HopStand - Steep/Dunk hop bag

[brennanj11]

Typically when performing a hopstand, I will periodically dunk or steep the hop bag (filled with 5oz pellet hops) to rouse and re-shift the surface area of the hop mass.

Recently, while doing my normal hopstand (20min starting at 180F), I realized that dunking and steeping not only helps increase the movement of hot wort around my hop mass, but also has the added benefit of cooling my wort.

So with about 5 minutes left in the hopstand, I switched on the immersion chiller and began lifting and submerging the hop mass from the wort in the effort to release temperature and continue the hop's contact with the wort while cooling to 160,130,100 ...
My chilling time was reduced by about 5 minutes than normal and I think I may have increased the hop character(jury's still out).

Does anyone follow these same principles when performing a hopstand?

 

[rtracer]

No, but anytime you get the wort moving over the chiller the chilling time will be reduced. My last brew was my first with my new pump and whirlpool re circulation, my chilling time was drastically reduced.

 

[brennanj11]

bumping the thread, due to interest in hopstand specifically, not so much cooling of wort

It seems a lot of the information about hopstand techniques is hardly scientific. It would be a difficult experiment to reproduce two identical but separate batches of beer utilizing separate hopstand techniques and then perceiving noticeable differences in hop character.

With that said, I'm just looking for some guidance or advice that can be given regarding the process I am using for my hopstand. I'm interested in higher(post boil) v. lower temps (180 and lower) and how that imparts perceived bitterness as well as flavor and aroma.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

There is apparently some science in the temp of a hop stand. My understanding is that hop oils isomerize at about 180-185 or so. Hotter than that and you get some bitterness extraction but some of the flavor and aroma go up in vapor. Below that and you extract almost no bitterness while allowing the flavorful, aromatic oils to dissolve into the wort. As it cools down, this process of extracting the hop oils becomes less efficient. That's way dry hopping takes days and not hours. So the sweet spot for a hop stand is right around 170 - 180.

Disclaimer: I am not a chemist or hop-ologist. This is just what I have gleaned from a good deal of reading and research. My personal experience is that using this method (i.e. 30-60 min hop stand at 175) has worked really well for me in brewing IPAs and DIPAs.

 

[radwizard]

I don't use a hop bag at all. I just toss the hops into the whirlpooling wort. Sometimes I add hops directly at flameout, and sometimes I turn off the chiller at 180ish and do a hopstand there --- Sometimes I do both. It really just depends if I am trying to get IBU's from the hopstand as well as the flavors.

I never really went the scientific approach on figuring out the best way. I just expiremented and brewed a lot of smaller batches for a period of time.