What Does First Wort Hopping Actually Do?

[Brewmegoodbeer]

Hello all,

I am utterly confused on what first wort hopping actually does for a beer. Some sources (like home brewers association) say that you are to use the flavoring and aroma charge of your recipe and bring it forward to first wort hopping as this creates more isomerization of your hops, and the flavoring and aroma hang on through the boil to create a well rounded bitterness, flavor, and aroma. This same source says to use only noble hops or low AA hops instead or bittering hops high in aa or high oil content hops that you want forward in an IPA.

Other sources say the opposite of this. First wort hopping is to get a more rounded bitterness and you should use first wort hopping as your bittering addition in exchange for your 60 minute addition. Brulosophy is one of those, as they did an experiment with this (but did not find significant results compared to a normal 60 minute bittering addition).

So what the heck does first wort hopping do? Does it give you rounded flavor/aroma? Does it give you a rounded bitterness? If both, where do I take my hops from in my schedule? what styles of beer should I be using this method in? I want to try this method, but the research on first wort hopping is not consistent at all.

 

[bajaedition]

Sorry this is long, I am trying to lay down a base
ok, short and sweet
the first hops thrown in are basically only for bitterness, the Alpha acids in the hops supply this. They are hard to extract and need the boil time. we as hobbyist normally boil for an hour, boiling for 90 minutes will utilize more of these acids and so you have to decrease the amount of hops added. Alpha acids are not the only acids in hops, the roundness of the bitterness comes from the balance of the acids in the hops, each variety has different amounts, we only mention the AA% of hops when buying them at our Level. Professional brewers get more info on the hops.
As far as flavor and smell, these are from oils in the hops, that break down fast in a boil, that is the reason for adding them at the end, very little Alpha acids will be utilized in the last 15 minutes so normally they are not figured in. The different types of smells and taste vary by the strain of hops. Kinda like a rose, some smell great, others look better and have no smell, it is how the strain is bred up. Generally, flavor will be boiled off in 30 minutes and aroma in 10, that is why they are added so late in the boil.

With first wort hopping the argument is that the oils for flavor and aroma are dissolved before the boil and are less volatile, this proves to be the case in experimentation, also more AA are utilized as the hops are in the wort longer, the AA utilization is the same as a longer boil would have.

the essential oils responsible for flavor and aroma are very volatile, and boiling disperses them into the air fast, they include myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene.

the essential oils for flavor are a bit more stable than the aroma oils, about 22 different oils have been identified in hops. having these oils broke down from their hard, in the hops form, and allowing them to go into solution is part of the argument for First Wort Hopping.

Many modern brewers use hops oils so the first wort hopping subject could get lost to them in that.

The anti bacterial agents in hops was one of the original reasons they were added to beer. We developed a liking to the taste along the way, there have been many bittering agents used in the history of beer brewing. hops are only useful against certain types of bacteria, even with their use sanitation has to be maintained.

Noble hops are the 4 strains of hops that are traditionally found in German brewing, they names from the area they were developed. of these Hallertauer is extremely hard to find today, it us very susceptible to disease and fungus and has been replaced with hybrids that fight these. Noble hops have very low AA and are today more used as flavor and aroma hops because of cost. High AA hops have taken over the bitterness arena, however the high AA hops have strains that can have that unrounded bitter due to other oils and acids in the hop. Saaz, Tettnang and Splat are the other noble hops.

I am a fan of noble hops and use them often, but also have my favorites among the other hops strains. I personally stay away form the high AA% hops as I find them harsh. I guess I am not a hop head. I want the bitter to be balance more. This said IPAs are not among my favorites. I prefer a Continental Lager or Marzen.
Of the more bitter beers styles ESBs or Pale Ales are my favorites, ones using a class of hops sometimes known as the sub nobles, these include Fuggles and the Goldings family of hops. Low in AA% such as the nobles, the bitterness is also more subtle.

 

[Yesfan]

To add on to the OP's question............

From the bittering addition pov, why would you use a FWH addition vs the 60 minute addition? Could you probably use less of a higher AA% hop at the 60 min addition to achieve the same amount of IBUs?


The only benefit I can see with FWH vs a 60 min addition is the slow rise to boiling having an effect on the bitterness (as pointed out by Brulosophy) vs the instant heat with already boiling wort. I can see that as I've reheated pizza before using both my oven and a microwave. Obviously, pizza reheated in an oven tasted much better. If that's the case with FWH vs 60 min, then I can get behind that.

For targeting an IBU value, I don't see much of a difference between the two.

 

[bajaedition]

To add on to the OP's question............


For targeting an IBU value, I don't see much of a difference between the two.

up to a point of diminishing return, length of time effects hop AA% utilization. In combination with heat that speeds that. so getting better utilization from first wort hoping is a sound idea. it is just how do we calculate it as different systems will raise in heat faster than others. I guess we need a computer model that graphs both time and the ramp of the heat rise to do it accurately. Any computer gurus out there want to tackle that one?

 

[Dcpcooks]

I like first wort hops for a nice rounded baseline bitterness. Especially in bigger beers. To me it seem to be less harsh with a smoother crisp bite. I've found magnum, equinox and ctz all performed well as first wort hops. But I've also used crystal as a first wort hop for a farmhouse I make. I've found the bitterness profile is similar to hop extract (though I couldn't tell you why). I usually add a touch more Ibu's when using a first wort hop vs a 60 or 90 min addition as it offers a little more rounded bitterness so I can get a more bang for the buck.

I do an extract first wort hop for my DIPA's to reduce the potential for any grassy flavors since that beer usually has 100+ ibu's and I'm hitting it really hard at 20 min through the end of the whirlpool and then again with two big dry hops.

I also use a first wort hop addition when making classic German beers or Czech pilsners.

 

[jtp137]

https://williamthecoroner.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/istock_can-of-worms.jpg

 

[Yooper]

FWH is purported to give more IBUs (due to the length of the time in the wort being longer than the boil time), but a 'smoother' bitterness. That has been my experience, but I"ve never had my beer tested for the actual IBUs vs. calculated IBUs.

I like FWH, and do it with most of my beers and it replaces the 60 minute addition.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

I fwh all my beers, except sours... for obvious reasons. I just toss them in while gathering my first runnings.


I do this because I'm lazy. No other reason.

 

[logdrum]

I like FWH & use it a lot, that being said, in the couple of times I've used it to replace the 60 min bittering charge, I found the resultant beers lost their bitterness far too soon. So now I always include at least a small 60 (or 90) min bittering addition.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

FWH is purported to give more IBUs (due to the length of the time in the wort being longer than the boil time), but a 'smoother' bitterness. That has been my experience, but I"ve never had my beer tested for the actual IBUs vs. calculated IBUs.

I like FWH, and do it with most of my beers and it replaces the 60 minute addition.

I like the idea of moving my 60 minute bitter charge to first wort for a smoother, rounded bitterness. I usually use magnum for bittering at 60 minutes unless I am hop bursting. Any experience with first wort hopping with magnum? Also, first wort hopping increases the IBU's but according to sources "it doesn't taste like it does". Should I account for this increase of IBU's in my recipes? For example: Say if I want a beer to taste like it has 70 IBUs in it, should I account the first wort hop, raising it to 77 IBUs to make it taste like it is actually 70 IBU's. In other words, should I over calculate to get a certain perceived bitterness? Does 70 IBU's taste like 70 IBU's when first wort hopping?

 

[Yooper]

I like the idea of moving my 60 minute bitter charge to first wort for a smoother, rounded bitterness. I usually use magnum for bittering at 60 minutes unless I am hop bursting. Any experience with first wort hopping with magnum? Also, first wort hopping increases the IBU's but according to sources "it doesn't taste like it does". Should I account for this increase of IBU's in my recipes? For example: Say if I want a beer to taste like it has 70 IBUs in it, should I account the first wort hop, raising it to 77 IBUs to make it taste like it is actually 70 IBU's. In other words, should I over calculate to get a certain perceived bitterness? Does 70 IBU's taste like 70 IBU's when first wort hopping?

Yes, and no.

What I mean is this- your water may have more sulfate in it than me, so your 70 IBUs might taste more bitter than my 70 IBUs. And if you had it tested, it might really be 50 IBUs. What I suggest it just trying it- you may like it, you may find it slightly too bitter, or slightly underbittered. IBU calculations are a guessing game anyway, and definitely recipe related as well as related to the IBU/SG ratio.

For example, if you have a 1.050 beer with a no crystal malt in it, and 300 ppm of sulfate and 70 IBUs, it will be far different than a 1.080 beer with a pound of crystal malt and 50 ppm of sulfate and 70 IBUs, whether you FHW or not. A lot more goes into the balance of the beer than the calculated IBUs.

The best way to do it is to try it, and see what you think!

 

[ChelisHubby]

Sorry this is long, I am trying to lay down a base
ok, short and sweet
the first hops thrown in are basically only for bitterness, the Alpha acids in the hops supply this. They are hard to extract and need the boil time. we as hobbyist normally boil for an hour, boiling for 90 minutes will utilize more of these acids and so you have to decrease the amount of hops added. Alpha acids are not the only acids in hops, the roundness of the bitterness comes from the balance of the acids in the hops, each variety has different amounts, we only mention the AA% of hops when buying them at our Level. Professional brewers get more info on the hops.
As far as flavor and smell, these are from oils in the hops, that break down fast in a boil, that is the reason for adding them at the end, very little Alpha acids will be utilized in the last 15 minutes so normally they are not figured in. The different types of smells and taste vary by the strain of hops. Kinda like a rose, some smell great, others look better and have no smell, it is how the strain is bred up. Generally, flavor will be boiled off in 30 minutes and aroma in 10, that is why they are added so late in the boil.

With first wort hopping the argument is that the oils for flavor and aroma are dissolved before the boil and are less volatile, this proves to be the case in experimentation, also more AA are utilized as the hops are in the wort longer, the AA utilization is the same as a longer boil would have.

the essential oils responsible for flavor and aroma are very volatile, and boiling disperses them into the air fast, they include myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene.

the essential oils for flavor are a bit more stable than the aroma oils, about 22 different oils have been identified in hops. having these oils broke down from their hard, in the hops form, and allowing them to go into solution is part of the argument for First Wort Hopping.

Many modern brewers use hops oils so the first wort hopping subject could get lost to them in that.

The anti bacterial agents in hops was one of the original reasons they were added to beer. We developed a liking to the taste along the way, there have been many bittering agents used in the history of beer brewing. hops are only useful against certain types of bacteria, even with their use sanitation has to be maintained.

Noble hops are the 4 strains of hops that are traditionally found in German brewing, they names from the area they were developed. of these Hallertauer is extremely hard to find today, it us very susceptible to disease and fungus and has been replaced with hybrids that fight these. Noble hops have very low AA and are today more used as flavor and aroma hops because of cost. High AA hops have taken over the bitterness arena, however the high AA hops have strains that can have that unrounded bitter due to other oils and acids in the hop. Saaz, Tettnang and Splat are the other noble hops.

I am a fan of noble hops and use them often, but also have my favorites among the other hops strains. I personally stay away form the high AA% hops as I find them harsh. I guess I am not a hop head. I want the bitter to be balance more. This said IPAs are not among my favorites. I prefer a Continental Lager or Marzen.
Of the more bitter beers styles ESBs or Pale Ales are my favorites, ones using a class of hops sometimes known as the sub nobles, these include Fuggles and the Goldings family of hops. Low in AA% such as the nobles, the bitterness is also more subtle.

We'll said!

 

[dmtaylor]

First wort hopping is just another way to add bittering hops. Multiple blind tasting experiments have been run showing that FWH adds a couple extra IBUs but the bitterness isn't any "smoother" or any rubbish like that. In reality you probably couldn't taste any difference at all compared to if you had just added the hops at the beginning of the boil like normal.

 

[crnigjuro]

..one less reported effect of FWH is less foaming when bringing wort to boil. Try it once as experiment, the difference is quite obvious.

 

[Yesfan]

..one less reported effect of FWH is less foaming when bringing wort to boil. Try it once as experiment, the difference is quite obvious.

Another reason why I may do FWH with my next beer. Typical brew day for me....bring to boil, watch for a boil over from the hot break. Then it subsides, but have to watch for another possible boil over from the 60 min addition. Then I can go about and get a head start on the cleaning.


Plus I'm lazy like @K1ingl1ves.

 

[olotti]

First wort hopping is just another way to add bittering hops. Multiple blind tasting experiments have been run showing that FWH adds a couple extra IBUs but the bitterness isn't any "smoother" or any rubbish like that. In reality you probably couldn't taste any difference at all compared to if you had just added the hops at the beginning of the boil like normal.

I've always wondered this as when I just got into brewing fwh were being introduced and then later I thought not only are the hops steeping in the first running but they're also being boiled longer when bringing the wort to boil and then the 60 min boil also. I stopped fwh and just add a smaller 60 min addition now. Never seemed to make much difference to me anyway, not that other people may prefer to do it.

 

[bajaedition]

On my brew last Monday I experimented and dropped in the hops after removing the grains (BIAB). I did notice the scum going into the boil was less. I also had used a new hops bag at 200 micorons.
take it from there

 

[VladOfTrub]

The original intension for using FWH, basically, was for reducing hot break. The brew master could pump more wort into the boiler with less worry about boil over. Very little hops are needed because no perceptible bitterness or flavors are desired. A handful of crushed black malt does the same thing.
Back to FWH. I am an advocate of it, if a brew master uses it, who am I not to use it? For me, it works. I'm not sure about the things written about it in HB books, I haven't read about it.
When the bottom of the boiler is covered with extract fire it up and toss in a very small amount of leaf hops. Hops by nature reduces surface tension which causes hot break to expand and come to the surface early on when FWH is used. The wort begins to clean up before the main charge of hops are added. The character that the main charge of hops impart improves because the wort starts out a little cleaner, leaving less gunk to drop out carrying hop character along with it.
It is not a bad idea to skim off hot break as it forms. When hot break ceases to form add bittering hops, less hops will be needed. A second break will quickly form when the hops are added, skim off the break material and gunk that surfaces.

 

[TravelingLight]

Alls I know is I could absolutely tell the difference. I first started using FWHs in my NEIPAs. First attempt was way too heavy handed on the bittering for the style, IMO. Made the same damn recipe again but switched from a 60m bittering to a FWH and could absolutely tell a difference. Ergo, I always use FWH for NEIPAs (and stouts, for that matter).