first wort hop additions

[HughBrooks]

This is a newb question I guess... I have a recipe that calls for a first wort hop addittion. I just throw the hops into the brew pot when I am draining my mash tun into it right? Then do I boil them for the whole boil or remove them before? The recipe calls for a 75 min total boil. Hope to brew friday, sure it will be great since I do not have to work. Thanks for any help by the way.

 

[Yooper]

I often do FWH. You're right- put them in the brew kettle, and drain your runnings into it. It's in the kettle the whole time, but doesn't give the same harsh bittering notes that some long boiled hops do. It's said to give a better, smoother bitterness, with more hops flavor like you'd get in a 20 minute addition.

I do it all the time, and haven't compared it side to side with other brews that don't do FWH so I can't tell you if it's an improvement for each recipe. But I've been happy with the results so far!

 

[HughBrooks]

Thanks yooperbrew for the quik response. doin a bells two hearted clone using total of 4.75 ounces. thats the most I have used for a beer so I just wanted to get every step right.

 

[AFAJ Brew Guy]

It never ceases to amaze me how in this hobby you can learn something new everyday. I have heard this term before but never knew what it meant.

 

[Chello]

i have started FWH'ing a good deal. It really does cut down the harsh bitterness.

 

[illin8]

I think I want to try this on EdWort's Haus Pale Ale next...given the advised hop schedule:

1.0 oz Cascade 6.6% at 60 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 30 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 15 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 5 min.

Which addition would get rescheduled? How would you recommend the schedule with a FWH? Has anyone else tried it with his recipe?

 

[Gordie]

Traditional wisdom is to move the 5 min addition to FWH. If I was doing it I would probably move the 30 min as well. But that's me. Whacky. And it kinda wouldn't be the legendary Haus Pale at that point...

 

[michaelm]

I FWH most my beers anymore.... I usualy just use the bittering addition and move it to FWH..... if its a beer that calls for little flavor or aroma I will then either add a smaller addition at 30 or adjust the FWH alittle bigger to get the IBU's I am going for...

It seems to my palate to add more bittering but its much much smoother and pleasent and somehows keeps a touch of aroma and flavor that would normaly be boiled away....

If I was going to brew an English Bitter I would add all my bittering addition to FWH and then what I would have traditionally added at 30 move to FHW as well to reach the target IBU or a tad more then originally planned as the bittering is so much smoother that a few more points will actually be nice...... then not worry about a 30 minute addition at all.... and just rely on the FWH for the bittering/flavor of the beer....


1oz EKG at 60
.5oz EKG at 30
total IBU 30.4

instead would be
1.5oz EKG FWH
Total IBU 33.8

even though its slightly more bitter on paper it will taste much smoother and keep some of that great spicyness that EKG has....


Now when I do a beer that has alot of flavor or aroma I will add all the bittering hops to FWH and then just continue with the hopping as normal. Seems to smooth out the bittering and actually add aroma and flavor overall to the brew... and I would think it would help out with those hoppy beers to keep their hoppy flavor and aroma longer as it seems to bond those traits in the beer better(I dont think its fully understood why it does this yet... ) but I may be wrong as my hoppy beers never last long enough to test that out

 

[BierMuncher]

I FWH most my beers anymore.... I usualy just use the bittering addition and move it to FWH.....

Same here.

I don't think there's a replacement for a 15, 10 or 5 minute additions when it comes to flavor/aroma.

My FWH versions seem to get past the early astringency phase sooner.

 

[Denny]

Traditional wisdom is to move the 5 min addition to FWH. If I was doing it I would probably move the 30 min as well. But that's me. Whacky. And it kinda wouldn't be the legendary Haus Pale at that point...

I use what would be my flavor addition, which would otherwise be at about 20 min.

 

[michaelm]

I think I want to try this on EdWort's Haus Pale Ale next...given the advised hop schedule:

1.0 oz Cascade 6.6% at 60 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 30 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 15 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 5 min.

Which addition would get rescheduled? How would you recommend the schedule with a FWH? Has anyone else tried it with his recipe?

I plugged in his recipe and got an OG of 1.051 just like he did but only 37.5 IBU's (prolly just using a different methode of calculating IBU's)

IF I was going to FWH this I would move both the 60 and the 30 minute additions to FWH which would give me 40.3 IBU's instead of the 37.5 it would probably taste alittle LESS bitter with slightly more aroma and flavor even though its actualy slightly more bitter just smoother....

 

[BrewBrain]

Same here.

I don't think there's a replacement for a 15, 10 or 5 minute additions when it comes to flavor/aroma.

My FWH versions seem to get past the early astringency phase sooner.

Exactly what I've been doing as well.

This has actually killed some of my former favorite commercial beers for me. The bittering in my beers is now so smooth that the commercial beers I've been drinking forever (Firestone Walker Pale Ale for one) now seem harsh in the finish. It's a different sort of bitter, and I prefer the FWH.

 

[HughBrooks]

The recipe I am making friday has this for hop additions:
.625 oz. Centennial for FWH,60 min., 45 min, 30 min, 15 min, and 0 min.
This is a 75 minute boil and I am using whole hops for the entire thing. There is also a 1 oz. dry hop with Centinnials.... comes out to be about 66 IBU.....can't wait!