Chip
Well-Known Member
Good day everyone,
I was making a batch of Orfy's Mild Mannered Ale this afternoon and got to thinking - generally a dangerous proposition. I used the extract recipe and steeped the grains, started my boil, added the first ounce of hops at the start of the boil and then again with 15 minutes left - just as the recipe calls for - then I got to thinking.
My process is to take the pot to the sink and start cooling the wort by placing the pot in a sink full of cold water. Once it gets to about 90 degrees or so I add a gallon of spring water I have chilled in the fridge. This process brings the temperature down rapidly and has served me well as I get the temperature down to 70 degrees in about 15 minutes. Here is where I started thinking.
The hops are still in the pot during the cooling. Am I turning the aromatic hops into bittering hops by keeping them in the pot for the extra 15 minutes? Should I strain out the hops and cool while the wort is in the primary? Should I strain out the hops and use a second pot metal pot to cool the wort, or am I worrying about nothing.
By the way, the idea of a hops bag right then was starting to make a lot of sense. So, am I hurting myself by keeping the hops in the wort while I am cooling it?
I was making a batch of Orfy's Mild Mannered Ale this afternoon and got to thinking - generally a dangerous proposition. I used the extract recipe and steeped the grains, started my boil, added the first ounce of hops at the start of the boil and then again with 15 minutes left - just as the recipe calls for - then I got to thinking.
My process is to take the pot to the sink and start cooling the wort by placing the pot in a sink full of cold water. Once it gets to about 90 degrees or so I add a gallon of spring water I have chilled in the fridge. This process brings the temperature down rapidly and has served me well as I get the temperature down to 70 degrees in about 15 minutes. Here is where I started thinking.
The hops are still in the pot during the cooling. Am I turning the aromatic hops into bittering hops by keeping them in the pot for the extra 15 minutes? Should I strain out the hops and cool while the wort is in the primary? Should I strain out the hops and use a second pot metal pot to cool the wort, or am I worrying about nothing.
By the way, the idea of a hops bag right then was starting to make a lot of sense. So, am I hurting myself by keeping the hops in the wort while I am cooling it?