Leaving the hops in during fermentation

Just a though that I'm thinking of trying next time I brew just to see what happens. If I skip the filtering out of hops from the wort and left them in during fermentation would I get any hop character benefits, or dose the boil take everything out of them?
If the schedule matters, in a 10gal batch I would be adding 2oz at 15min, 30min and again at 45min during a 1hr boil.

I always leave my pellet hops in the fermenter from the boil. It just seems like straining them all out before fermentation will result in less hop flavor. I don't strain out my dry hop either, my IPA's are great!

I have never strained the hops from my wort post-boil. I have also only used pellet hops.

If you're looking for aroma and flavor contributions from the hops, those are long gone if you've boiled them. Hop oils are highly volatile in the boil. You'll want to add dry hops for aroma/flavor contributions.

Thanks guys

ocluke said:

If you're looking for aroma and flavor contributions from the hops, those are long gone if you've boiled them. Hop oils are highly volatile in the boil. You'll want to add dry hops for aroma/flavor contributions.

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I can understand aroma not being impacted by 60 minute boiled hops. But flavor? What is the point of adding hops at all to your beer pre-flameout then?

My understanding was that flavor and bitterness were added with early boil hop additions, and aroma was added with flame-out or post boil (including dry-hopping). Is that incorrect?

Aboo said:

I can understand aroma not being impacted by 60 minute boiled hops. But flavor? What is the point of adding hops at all to your beer pre-flameout then?

My understanding was that flavor and bitterness were added with early boil hop additions, and aroma was added with flame-out or post boil (including dry-hopping). Is that incorrect?

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You get flavor and aroma from adding hops late in the boil. But once you've cooled the wort, and added the yeast, you don't get MORE flavor out of them if you don't filter them out. They are done.

Aboo said:

I can understand aroma not being impacted by 60 minute boiled hops. But flavor? What is the point of adding hops at all to your beer pre-flameout then?

My understanding was that flavor and bitterness were added with early boil hop additions, and aroma was added with flame-out or post boil (including dry-hopping). Is that incorrect?

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Flavor is sort of a weird word in that it is a combination of things. Aroma is an aspect of flavor (just try plugging your nose the next time you eat or drink something), as is "taste" (the bio chemical reactions going on with your taste buds). It's the intermingling of these sensory experiences that create flavor. Some people would include "mouth feel" as well.

As Yooper mentioned, you'll get some flavor and aroma from hops at any point in the boil (e.g., Columbus at 60 minutes will be quite discernable from Saaz in a pale ale), but when adding early you're mostly going for isomerization of alpha acids (bitterness). The essential oils of the hops are highly volatile at boiling temperatures, so to extract more flavor and aroma you might want to try adding a decent amount of hops to your 0 min addition (and steep/whirlpool) and dry hop addition.

I'm no chemist, but a long time ago I figured that the hops no longer serve a purpose after the flame-out addition. AND, it's a lot easier to filter the hops pre-fermentation rather than at bottling/kegging. Additionally, I've never heard of a brewery leaving the boiled hops in the fermenter.

DoctorDuvel said:

I'm no chemist, but a long time ago I figured that the hops no longer serve a purpose after the flame-out addition. AND, it's a lot easier to filter the hops pre-fermentation rather than at bottling/kegging. Additionally, I've never heard of a brewery leaving the boiled hops in the fermenter.

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I never have to filter my hops out when I'm bottling, they end up at the bottom of the fermenter under the yeast and I siphon above them.

The big breweries don't have a choice, they ferment in large conical and if they don't dump the trub, the yeast will compact at the bottom of the conical and get too warm which will cause autolysis.