Botched recipe, no hops

[krelin]

So, I botched my recipe yesterday (2nd attempt -- I should've been more patient w/ my yeast on the first attempt) by not adding the hops during the boil. I read somewhere that I might be able to salvage at least some of the flavor of the recipe by boiling the hops separately, cooling them, and then adding to the fermenting brew... so I did that (boiled, strained w/ tea-strainer, cooled). I'm a bit worried about contamination, but I was pretty careful with my tools as I went, so here's hoping.

Anyone else ever forgotten a major ingredient like that? Think my batch is ruined? I'm going to let it go, just to see how it works out. I'm having fun, at any rate, though it's really hard to be patient.

Thanks

 

[BendBrewer]

How long did you boil them?

 

[krelin]

I just boiled the water, then steeped them until they cooled, basically.

 

[ChshreCat]

What style of beer was it? You might want to consider dryhopping it to replace some of the aroma that you didn't get, if it's a style that needs it.

 

[krelin]

Yeah, I was wondering about dry-hopping it later, it'd be great to get advice on that. It's a hefeweissen.

 

[BendBrewer]

I just boiled the water, then steeped them until they cooled, basically.

That isn't going to get the bittering qualities that you want.

You should boil some hops for an hour, strain and cool and add that as well.

 

[krelin]

I'm about 16-hours into fermentation, would it still be okay to add hops now? What's the best way to avoid contamination while I'm doing this?

 

[krelin]

Oh, and what's a good straining tool?

 

[BendBrewer]

I'm about 16-hours into fermentation, would it still be okay to add hops now? What's the best way to avoid contamination while I'm doing this?

Yeah, but boil them for an hour. How much hops does the recipe call for in the 60 minute addition? The first one?

 

[BendBrewer]

Oh, and what's a good straining tool?

1) a hop bag.

2) Sterilized collander.

 

[krelin]

The original recipe calls for 1oz. of hops.

I have a nylon bag that I used for steeping my grains, is that good enough for the hops, too? I don't have a colander.

 

[BendBrewer]

1 oz total hops or 1 oz bittering i.e. the ones that you boil for 60 minutes?

If they are whole hops, the grain bag should work just fine. Very loosely in the bag. You want them to be able to move around in the bag as much as possible without falling out.

I would use a little as water as I could get away with or add some LME as well.

 

[krelin]

Recipe says 1oz Hallertau hop pellets for bittering, and calls for them to be tossed into the pot after steeping but before the 1-hour boil. Doesn't mention straining the wort or anything before fermentation.

 

[BendBrewer]

Ok, the bag won't work very well with the pellets. They turn to powder.

I would still use the bag in the boil. This will sanitize the bag. Then you can try to use the bag itself, bunched up, to strain as much of the hop debris out when you pour the cooled Bitter Tea into you primary. Put the 'boiled' bag in a funnel and pour the 'tea' through that.

And I want to make it clear that I have NO experience doing this but I don't see why this wouldn't work.

 

[krelin]

I have a good mug-sized tea-strainer (I can sterilize that with some iodine), I could use that for sifting out the hops on the way into my carboy. Would that work well? What temp. should I aim for on the bitter-tea? 75F? Tips on avoiding contamination while I do this?

 

[passedpawn]

You can recover ALL of the hop flavor by boiling the hops for the recommended time, then adding this "tea" to the fermenter.

You can use a muslin hop bag, a Home Depot paint strainer (1 gallon size), or a tea ball (that's what I use with pellets- see pic).

I do this occasionally.


If you didn't already know this:

HOPS: Bittering, Flavor, and Aroma

Bittering: boiling for 60 minutes produces the bittering (flavor and aroma get boiled off). This bittering balances the residual sugars int he beer, thus reducing the sweetness.

Flavor: boiling for about 20 minutes contributes some minor bittering, but also contributes some flavor to the beer. I.e., Northern Brewer hops might be woody, Cascade citrusy, and Chinook piney. Aroma components will be slight. Most will be removed by the boil.

Aroma: Boiling less than 1 minute adds no bittering and minimal flavoring addition, but some aroma. If you really want a strong hop aroma to your beer, add hops (pellets or leaf) to the fermenter once the fermentation is near complete (i.e., 4 or 5 days). This way the evolving CO2 will not scrub and carry away that great hop aroma.
​

 

[BendBrewer]

I have a good mug-sized tea-strainer (I can sterilize that with some iodine), I could use that for sifting out the hops on the way into my carboy. Would that work well? What temp. should I aim for on the bitter-tea? 75F? Tips on avoiding contamination while I do this?

Yeah the tea strainer should work. If it is metal, just put it in the pot when you boil the hops. That will sanitize it. If not, soak it in Sani.

You aren't going to be adding that much volume to your primary but get it as close to your primary temp as you can. Just take the pot off of the stove after an hour of boiling and stick it in the fridge for 15 minutes or so.

Everything in the pot will be sterile so no contamination there.

If some hop particles make it into the Primary, don't worry about it. They'll settle out.

But first, grab yourself a beer, relax and enjoy! You'll fix it.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

With a hefe you don't really want hop flavor to come through (well, not in my opinion), which is why you only have 1oz. At that level your hop flavor will be minimal but you'll get the necessary preservative qualities.

What you did should be fine for your beer. Tossing them in early in your fermentation will prevent too much flavor from coming through.

 

[krelin]

Okay, added the bitter-tea last night, I think all went well. Just watching and waiting now... the gas from my fermenter smells strongly of bananas.

 

[sailorbob]

How the heck do you forget the hops!? =]

 

[krelin]

I know, right??? But I did.

 

[Olddog]

How the heck do you forget the hops!? =]

I did the same thing on my first batch after a 14 year break. Dumped the whole 2 oz in at about 5 min left of the boil. For some reason I thought that's what I was supposed to do. Didn't realize my error until after primary was done. Every time I drink one from that batch I consider dumping the whole thing but I just can't bring myself to do it. Thankfully I have learned from my mistake.

 

[krelin]

Olddog, is that your punishment batch? What does it taste like w/ no hops, bubble gum?

 

[Olddog]

Olddog, is that your punishment batch? What does it taste like w/ no hops, bubble gum?

Naw, just a real yeasty flavor. It's not undrinkable, just very unhoppy.

 

[ChshreCat]

If it doesn't come out worth drinking, you can always use it to boil bratwurst in.

 

[Bithead]

I've got one of those batches myself, 2.5 gallon. Tasted at bottling and realized not enough hops. Bottled anyway. I'm planning another 2.5 gal batch, similar srm & gravity but hoppy enough to blend at pour time with the under hopped batch. OR maybe a lot of brats!