Split Batch Boil help(zest experiment)

[muels]

I have an American Wheat extract that I want to do this weekend. Its a pretty simple recipe:
6 lbs Wheat LME
1oz. Willamette at 60 min
1oz. Cascade at 15 min

Here is my question. I plan on splitting the ingredients between two pots so I can add Lemon zest to one pot and Orange zest to the other at 5min. I imagine 3-3 1/2 gallons in each pot will take care of boil off. I have read in other threads where a full boil of extract will need to have the hops reduced (for ph reasons i don't fully understand yet).

If i am technically doing a full boil between 2 pots will need to worry about reducing the hops? I would say no if was pouring the wort in one fermenter but because I am splitting the wort will it matter? I don't want to have a hoppy orange wheat!

any thoughts?

 

[IslandLizard]

Hoppiness and hop bitterness are often confused. The first one deals with hop flavor, last one with bitterness. Higher hop %AA, boiling hops longer, and lower wort gravity will increase hop bitterness.
Using more hops toward the end of the boil and after flameout (hop steeps, hopstands, whirlpool hops) increase hop flavor and aroma. So does dry hopping. Hops that don't get boiled only add slight or no hop bitterness.

Your hop utilization will go up with lower wort gravity. Look up a hop utilization table.

Kit instructions are notoriously outdated, if that's what your recipe is based upon.

For example, in a 5 gallon partial boil recipe you really shouldn't boil the whole 6 lbs of Wheat LME for 60 minutes anyway. Only half or a third, adding the remainder at flameout. Keeps your wort fresher tasting and prevents excessive wort darkening and caramelization and reduces risk of scorching too.

Here's a good calculator for IBUs - Play with it and see what gives you a good balance.
IBU Calculator Beer Bitterness

So if you split the batch into 2 full boils of 1/2 the batch each, you still should not add all the LME at the beginning. Split it up to the percentages like I said above. Your hop utilization will go up a bit, but not that drastically (see calculator).

To really get zest flavor and aroma, don't boil your zest. Just add after flameout, or better even when your wort has cooled to 190°F and let them steep for a while (10-30 minutes) at that temperature, [EDIT] or for even better results add at the cold side, after fermentation, like a dry hop ("dry zesting"). In the last method you will need to use some form of sanitation when adding zest to your fermented beer, to prevent infection. There are loads of microflora on the citrus skins, as well as cutting boards, knives, zesters, hands, etc.
There's a good write-up on using Zest in the (latest) 2014 March/April edition of Zymurgy.

 

[muels]

Perfect information. Very explanatory. Thanks, this forum is awesome.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew