Hop Bags and Timing...

[Tanagra]

So, I have recently purchased a Counter-Flow chiller and the Blichman HopRocket and had a few questions...

For the past several years, I used an immersion chiller and was able to time my hop additions pretty accurately since the time to < 160° was pretty quick using the immersion chiller.

Since I am using the counter-flow chiller, I have noticed that I need to either use whole hops, or put my pellets in a nylon bag to keep the sediment away from the counter-flow chiller. Additionally, I cannot drain my kettle too quickly, as the resulting wort only cools to about 90°F - to compensate for this, I drain the kettle more slowly.

Now my question...

If I use a nylon hop bag for a 5 minute hop addition (for example), can I simply PULL the hop bag out at flameout and the hop characteristic will stay at the 5 minute level even though it might take me 15 minutes to drain and cool all of my wort, or will that 5 minute hop addition turn into a 20 minute addition for the majority of the wort since most of my wort will remain at near-boiling temperatures waiting to be passed through the chiller?

I guess my question, more simply put, is this: Does near boiling (210°) wort change the characteristic of the hop bitterness, flavoring, and aroma of the WORT over time if the actual hops are not being steeped in it?

Thanks!

- John

 

[Rhaop]

my cousin and I just started using a counter flow chiller and have noticed the same thing, i got quite the punch from a flameout addition to an amarillo smash i made, that was great for me but non hop head types was a bit much for them till a few weeks into the keg, i bet i over shot ibus by at least 15-20 but thats a geussimation lol

 

[Tanagra]

I assume you didnt pull the hops out and that is why the bittering continued past the times you intended? (I assume a flame-out addition would be a quick 'dunk' into boiling wort and then removing since the wort wouldnt immediately be cooled.)

 

[Rhaop]

yeah when we used a immersion chiller we waited 5min to start the chiller, i geuss it slipped our minds about the difference in counterflow chilling since we are usally buzzed by the end of the boil

edit: and actually to me it wasn't as much a bittering but more of a flavor punch to my tastebuds maybe perceived different by the bmc'ers