First Wort Hopping and Partial Mash

Is it possible/worth it to FWH partial mash brews?

Possible, yes. Worth it, no. I have been unimpressed with FWH results. In the only side-by-sides I've tasted, there was no difference. The oils from the bittering/FWH boil off, so you don't get anything new. One of the locals made numerous batches using FWH & mash hopping. He was going to write an article, but it came down to, "Don't bother."

There are people that think both techniques give great results.

Palmer has a section on FWH:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter5-1.html

In fact, one study among professional brewers determined that the use of FWH resulted in a more refined hop aroma, a more uniform bitterness (i.e. no harsh tones), and a more harmonious beer overall compared to an identical beer produced without FWH.

IIRC Jamil Z is in the "don't bother" camp but there are plenty of brewers that say that FWH does give you a smoother/more refined end result.

I have used the technique on a couple of beers but I have never done comparison brews to really isolate it.

It might take a very sensitive pallet to detect any difference between a FWH and non-FWH brew with all other variables the same.

Thanks for the input. So what I'm getting from reading Palmer is that FWHing PMs would almost be a waste, since its A) a batch sparge method, and B) much shorter in duration. Therefore, the extra utilization would be severely diminished. Well, I guess that you'd get a bit more utilization, but not necessarily enough to warrant the procedure.

Am I on the right track?

IndyPABrewGuy said:

Thanks for the input. So what I'm getting from reading Palmer is that FWHing PMs would almost be a waste, since its A) a batch sparge method, and B) much shorter in duration. Therefore, the extra utilization would be severely diminished. Well, I guess that you'd get a bit more utilization, but not necessarily enough to warrant the procedure.

Am I on the right track?

Click to expand...

I never really took that from the passage...just that the sparge -> boil steeping time of the hops may be a half hour or longer depending.