• Please visit and share your knowledge at our sister communities:
  • If you have not, please join our official Homebrewing Facebook Group!

    Homebrewing Facebook Group

Question about a late hop addition. (@1 min.)

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I (and I believe most) keep it in until transfer.

ETA: once you get down past 170-180 it's not adding any IBUs, just flavor/aroma. Those will be somewhat muted through fermentation blowoff. An extra hour or whatever under those temps won't add any bitterness.

BTW, I'm not a hophead either. That's why I go for British styles over American.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, now I have a better direction and perhaps understanding.
I'm still going to make the other batch to get a handle on the amount of time I take to get "cool".
I've been on a run of using Lallermand Kevik lately because I have no temp control other than heating. Only need to get that down to 95* to pitch, that's easy, the next 25*/30* takes longer it seems. This time of year I can do regular temp ale ferments. Woo Hoo! Time to fill the pipe line. Next couple of months will be busy, I have several kits to brew, (7 I think). One of then involves dry hopping, a whole nuther new deal to me. but that's for later.
Cheers, :mug:
Joel B.
 
I do partial boils, late extract additions, and top off.
I boil 1 1/2 gal. water with 1/2 the extract and any steeped grains. I do 30 min. boils. At the end of the boil I move the kettle to the sink and add the other half of the extract that has already been dissolved in 1/2 gal. water. This brings the temperature down below 180 to about 170. I then add the aroma hops. i start filling the sink with cold water. The metal brew kettle transfers heat very well and the wort is to about 110 in a fairly short period. I then transfer the wort to the fermenter and top off to 5 gal. with a combination of water than was put in the freezer and water that just sat out. I can usually hit close to 70 if I don't let it sit too long in the sink. If it's a bit colder, it won't hurt anything.
I just throw my hops in the pot. I suggest you leave the hops in until you're ready to top off; you will only be extracting flavor and aroma oils.
 
Last edited:
In that case, I'd do what I've started to do with my water bath. Add them when it gets down to 180°. Below 170-180, they don't isomerize.
I've seen this also. But there's a study (An Analysis of Sub-Boiling Hop Utilization) that shows diminishing isomerization down to 140F, and below, but the curve stops there. I do a whirlpool at about170 - 180F, and the isomerization curves in this study have worked out for me.
 
Yeah, I have been doing some snooping around here and found this too:
Ideally, you want to temp to come down as fast as possible, because otherwise the high temps could allow the formation of DMS (from residual SMM, its precursor) that isn't going to boil away.

Also, FWIW, bittering (alpha acid isomerization) doesn't "stop" at 170 degrees, but the lower the temp, the slower it happens. That said, there are good reasons to find your ideal whirlpool temperature (e.g. aroma compound dissolution vs evaporation tradeoff sweet spot) and 170 may be great for your beers.
It came from another thread but very relatable. (to me) As per usual, the more I read sometimes, the "confusder I gitz".
Really though I am finding this a very interesting topic for me. As I stated above somewhere that I'm not a hop head but the info pertains to any beer because different processes that people use.
If I am understanding it right, the hops, if left in the BK (comando) rather than removed at flame out (as in a hop sock as I do) they will continue to do the voodoo they do, until cooled a certain magical temp.
With all that said, I could still be way off and probably am. )LOL).
Cheers, :mug:
Joel B.
 
The DMS question keeps coming up. Years ago, I kept reading that you have to chill really fast or you would get DMS - period. In recent years, that seems to be challenged. I even read a BYO article on-line (that doesn't show up any more) called "Hop Stands" that indicated DMS isn't a problem, even when leaving the lid on. I do a lot of hop stands with the lid on and don't get DMS. So it might not be a problem for you.
 
Is DMS even a thing with extract brewing?. I thought I read some place it's not a big deal because the extract has been boiled once. I'm not even sure I would know what DMS tastes like if I did create it.
I am finding in my quest to make my beers a little better, more consistent, and to make a more complex beer, that I know very little about how to do it. And when asking questions, I find that is made quite apparent. (LOL). Also in that quest I am finding there are many ways to skin a cat and still end up with a skinned cat.
Thanks again to all for the help on this quest.
Cheers, :mug:
Joel B.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top