First Wort Hopping BIAB

[Immocles]

Been looking into trying a brew with FWH and have a question or two.

Looks like the 3V folks do it at first runnings, I would assume tossing the hops in right after pulling bag mimics that?

Most recipes seem to only have a percentage of the hops used in the FWH. If I was going to brew something with just one addition at 60m, is it possible to move that addition 100% to FWH or does that have ill effects/pointless? Should I only use part/half and then drop the rest in at 15m or so?

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Yep, adding them when you pull the bag is really no different than the "standard" FWH. You're just adding hops to mash temp wort vs adding mash temp wort to hops.

Assuming a 60 minute boil, FWH is the equivalent of a 60 minute addition, so no reason you can't add all your 60 minutes hops as a FWH (in fact, that's what I always do).

There's a big difference between a 60 min/FWH addition and a 15 minute addition. If a recipe calls for all hops added at 60 minutes, don't move some to 15 regardless of whether you add them as a FWH. As I said, it's equivalent to a 60 minute addition assuming a 60 minute boil. The main driver for FWH is that is is said to be a "softer" bitterness. Not sure it makes any difference, but I do any additions that will be there for the whole boil as FWH.

 

[Immocles]

Good info, thanks. I’m planning on a cream ale. I normally do throw a small amount in at 15m, but I’m tight on hops and planned on just doing a bitter addition this time around. Figured I’d really mix it up and try the fwh to see if it brings anything out to the party

 

[RM-MN]

Be careful if your boil pot is a little small for the batch. FWH seems to cause more foaming than adding the hops later. That is the only time I had had to clean up a boil-over.

 

[RCope]

I'm not convinced that FWH are any different than a 60 min hop addition. And I'm not alone. There are proponents that say it's a softer bitterness but my palate doesn't differentiate that. Brewer's Friend gives you 110% for the IBU calculation with FWH. I just haven't noticed any difference. Don't let that keep you from trying it yourself .

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

IIRC, one of the 'lessons' from The IBU is a LIE! Kind of..... | Experimental Homebrewing is that the amount of time it takes to cool the wort impacts IBUs.

What if there is a similar 'lesson' with First Wort Hopping?

What if the amount of time it takes to go from 160F to boil is a factor?

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I'm not convinced that FWH are any different than a 60 min hop addition. And I'm not alone. There are proponents that say it's a softer bitterness but my palate doesn't differentiate that. Brewer's Friend gives you 110% for the IBU calculation with FWH. I just haven't noticed any difference. Don't let that keep you from trying it yourself .

I have not done any head to head with FWH, and cannot say I have noticed any big differences when I tried it, but there is this article by Stan Hieronymus: We might have been wrong about first wort hopping

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Did anyone find temperature / duration on the FWH in the article (We might have been wrong about first wort hopping)?