To stir or not to stir?

[Polecat]

Hopefully this question hasn't been asked a thousand times:

When I'm boiling my wort, the hops boil up to the top and stick to the sides of the pot.

Should I be stirring the wort and scraping the hop sludge into the wort during my boil? Seems like they probably aren't doing any good if they aren't in the wort, but I haven't read instructions that I should be scraping them down.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Not a thousand times...a MILLION TIMES!!!!

Yes, scrape it back into the pot.

I was in Tacoma a couple of weeks ago...Welcome.

 

[android]

believe it or not, the boil is still utilizing the hops. if you want to, go ahead and continually stir them in, it won't hurt anything.

 

[Polecat]

Wow, fast replies! Thanks.

 

[defenestrate]

do you just dump the hops in? a bag might help

 

[ajf]

Whatever you do, don't scrape the hops back into the boil.
Now you've got every answer you could have though of (and one extra).

Seriously, I don't think it makes any noticeable difference. With my boils, the amount of hops that stick to the side of the kettle are insignificant. If you use pellet hops, it may be a little bit more significant.

-a.

 

[Grinder12000]

I scrap it back in just to ease my mind. HOWEVER - I do not scrap it off the floor on boil overs - even the 5 second rule is no good here.

Ya gotta draw the line somewhere.

 

[EvilTOJ]

C'mon grinder, it's not like you don't boil it. Be a man and put those floor hops back into the boil!

 

[Amiaji]

I use a spray bottle filled with water and periodically wash them back into the pot. It also helps to stop boilovers.

 

[boo boo]

I scrape them back into the wort. They don't do any good if they aren't in the wort.