Am I over thinking this?

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KayaBrew

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Here's a question for all the pros: What is the minimum amount of extract (dry or liquid) to add before I add my bittering hops? Assume I'm working with a full boil.
 
That question is pretty confusing. Why not explain what you are trying to do, and what you were thinking of doing?
 
Well, I meant the question in a general sense. I've been doing late extract additions on my last 4 brews, and I like the results as far as the color and flavor goes. I have been adding about a third of the LME when the water boils, then I add my bittering hops for the 60 minutes. With 15 minutes left in the boil, I add the rest of the LME. Pretty standard stuff. So my question is how much extract is needed for good hops utilization? I mean, could I add 1 pound of extract at the beginning of my boil and add the remainder of the extract with 15 minutes left on the clock or at flameout? If this is a bullsh*t question, then nevermind, but I'm always scheming up ways to improve my extract brews before I try a mini-mash brew.

Again, assume I'm boiling 5 gallons.
 
It is said that for a lower boil gravity, you'll get better hop utilization, so logic would dictate adding no extract before adding the hops, but we still had about half the extract at the beginning of the boil. I don't know the exact number, but there is an ideal boil gravity that will get you the best utilization. I believe it's around 1.030, so add 3.4 lbs of DME to 5 gallons to get there.
 
It is said that for a lower boil gravity, you'll get better hop utilization, so logic would dictate adding no extract before adding the hops, but we still had about half the extract at the beginning of the boil. I don't know the exact number, but there is an ideal boil gravity that will get you the best utilization. I believe it's around 1.030, so add 3.4 lbs of DME to 5 gallons to get there.

Nice...I'll try that
 
It is said that for a lower boil gravity, you'll get better hop utilization, so logic would dictate adding no extract before adding the hops, but we still had about half the extract at the beginning of the boil. I don't know the exact number, but there is an ideal boil gravity that will get you the best utilization. I believe it's around 1.030, so add 3.4 lbs of DME to 5 gallons to get there.

It's about 1.050. Most regular strength full boil brews won't benefit from a late extract addition, because most full boils have a wort gravity of less than that for the majority of the boil.
 
Contrary to popular "wisdom", hop utilization isn't related directly to wort gravity. That said, there are issues at the extremes on both ends. Significant amounts of hot break can cause iso-alpha acids to precipitate out. On the other hand, a plain water boil is also a hassle because the hops simply float and won't roll with the boil. Anywhere in between and you're fine.
 
Contrary to popular "wisdom", hop utilization isn't related directly to wort gravity.

Do you have any additional info on this? Rager, Garetz, Tinseth and a number of other folks who have spent time researching utilization would disagree.
 
Do you have any additional info on this? Rager, Garetz, Tinseth and a number of other folks who have spent time researching utilization would disagree.

There's been a number of threads here about it, but essentially, this was the finding from the 2007 International Brewers Symposium. John Palmer discuss it in the March 20th episode of Basic Brewing.
 
There's been a number of threads here about it, but essentially, this was the finding from the 2007 International Brewers Symposium. John Palmer discuss it in the March 20th episode of Basic Brewing.

I'll have to check that out...if that's that case, Palmer hasn't updated HTB, which he usually revises frequently enough to keep pace. He still uses Tinseth's utilization formula, which takes gravity into account:

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Hop Bittering Calculations

I'd like to see those other threads too...
 
Here's a real, empirically derived utilization curve:

hop_util.png


Utilization is a continuing source of confusion. There is the utilization in the boil, which depends strongly (and asymptotically) on time and moderately on inverse gravity. (There is a temperature component as well, but unless you are using a pressure cooker or live way up in the mountains, it can be ignored.) And then there is the maximum bittering achievable, which depends weakly on specific gravity. Higher gravity means a higher maximum bittering, but it takes much longer. Lower gravity means a lower max., but you get there sooner.
 

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