hop, I’ve used Nugget in quite a few of my recipes, from Barleywines to Imperial Stouts, but never as a source of flavor or aroma. Needless to say, I was curious to see what tasters thought of a beer hopped solely with this variety!

| MAKING THE BEER |

I designed a simple Pale Ale recipe I thought would allow the characteristics of Nugget to shine.

Nugget Pale Ale

A few days before brewing, I prepared a starter of Imperial Organics A07 Flagship yeast.

I started my brew day by gathering RO water and adjusting it with minerals to hit my target profile before turning the system on to heat the liquor.

While the water was heating, I weighed out and milled the grains.

Once the water reached strike temperature, I gently stirred the grains in and adjusted the controller to maintain my desired mash temperature of 154°F/68°C.

After the hour long mash, I removed the grains and began heating the sweet wort, measuring out the kettle hop additions during the wait.

The wort was boiled for 60 minutes with hops added at the times stated in the recipe.

At the completion of the boil, I ran the wort through my counterflow chiller to quickly drop the temperature.

A refractometer reading confirmed I’d hit my intended 1.050 OG.

The filled fermentor was placed in my fermentation chamber controlled to 66°F/19°C then I pitched the yeast and attached a blowoff tube to the gas disconnect.

Fermentation kicked off quickly and proceeded as expected. I returned a few days later to add the dry hop charge then let it go another 3 days, at which point all signs of fermentation were absent so I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG had been reached.

I proceeded to cold crash, fine with gelatin, and eventually transfer the beer to a freshly purged serving keg.

After a brief period of burst carbonation in my keezer, I reduced the gas to serving pressure let it condition for a few more days before serving to participants.

| METHOD |

Participants were instructed to focus only on the aromatic qualities of the beer before evaluating the flavor. For each aroma and flavor descriptor, tasters were asked to write-in the perceived strength of that particular characteristic on a 0-9 scale where a rating of 0 meant they did not perceive the character at all and a rating of 9 meant the character was extremely strong. Once the data was collected, the average rating of each aroma and flavor descriptor was compiled and analyzed.

| RESULTS |

A total of 17 people participated in the evaluation of this beer, all blind to the hop variety used until after they completed the survey. The average aroma and flavor ratings for each descriptor were plotted on a radar graph.

Average Ratings of Aroma and Flavor Perceptions

The 3 characteristics endorsed as being most prominent by participants:

The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:

Participants were then asked to rate the pungency of the overall hop character.

Next, they were instructed to identify beer styles they thought the hop would work well in.

Finally, tasters were asked to rate how much they enjoyed the hop character on a 0 to 10 scale.

My Impressions: Subtle. That’s the best word I can think of to describe my perception of the bitterness, flavor, and aroma Nugget imparted in this beer. Its contributions were incredibly mild with mellow herbal and woody notes, certainly not unpleasant, but it didn’t stand out to me in any way. In the future, I could definitely see myself using this hop in a malty style where I didn’t want the hop character to be too distracting, and if I were to use it as a flavor/aroma addition, it’d be a part of a hop combo or used in large amounts in a style where Nugget’s characteristics are deemed appropriate.

| CONCLUSION |

More often than not, I find the batches I brew for The Hop Chronicles surprising, even when the data on a variety aligns with my expectations. Nugget is known for being a good bittering hop and rarely gets talked about for much else, but I figured the way it was used in this Pale Ale would encourage the expression of some unique characteristics. While I wasn’t shocked that the blind tasting results were congruent with existing flavor and aroma descriptors, I fully expected the beer to be far more pungent than it was given the late kettle and dry hop additions, though it was remarkably mild, to the point I’m not sure it fits the Pale Ale style.

Indeed, the beer possessed an appropriate amount of bitterness, which really is where many believe Nugget shines brightest. With its high alpha acid content and seemingly low capacity to impart much else to a beer, Nugget’s reputation as solid bittering hop is well deserved and I certainly plan to use it in place of varieties such as Magnum and Warrior, though I’m also curious to taste how it does as a mid-boil addition in big dark beer like an Imperial Stout.

If you have any thoughts on Nugget hops, please share them in the comments section below!

Support for The Hop Chronicles comes from Yakima Valley Hops, suppliers of over 40 varieties of hops ranging from classics like Saaz and Cascade to yet-to-be-named experimental options. Offering great prices with reasonable shipping, consider Yakima Valley Hops for your next hop purchase.

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