Double bittering hops/Cut boil time in half?

I'm what I like to think of as an intermediate homebrewer (Mini-mash due to space and equipment limitations) but a thought crossed my mind today.

My normal brew process is to boil between 2.5 to 3 gallons for an hour. Between the 60 hop addition and 30 minute hop addition I do nothing. Would my results be the same if I were to double the "60 min" hops and at them to the boil at 30 mins, thus cutting my boil time and energy cost in half?

I'm not one of those guys you see trying to shave time off the brewing process, just a thought I had that makes logical sense in my mind.

The bitterness would be similar but maybe a hair less, you might get a lot more flavor and aroma though.

cheezydemon3 said:

The bitterness would be similar but maybe a hair less, you might get a lot more flavor and aroma though.

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Couple things...

Thanks for the input. This actually sounds good to me, I prefer beers that aren't overly bitter, and I've found that most of the beers I've made have come out a slight bit more bitter than I prefer.

PS: HUGE bonus points fr being a fan of Dawes. Fantastic band, seen them quite a few times (including their first ever in-store perormance!).

PPS: More bonus points for being from Louisville. I went out there a couple summers ago for a concert. Loved the city and can't wait to get back!

I don't know the exact science of hops and the acid extractions, but the shorter the boil time for the hops the more it is just for flavor and then aroma. Although doubling and halving sounds good, it may still give you a different profile. Though you may not like a lot of bittering, you want to make sure you have all the correct notes. If the brews tend to be a bit more bitter than you prefer, then just adjust accordingly for your bittering hops addition.

It is like the old comedy chef thing; "The recipe said 250 degrees for 2 hours, so I just put it in at 500 degrees for 1 hour!" Might not give you what base logic dictates.

Tall_Yotie said:

It is like the old comedy chef thing; "The recipe said 250 degrees for 2 hours, so I just put it in at 500 degrees for 1 hour!" Might not give you what base logic dictates.

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Or the opposite........ National Lampoons christmas....12 hours 1t 150F

PearlJamNoCode said:

Couple things...

Thanks for the input. This actually sounds good to me, I prefer beers that aren't overly bitter, and I've found that most of the beers I've made have come out a slight bit more bitter than I prefer.

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see how it goes!

PearlJamNoCode said:

PS: HUGE bonus points fr being a fan of Dawes. Fantastic band, seen them quite a few times (including their first ever in-store perormance!).

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That song in particular (and obviously that quote) had me instantly. I need to check out more.

PearlJamNoCode said:

PPS: More bonus points for being from Louisville. I went out there a couple summers ago for a concert. Loved the city and can't wait to get back!

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It is pretty great. Great local music scene and options for homebrewing. Nice people and TONS of good restaraunts.

Cheers brother!