Comparison of hopping methods

Joined
Jul 19, 2018
Messages
27
Reaction score
9
Points
3
I was creating a recipe for a Imperial stout and got into an internal argument about hopping methods and was wondering what increase in hop efficiency is there with FWH over standard 60 min boil time hopping. Then this led to a question about Mash hopping and is there any benefit to this . I was wondering could you get away with considerably less hops to reach 45-50 IBU's .Also how much of a difference does actual boil temperature make to acid extraction. What difference in perceived bitterness does final sweetness of a beer make?
 
I was creating a recipe for a Imperial stout and got into an internal argument about hopping methods and was wondering what increase in hop efficiency is there with FWH over standard 60 min boil time hopping. Then this led to a question about Mash hopping and is there any benefit to this . I was wondering could you get away with considerably less hops to reach 45-50 IBU's .Also how much of a difference does actual boil temperature make to acid extraction. What difference in perceived bitterness does final sweetness of a beer make?
First, if you believe the science, there is no advantage, either in flavor or utilization, to mash hopping. There are those out there who will provide anecdotal evidence to the contrary on flavor but the pros call mash hopping a waste of good hops. FWH, and I'm working from memory here, is generally considered 10% better in terms of utilization than boil hops. Since I do a 90 minute boil by default (function of the altitude I'm working at), my first-wort hops are at utilization temperatures for something like two hours. The multiplier used on Brewer's Friend by default is 1.1: If you're getting 30% utilization, it would go up to 33% for FWH. Not enough to worry about in most cases. No, there are no significant savings for using FWH (if you're using an ounce of hops in the boil, you could use 0.91 ounces FWH. There is anecdotal evidence of a difference in the quality of the bitterness between FWH and boil hops - FWH is said to be "smoother", but again, the science is mixed.
 
I usually FWH simply because then I don't have to pay attention that closely. To a certain point the longer the boil the more IBU per gram you get.
 
It depends on the beer for me. If it's an regular ale where I want the IBU's lower than say an IPA, I might hop a small amount at 60 min and a small amount during the whirlpool. Lately, I have been using about almost half of the total recipe hops in the whirlpool for my IPA's. This is new to me so I'm still experimenting with this process.
 
There's some interesting biochemistry about mash hopping, but I doubt it's relevant for an imperial stout. There's also the point where the hops have given all they have to give, which I've read as 90 minutes in the boil a few times. No idea how variable that number is, but it sounds so close to my normal boil time for an imperial stout that I don't bother with hopping before the boil starts.

The obvious benefit that I always thought for FWH was reducing the chances of a boil over.
 
Thanks all, this gives me more for the vault. I think I will change the recipe to a 90 min boil .
 
I just did a SMaSH westy style with Pilsner malt and Idaho 7 hops. I did, (based purely on Brewer's Friend Mash hop calculation in the recipe editor), 30 IBUs of Mash hops. I tossed in that addition with 10 minutes remaining in the mash, stirred well, and put the lid back on and steeped for 10 minutes then began the lautering process. My hope was that it would have a similar effect to cryo hops in a way? Where you get the lupulin powder to run through the mash while leaving the leafy green stuff behind in the grain bed. Just an idea. Throughout the 60 minute boil, the only other addition was a 30 IBU [Idaho] 7 minute addition near the end of the boil, and a small dry hop charge with yeast pitch. The water was based on the Mosher West Coast profile, 200:50 SO4:Cl

This is all anecdotal, but it drinks really well like a West Coast IPA. I think the bitterness is just right on my palette, it's not overtly hoppy like some other westies. Brewer's Friend calculates it all at 60 IBUs and 6% alcohol. I really don't think I would be able to tell the difference between a 30 IBU addition at 60 minutes versus a 30 IBU addition mash hopped. Again, this is just my personal palette talking.

...and and. Brewers Friend says you need quite a lot more hops in the mash to achieve 30 IBUs than you would using hops in the boil. On this particular recipe, I'm showing 82 grams of Mash Hops to achieve 30 IBUs, while 82 grams at 60 minutes in the boil shows 150 IBUs. To get down to 30 IBUs i'm showing ~16 grams.
 
Last edited:

Back
Top