When to add Hops?

For my next batch I am using a new brew kettle and i am unsure of the boil off rate. My recipe calls for boiling the bittering hops for 60 min. I plan on boiling about 7 gallons down to 5.5 or so. So I guess my question is, Does it matter when the bittering hops are added during the boil? Since i'm not sure how long the boil will be can I add them as it begins to boil, leave them for 60 min and then continue to boil down to my target volume or do they really have to come at the end of the boil?

Bittering hops times aren't terribly sensitive past 60 min. The difference in bittering between 60min and 90min, for example, is relatively small (~5-8%).

If you're unsure of your boiloff rate, you might want to use one gallon per hour as a starting point. How long the hops are boiled effect what they contribute to the beer and how much. Boiling hops longer will increase the amount of bitterness extracted (to a point). If you're talking about using a hop sack and removing the hops from the boil after an hour to cut off the bittering, I'm not sure how that would work. At that point are all the acids in solution and will further isomerization continue?

Maybe Ill try a little of both. I'll use the 1gal per hour as a start and shoot for adding them at the end but if I have to continue boiling I'll just remove them and finish the boil. Thanks for the input.

Or do a simulation boil with just water and then you'll know your evaporation rate. Might save a supra-bitter beer.

Barnstormer said:

Maybe Ill try a little of both. I'll use the 1gal per hour as a start and shoot for adding them at the end but if I have to continue boiling I'll just remove them and finish the boil. Thanks for the input.

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Once the hops oils are isomerized, removing the hops debris won't do anything.

You can boil for 60 minutes or 90 minutes with very little difference in bitterness- you get the vast majority of the bittering of the hops in 60 minutes and boiling longer doesn't really do much.