First Wort Hopping and Skimming

So I'm planning out my next brew.... and thinking about trying out "First Wort Hopping" just to see if I like the results, but I have a question that I thought someone on here might be able to answer.

Lately I've been skimming the hot break on my beers, (I didn't always do this) and I think I'm noticing good results from this. But it occurs to me that if I do that with a FWH addition, that I'll actually be skimming away valuable hop material and negating that effects of that addition...

Has anybody else encountered this dilemma? I'm thinking maybe this is just a case where you have to make a tradeoff and just skip the skimming in order to get the benefits of FWH.

Any thoughts or insight on doing this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys

I don't skim, I whirlpool at the end. Novel idea though.

I skim the protein when I first come to boil. I don't know how this negates the fwh additions. I would not worry about it.

I'm actually not familiar with skimming anything off during the boil. What purpose does this serve??

Klickmania said:

I'm actually not familiar with skimming anything off during the boil. What purpose does this serve??

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So the foam and stuff that rises to the top as the wort come to a boil is mostly protein and other junk that theoretically you don't really want in your beer. The idea is to just pull that junk out and keep it out of your beer. It seems to help wiht clarity if nothing else.

travlinScott said:

So the foam and stuff that rises to the top as the wort come to a boil is mostly protein and other junk that theoretically you don't really want in your beer. The idea is to just pull that junk out and keep it out of your beer. It seems to help wiht clarity if nothing else.

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Ok cool. I might try this next time I brew!

I skim the early break off - always have..... Not sure why to be honest - I think I read it somewhere 15 years+ ago and just got in the habit

My beer does end up very clear at the end (and I am one of those who does not use secondary, just 3 weeks in primary), so perhaps there is something to the clarity aspect.

As for the FWH - I know what you are saying. To be honest, I have kind of gotten away from FWH. One reason is this skimming issue and what you are saying. Another reason is I never felt like my hot break happened as well, and felt like I was ending up with cloudy beer. Third reason - I really could not tell much of a significant difference on the hop flavor anyway.

I like to bring to a rolling boil, skimming as needed. Let it go for about 5-10 minutes to get a good break. Then I start with my hop additions.

If you want to FWH and skim and feel you are losing something on the hops..... just add .25 or .5 ounces extra to make up for what you might lose.

I've never skimmed. I've brewed with people who skim and know of professional breweries who also skim. I don't see the point and I don't want to do something extra during the brew if I don't have to.

Lazy, simple brewing.

Thanks for all of the input guys. I'm definitely not trying to convert anybody to doing things one way or another, just contemplating my next beer and thinking "out loud" about possible issues etc. I haven't been brewing that long, so it's always helpful to bounce ideas off of more experienced brewers.

depouillier - culinary 101. It's french for "skim the scum". every chef, everywhere who knews what they're doing does it when they make stocks. I do it for my boils. I think it make a difference. It you start the boil gently, it's easier to get more of it.

Ruffins said:

depouillier - culinary 101. It's french for "skim the scum". every chef, everywhere who knews what they're doing does it when they make stocks. I do it for my boils. I think it make a difference. It you start the boil gently, it's easier to get more of it.

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As a bachelor, I was big on saltwater aquariums having six of them in my living room. I had protein skimmers on each one. Once I got into brewing, I instinctively "skimmed the scum". Thanks for the lesson in cooking. I will use it.

If I am boiling in a smaller pot, I skim because that foam traps in the heat and escaping air, which makes it much easier to boil over.

Sometimes I will skim anyway just because I'm standing there with nothing better to do while I wait for the wort to come to a boil. However, I don't skim because I think it improves clarity. The fact that the proteins have already separated is what improves clarity. Have you ever seen a professional brewer stand there with a big pool skimmer over their 20 bbl kettle, skimming protein? No, they just let it fall back into the wort, because it will be separated in the whirlpool.