First Wort Hopping - Slightly Different

[cyraxx]

From what I understand, FWH is adding hops to the kettle and then draining wort from the mash into the kettle all while heating it.

In my setup I currently have a 15 gallon pot. I mash in, and start heating the sparge water sometime during the mash. I drain the first runnings into a bucket, then add my first batch. Wait a bit, then drain into the bucket again.

I add the rest of my sparge water to the mash tun so that my kettle is now empty, then slowly pour from the bucket into the kettle while the second batch rests.

My question is, would it be better to add the FWH into the bucket as my first runnings are drained into it, or add them to the kettle before I pour the first runnings + first sparge into it?

 

[Martin30R]

While I do not know for certain, I would think you should add the FWH to the 1st batch from your mash. I'm very interested to seeing what the others say.

 

[duboman]

The purpose of the FWH is to let the hops steep before boil, I personally have been taking 1/3 or so of my buttering additions and adding them to the pot and then as I mash out the rubbings steep the hops until I hit boil volume. The FWH still provides the bitterness but it is much more mellow. I have done this in my APA, my IPA, recently a Hefe and also an amber. The results have been great!

 

[pm5k00]

Unless your setup gets your wort to a boil very rapidily I don't think it will matter when add the FWH. However I do the same thing as you transfering between bucket and kettel, I like to add the FWH to the bucket of first runnings so that the Hops are exposed to the hot wort as long as possible before the boil starts.