Scaling up a recipe?

[HectorJ]

Hi All,

I'm going from a 50 liter system to a 300 liter system and am wondering about scaling-up my recipes.

I have read on some online magazine websites / brewing software pages where they talk about hop utilisation being increased in a larger system.

However, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this, what to adjust / not adjust / watch out for.

Thanks,
Hector

 

[VikeMan]

With larger batches, it typically takes longer to chill the wort after the boil. This results in more isomerization of alpha acids from the hops, and thus more bitterness. Trial and error will tell you how much more utilization you're getting.

How much longer do you expect your chilling to take with your larger system?

 

[HectorJ]

Well, I am going from an immersion chiller to a professional plate/frame chiller. I do not yet know how long it will take to chill with the plate and frame as I am using municipal water for both (water is around 5°C in winter, 8°C in summer, which will impact chilling times), but I imagine given the contact area and performance, the plate and frame will go quite quickly.

 

[VikeMan]

In that case, my advice would be to scale the hops up proportionally to the batch size, and see what the result is like. Maybe start with a style that has a fairly wide range of bitterness that would be acceptable and shoot for the middle of that range until you can assess the outcome.

 

[HectorJ]

Thanks, I will give that a try.