My Mash Hopping Experiment

Thought I'd share my experience with my first mash hop. I did lots of research on mash hopping and there seemed to be about a 50/50 concensess on whether it works or not so I had to find out for myself.

I brewed a 2.5 gal batch of Bohemian Pils with Bo Pils malt a touch of aromatic, Wyeast 2124, .4oz German Magnum at 60 min and 1 oz Saaz in the mash.

I BIAB and threw the mash hops in with the malt at 122, slowly raised temp up to 145 for a 45 min rest then rose temp up to 162 for 15 min. The mash smelled great with that saaz in there.

After fermenting for 2 weeks and lagering for 4 weeks I tapped it last night and was pleasantly surprised there was plenty of hop flavor and aroma. I think this is my best Pils I've ever done, not that I've brewed a lot but this just has that German or Czech taste I have been looking for.

I've tried late boil hop additions and long hop stands but they didn't deliver as well for me. This mash hopping technique is simple, cuts down on trub and cuts down my brew time by eliminating my usual 30 min hop stand.

Next on tap is a Marris otter/ Amarillo smash with 1.5oz mash hop which smelled amazing when I kegged it.

How long did you boil after your mash hopping?

Have you tried first wort hopping?

kenny_d said:

How long did you boil after your mash hopping?

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Mash hop has nothing to do with bittering hops. You may get slight bitterness from the mash hop process, but you dont factor it in with your boil hops.

Glad you like the success of your experiment wobdee. I am planning an extreme brew using a pound of whole leaf in the mash.....

thegreatmaibockaddict said:

Mash hop has nothing to do with bittering hops. You may get slight bitterness from the mash hop process, but you dont factor it in with your boil hops.

Glad you like the success of your experiment wobdee. I am planning an extreme brew using a pound of whole leaf in the mash.....

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Nevermind I saw the bittering addition!

kenny_d said:

How long did you boil after your mash hopping?

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90 min. At first I was a little skeptical that the mash hop flavor and aroma would survive the boil or the fermentation but it sure did on this brew.

LibertyBrewer said:

Have you tried first wort hopping?

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I've done lots of FWH but I think the MH may be more effective because the hops are in there longer and at lower temps.

thegreatmaibockaddict said:

Mash hop has nothing to do with bittering hops. You may get slight bitterness from the mash hop process, but you dont factor it in with your boil hops.

Glad you like the success of your experiment wobdee. I am planning an extreme brew using a pound of whole leaf in the mash.....

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Wow, a whole pound and I was just working on an IPL recipie with only 3 oz of Simcoe in the mash, maybe I'll up it a little more.

I am curious, what effect does mash hopping have on mash pH?

agrazela said:

I am curious, what effect does mash hopping have on mash pH?

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I'm curious too, I couldn't find any info on it and I don't have a PH meter to test it. I adjusted my PH down to 5.3 by using the Brewers Friend calculator and hit all my numbers and hit 85% mash efficiency so maybe MH doesn't effect PH.

I've read that mash hopping had been used as a way to reduce mash ph. I don't have real numbers to offer, but from my experience the boil ph only drops about .1 after the addition of hops, so I would guess the would be very slight unless you're adding a full pound. Please double check that with a more knowledgeable source though before relying on it. And let us know what happens with that pound of mash hops!

Check out the Basic Brewing podcast where they talk about Mash and FWH... very cool experiment with scientific lab results as well.

May 8, 2014 - Hopping Technique Experiment

Homebrewer David Curtis shares his experiment comparing mash hopping, first wort hopping and traditional 60-minute boil hopping.

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio

Long story short... FWH was slightly more aromatic and "rounded" in it's bitterness than 60 min hopping and mash hopping was a far outlier with very little to no hop aroma and little flavor.

Working at Bells he also had the lab run the samples of hop techniques and will be presenting his quantitative findings at the AHA June 14th.

http://www.ahaconference.org/seminars/putting-some-numbers-on-first-wort-mash-hop-additions/

Saturday, June 14

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Location: Ballroom D
First wort hopping is a method many homebrewers use with the idea that it adds a smoother bitterness and a unique flavor contribution to their beer. Mash hopping is avoided by many brewers because it is commonly thought to be a waste of good hops. David Curtis of Bell’s Brewery’s General Store will review an experiment that isolates these two hopping techniques with the goal of putting a strong data point on exactly what contribution they make to finished beer.

Speaker(s): David Curtis

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TheCanisDirus said:

Check out the Basic Brewing podcast where they talk about Mash and FWH... very cool experiment with scientific lab results as well.

May 8, 2014 - Hopping Technique Experiment

Homebrewer David Curtis shares his experiment comparing mash hopping, first wort hopping and traditional 60-minute boil hopping.

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio

Long story short... FWH was slightly more aromatic and "rounded" in it's bitterness than 60 min hopping and mash hopping was a far outlier with very little to no hop aroma and little flavor.

Working at Bells he also had the lab run the samples of hop techniques and will be presenting his quantitative findings at the AHA June 14th.

http://www.ahaconference.org/seminars/putting-some-numbers-on-first-wort-mash-hop-additions/

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It would be interesting to hear the IBU's in this experiment. I'm guessing FWH has the most then 60 min and mash hops probably has very little IBU.

I'd like to see an experiment with mash hopping, late addition hops and hop stands to see the differences in hop flavor and aroma.

I'm going to continue experimenting with mash hops and I'll keep everyone updated. So far I'm very pleased with my Pilsner.

I'm also wondering if yeast type has an effect? Maybe a cleaner lager yeast helps make the mash hops more pronounced verses a fruity ale yeast?

Just tapped my 2.5 gl batch of MO Amarillo smash and it definitely has a big hop flavor and the aroma is outstanding. I only used 1.5 oz of Amarillo in the mash and 50 IBU's worth of Columbus at 60. I really like this beer.

Next up I think I'll try a MO Simcoe ILP with 3 oz of mash hops. I think I like the mash hop aroma better than dry hopping, seems less grassy or harsh.

Another update. I tapped my Simcoe IPL a little early but I have to say I'm sold on mash hopping.

3 oz of Simcoe hops in the mash and one bittering charge at 60. Great hop flavor and aroma without the extra hop gunk in the kettle or hassle of dry hopping.

Oh and I also have to say this beer turned out a little more bitter than planned so I think the mash hops contributed to the bitterness as well.

Ever done a hop stand and if so how does it stack up to mash hopping?

zwiller said:

Ever done a hop stand and if so how does it stack up to mash hopping?

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Yes, have done lots of hop stands and I think the results are similar but hop stands add extra time to your brew day mash hopping doesn't.

Thanks. Do you think both techniques add the same IBU or mash hopping more so? Like you, I am ALL about saving time and would switch but the concern I have is I did not like my hop stand results at <180F. Seemed to really mute the flavor but aroma was better. I am mostly going for flavor.

I think it all depends on temps. I do a step mash where I dough in at 122 then slowly raise up to 145 and hold for 30-45 min then raise to 162 and hold for 15-30 min. At those temps I doubt there is much IBU leaking out. I've read you need temps over 175 to get the hops to release their bitterness.

As far as flavor maybe I'm getting it because of lower temps and over an hour mash times? Don't know for sure but its working.

I'm going to try mash hopping in my next batch. I'm curious as to what decoction with mash hopping would be like...