Understanding hops in boil and fermenting..?

OK...Im just trying to understand better how and when hops impart their flavor.

During the boil you add your hops and you get flavor. After the boils is done,yeast is pitched and the fermenting starts...do the hops that you added during the boil continue to flavor the beer?


Im not talking about dry hopping either...just the boil hops.

I am a novice so at this point I am still in the stage of regurgitating what people have told me and what I have read as opposed to using my own experiences....but this is what I was told.

You add hops to the boil to add bitterness. You add hops after the boil for flavour. That's probably a little simplistic but that's what I am going on for now.

EDIT : to answer your actual question, I wouldn't think that the hops added to the boil would continue to add flavour because you remove them after the boil - either strain them out or take out the bag they were in.

Once the hops are boiled, for whatever length of time, they don't impart any more flavor. You can strain them out going to the fermenter, or you could leave them in there, and not notice a difference in the end result. They are "used up", so to speak.

Yeah HibsMax Im a novice too(obviously)...In all my brews so far I have just left the hops in there...I may start using a strainer into my fermenter.

Thanks Yooper....

SamHain said:

Yeah HibsMax Im a novice too(obviously)...In all my brews so far I have just left the hops in there...I may start using a strainer into my fermenter.

Thanks Yooper....

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When you strain you will need to be patient as the hops really clogs up the strainer. I usually stir the wort around in the strainer with a spoon to make gaps and allow the liquid to find a way through. The other option is to put your hops into a muslin bag (or some other bag) but up until now I've just dumped them right in there...but I might change that approach since (1) the straining issue mentioned before, and (2) the hops really gums up my wort chiller.

HibsMax said:

When you strain you will need to be patient as the hops really clogs up the strainer. I usually stir the wort around in the strainer with a spoon to make gaps and allow the liquid to find a way through. The other option is to put your hops into a muslin bag (or some other bag) but up until now I've just dumped them right in there...but I might change that approach since (1) the straining issue mentioned before, and (2) the hops really gums up my wort chiller.

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Got it...thanks!

I see we are neighbors...what Brew Store do you use?

Do you use a siphon when you use the strainer or do you just pour into the strainer?

Oh and on a similar note...

When dry hopping how long do the hops last before they stop departing the good flavors?

SamHain said:

Got it...thanks!

I see we are neighbors...what Brew Store do you use?

Do you use a siphon when you use the strainer or do you just pour into the strainer?

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I pour right from my brew pot through the strainer and into the fermenter. I think that the hops might clog up the siphon tube.

I use a couple of places. I started off with Beer and Wine Hobby in Woburn (http://www.beer-wine.com/) but there is another place I have started using in Nashua, Jasper's (http://www.boomchugalug.com/).

SamHain said:

Oh and on a similar note...

When dry hopping how long do the hops last before they stop departing the good flavors?

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I read in another thread today (don't have the link) that you want to dy hop for 1 to 2 weeks. I have only dry hopped one beer so far and it said 7 days.

SamHain said:

Oh and on a similar note...

When dry hopping how long do the hops last before they stop departing the good flavors?

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I dryhop for 3-7 days usually, with my goal being around 5 days. Usually three days is enough (at room temperature) but I go for 5 to make sure! After 7 days, you can start to get a bit of grassy flavors in the beer but it usually don't get pronounced until after about 14 days. Again, this is at room temperature. Fridge temps take longer, so if you're dryhopping in a keg for example, it will take longer.

Yooper said:

I dryhop for 3-7 days usually, with my goal being around 5 days. Usually three days is enough (at room temperature) but I go for 5 to make sure! After 7 days, you can start to get a bit of grassy flavors in the beer but it usually don't get pronounced until after about 14 days. Again, this is at room temperature. Fridge temps take longer, so if you're dryhopping in a keg for example, it will take longer.

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Ok...to your point, if after 5 days I remove the hops and re-dry hop it with fresh hops(Pellets)...thats cool right?

SamHain said:

Ok...to your point, if after 5 days I remove the hops and re-dry hop it with fresh hops(Pellets)...thats cool right?

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Double dry-hop??

Why do that?

SamHain said:

Ok...to your point, if after 5 days I remove the hops and re-dry hop it with fresh hops(Pellets)...thats cool right?

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I guess so. I'd probably just put all the dryhops in together for the 5 days, though.

KevinW said:

Double dry-hop??

Why do that?

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I dont know...just gathering info really.