First wort hopping in BIAB - add hops to mash?

[misterkidd]

Hi all,

I'm a BIAB brewer and I'd like to try first wort hopping. John Palmer advises that, in traditional mash and sparge, you add the hops to the boil kettle during first running. I understand that the sparge process can take some time (don't know, never done traditional all-grain brewing) - perhaps half an hour. In my process, however, I just remove the grain bag after the mash and turn on my electric element and proceed straight to boil. Therefore, if I added a first wort hopping addition at this stage, I imagine that the hops would have less time to "do their thing" before the start of the boil.

Therefore, I see two options :

1) I could add the hops when I remove the BIAG bag, and not worry about the hops having less time in the mash, or;
2) I could add the hops actually during the mash, to make up for the time the hops would have spent in the wort if I was sparging

Any thoughts on which is best? Thanks in advance!

 

[LLBeanJ]

Pull the bag, add the hops. The time it takes to get from mash temps to boil will provide the FWH bittering effect.

 

[misterkidd]

Thanks buddy. I'll give this a go in the first instance ^_^

 

[DurtyChemist]

I did exactly what was suggested in a recent batch. I did it before I knew it was called First Wort Hopping and to me it just reduced the vigorous bubbling that occurred when I added hops.

I've actually started using my grain bag to hold my hops after watching a fellow brew do that. Dump the grains back in the plastic bag and rinse off the bag and I'm ready to hop.

 

[wobdee]

I use to FWH, hop stand, hop burst, dry hop and combinations of all, now I just mash hop for all my hop flavor and aroma. You may have to use a little more but it gives me the results I want and it also helps cut down kettle trub.

 

[RM-MN]

I did exactly what was suggested in a recent batch. I did it before I knew it was called First Wort Hopping and to me it just reduced the vigorous bubbling that occurred when I added hops.

I've actually started using my grain bag to hold my hops after watching a fellow brew do that. Dump the grains back in the plastic bag and rinse off the bag and I'm ready to hop.

I had the exact opposite reaction when I tried first wort hopping. That was the only time I couldn't control the hot break and had a nasty boil over on the kitchen range. Now I wait until the hot breaks falls back in before I add any hops.:rockin:

 

[solbes]

I've been doing this for years, just add the FWH additions right after you lift the grains out. Works well, no change in boil overs vs a straight up 60 minute addition that I can see.

I use pellet hops for FWH and 60 minute addition. I sometimes use commercial or homegrown leaf hops for late or flameout additions. I do use a paint strainer bag for leaf hops as now have 2 of them sitting around.

 

[misterkidd]

Thanks all. I'm gonna try fwh at the end of the mash when i take out the bag as-per the general consensus. I don't tend to have boil over issues - big kettle, usually smallish batches. Thanks for introducing me to malt hopping, wobdee - one for the armoury for later.

 

[klinus]

Do you guys use about the same amount as a 60 min addition, or more/less? Because i guess you do this instead of 60 min, right?

 

[LLBeanJ]

I use a little less in order to achieve the same IBUs as a 60 min addition would yield. Yes, I do FWH in lieu of the 60 min addition.

 

[DurtyChemist]

Do you guys use about the same amount as a 60 min addition, or more/less? Because i guess you do this instead of 60 min, right?

If it makes a massive difference style wise I will but usually I don't need to. My last batch went up 3 or 4 IBUs between boil hops and first wort hops. If it switched from being middle of the IBU scale for a beer to the 3/4 of the IBU max I'd consider adjusting it. Hops are cheap so I don't mind throwing an ounce out since I don't have a way to save them yet unless I'm making another beer in 2-3 days and I keep them frozen.

 

[brewprint]

What is the reason anyone does FWH? Does it extract more bitterness from the hops?

 

[misterkidd]

What is the reason anyone does FWH? Does it extract more bitterness from the hops?

As i understand it (I'm the OP - haven't actually done it yet), you get all the bittering of a 60 minute addition (plus an extra 10%), but also :

1) hop flavouring, similar to a later hop addition
2) a less harsh, more rounded bitterness

 

[solbes]

Those are the reasons I do it for. I generally swap 60 minute additions for FWH almost 1:1. Since it does seem to lend a little flavor to the beer, I don't do it for beers that I only want a bittering charge with no flavor.