No Chill 3 hop schedule British Ale

[mhgodzilla]

Gents,
I’ve watched and read plenty about no chill and want some feedback on my upcoming brew plans for a British Ordinary Bitter 4-4.5 abv. BIAB. No Chill. 3 hop additions. Adjusted hops to get 28-35 ibu using brewers friend.

-7 lbs of Golden Promise
-1 lb corn sugar or add 1 more base malt.
-0.25 lbs of Dark Malt
-Mash 60min around 152
-60 min boil then no chill in the kettle with plastic wrap.

hops in hop sacks:
-1 Oz Fuggles 60 min adj to 40 min.
-1oz Kent Goldings 45 min adjusted 5 min or maybe to when temp drops near 176 remove next day.
-1 oz Styrian Goldings
dry hop day 3 or so. Not sure when to remove dry hop additions.
-Ferment 1-2 weeks with Wyeast Yorkshire 1469.
*The final 2 hop additions are what I’m mainly playing with here.

 

[jtratcliff]

I'd hold off on your dry hop until 3-4 days before packaging... You don't want to add hops too soon, as active fermentation can drive off some of the aromatics you're attempting to create with a dry hop (although you'd still maybe get some oxygen scrubbing from active yeast). If you leave the hops in too long, you risk getting grassy notes that some people notice with extended dry hopping (I often see suggestions of 3-4 days). If you add (in a hop sack) then remove, you're opening your fermenter and extra time and getting more O2 exposure.

So simpler would be to open once to add dry hops a few days before bottling/kegging then leave them until you're ready to package and just rack off the hops and trub as you normally would.

Here's a thread that talks about no-chill hops adjustments: No Chill hop help

 

[mhgodzilla]

Great advice Ratcliff. If I dry hop, I’ll add the dry hops 3-4 days prior to bottling to avoid grassiness. This beer does not call for dry hops of course, so I also thought about adding the last addition at 176 deg while cooling. In that case I’d perhaps add the 45 min addition at 5, 10 or flameout. Final addition - Dry Hop (final 3 days) vs Flameout hmmmm???? Never done either really.

 

[mhgodzilla]

Using Pols no chill hop chart and Ratliff’s dry hop advice I’m getting closer.

hops in hop sacks:
1.Bittering #1 -1 Oz Fuggles 60 min adj to 35-40 min. Remove at flameout.
2. Bittering #2 -1oz Kent Goldings 45 min adjust to 15-25. Remove at flameout.
3.Aroma -1 oz Styrian Goldings add at flameout then remove next day or dry hop with 3 days of ferment left. Remove at bottling.

Not fully understanding the flavor FWH section of this chart. Is that how you calculate the IBUs or he suggests a 30 min FWH?
Pols No Chill Hop Chart

 

[Gnomebrewer]

There are a few things I'd change if the aim is a typical English bitter.
Leave out the corn sugar. If you want sugar to dry things out a bit, use a darker invert syrup or golden syrup. Or some flaked corn.
Get some crystal malt in there. IMO a good English crystal or blend of crystal malts (I use Simpsons) is an important part of the flavour profile. 5 to 10% of the grist is a good starting point. 80% Ale malt, 10% flaked corn, 10% English crystal (blend of light, medium and dark) is a really good grist.
What do you mean by 'dark malt'? Is that black patent? You shouldn't need it if you have enough crystal/dark crystal malt.
Styrian Goldings: I know it's in a well-known bitter, but to me it just isn't right in an English bitter. Of course that's personal preference! EKG with fuggles is a great combination.
For no-chill hopping, I'd personally go with a bittering charge to get about 28IBU, then an ounce or two at flameout. Dry hop after that if you want to.
For dry hop timing - there's no consensus. You can do anything from leaving it for a day only to a couple of weeks, added during active fermentation to after the ferment is finished. They all work.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

For dry hop timing - there's no consensus. You can do anything from leaving it for a day only to a couple of weeks, added during active fermentation to after the ferment is finished. They all work.

I was at a brewery talking with the brewer about their IPA, he told me what the grist percentages were, no problem, told me about the boil hops and then told me that the dry hopping routine was the secret that made it unique, but told me that the hops were the same as in the boil, just how much and when is what made it special/unique.

 

[DuncB]

If you rig up some magnets in the dry hop bags you can put the hops in and take them out without opening the fermenter.

 

[mhgodzilla]

Gnome I am using a touch of Simpson’s Dark Crystal, sorry I was vague. I may just up the grains as you suggested. The recipe does call for 60 Fuggles then 45 EKG then 10 SG. I’m struggling most with that final addition in the no chill. I’ve read that low AA hops can get grassy when dry hopped. Love to hear about Fuggles, EK Gold or Styrian Gold dry hopping success or concerns. If grassiness is a worry then perhaps make a hop tea. Or just steep them in the cooling wort below 176 as Dr Hans describes or even start below 160 like David Heath’s hop tea mix. Hop tea is just water/hops so no bittering via isomerization right? I think the cooling wort sugars should not bitter the hops much either below 176 and leave the desired flavor and aromas. Set my Chef Alarm for 176?

 

[DuncB]

I dry hopped a spitfire clone with EKG, didn't have any problems with grassy flavours. Was about 14 degrees centigrade and left in for about 2 weeks.

That might explain the never ending ferment infact due to the diastase in the hops.

 

[mhgodzilla]

Gents, I ran to my LBS today. I picked up 2lbs of Marris Otter to add to the 6 of Golden Promise. Also going with 1/2 lb of Dark Crystal 120L instead of 1/4 lb of 160L. I’ll back off the pound of corn sugar to 8oz per suggestions. No chill Hops at -20 min except that final charge. I think will put the final hops in the no chill at 176 to simulate a hop tea or 5 min addition. If that does not pan out then dry hop final addition next time. Brewing tomorrow.

 

[mhgodzilla]

BIAB / No Chill British Pale Brewday notes. Feel free to comment.

No problem staying in the 151-153 mash with a sleeping bag insulation on top. Brew bag worked great but I see why guys rig pulleys - doable though. Batch sparged with 2 gal room temp water to make 7 to boil. That cooled the wort down to 115, might add hotter sparge water next time. Boiled off to 5.5 gal easily using Dark Star burner w/ 10 gal pot.

I added the Fuggles at 35 min and began tasting. Calc says 17 IBU right there. I moved addition 2 to flameout per my assmt - 1 Oz of UK Goldings - calc says 11-12 IBU. It’s hot today so it will cool slow. I’ll taste again when it’s ready to pitch. Based on that I could dry hop 1/2 to 1 Oz if the Styrians Goldings. I’d rather not overshoot the IBUs as this is intended to be a wife and friends British session beer.

No Chilling overnight in the pot w/ plastic wrap and lid. Transferring to fermenter tomorrow.

 

[mhgodzilla]

Some brew day shot gents

About 3.5-4 hours to set up, mash, boil, clean up. I’ll get faster with practice. Could shave time off with fewer beers but who wants to do that.

 

[mhgodzilla]

Added wort to the fermenter. Gravity was1.051 then I topped off with a pint or so to bring the fermenter up to 5 gallons so we’ll say 1.050. I figure that puts my efficiency around 76-78ish. Wort tasted bitter enough but not overly bitter with decent flavor from the flame-out and 175 hops.

I’d probably make the recipie for 6 next time to be sure to have 5.5 at the fermenter. Maybe I boiled off more than I thought.

 

[jtratcliff]