why do we wait for the hot break to add bittering hops?

[eggbeater59]

something i've noticed everyone doing is waiting until after most of the hot break is over to add the bittering hop. is the only reason for this to avoid the dreaded boilover? i'm brewing 5 gal batches in a 10 gal pot, and i don't exactly have any boilover problems. due to john palmer's suggestion in his book of course i'm doing the same thing, but now i'm considering doing the bittering addition right at the hot break during my next batch in an effort to cut down brew time.

will this have adverse effects on my beer? the only thing i can think of is maybe the hot break will bind with some of the hop oils and drop them down to the bottom of the pot and hurt utilization a bit, but i'm doubtful of that even really being an issue. the hops end up there anyways, and at the end of the day we don't want them in our fermenter....

 

[SumnerH]

something i've noticed everyone doing is waiting until after most of the hot break is over to add the bittering hop. is the only reason for this to avoid the dreaded boilover?

That's one reason.

Another reason is that, contrary to popular myth, hop utilization is actually independent of the gravity of the wort.

What actually causes higher gravity worts to often correlate with lower utilization is that isomerized alpha acids stick to break material and precipitate out; consequently, there's some reason to believe that you'll get higher final hop utilization if you add your hops after the break.

 

[Henrythe9th]

Sometimes I do wait other I don't,, depends on the beer,, last brew was a 1.068 IPA that I 1st wort hopped didn't wait,, really dark beers I skim off the hot break

 

[suprchunk]

I was unaware that we waited for this. Would kind of defeat the purpose of FWH anything. And I don't think I've had anything settle out while I have had a full on rolling boil going. So those acids would still be attaching to something, given the theory that they are, and would still be rolling around regardless.

 

[MattHollingsworth]

I don't wait. I First Wort Hop.

 

[BenS]

Another reason is that, contrary to popular myth, hop utilization is actually independent of the gravity of the wort.

What actually causes higher gravity worts to often correlate with lower utilization is that isomerized alpha acids stick to break material and precipitate out; consequently, there's some reason to believe that you'll get higher final hop utilization if you add your hops after the break.

I'm not so sure about this. Not sure enough to call BS but it just seems like this isn't quite right. So you're telling me if I sparge like donkey doodoo then I'll get less hop utilization that if I vorlouf 10 gal? no matter the OG?

 

[wyzazz]

+1 fwh & ftw!!!

 

[Irrenarzt]

I don't wait either. I even mash hop from time to time.

 

[menschmaschine]

Bittering hops will have better utilization if they're put in after the hot break. That's the main reason some brewers wait. As far as boil-over, you can just throw in a couple of hop pellets at the start of the boil to break the surface tension. That helps a bit.

 

[suprchunk]

Bittering hops will have better utilization if they're put in after the hot break. That's the main reason some brewers wait. As far as boil-over, you can just throw in a couple of hop pellets at the start of the boil to break the surface tension. That helps a bit.

The question was; why?

 

[menschmaschine]

The question was; why?

Because some alpha acids (or iso-alpha acids... not sure, but the point remains) will precipitate out with the proteins/polyphenols in the hot break.

 

[oldschool]

That's one reason.

Another reason is that, contrary to popular myth, hop utilization is actually independent of the gravity of the wort.

What actually causes higher gravity worts to often correlate with lower utilization is that isomerized alpha acids stick to break material and precipitate out; consequently, there's some reason to believe that you'll get higher final hop utilization if you add your hops after the break.

I disagree. It's due to the amount of dissolved solids in the water.

Back to the original question, I just add hops when I feel like it.

 

[suprchunk]

Because some alpha acids (or iso-alpha acids... not sure, but the point remains) will precipitate out with the proteins/polyphenols in the hot break.

I guess I have not been getting a big enough hot break to have everything fall to the bottom of my pot while having a full-rolling boil. Mine just keeps floating around with everything else, contacting all the wort that is rolling around. It just doesn't seem like it is heavy enough to lay on the bottom of my pot to get scorched by the fire, and stuck to the bottom.

I'll try and boil a little bit harder next time and see if my break precipitates out of the boil, then add my hops.

 

[shortyjacobs]

I FWH often enough, but I still wait until hot break to add hops...it's easier to see what's happening then. Hot break only takes 5 minutes anyway.

 

[EBloom97]

The question was; why?

I want to say the gravity of the wort is not itself the issue, but a related factor, the pH is. The difference between an acid and a base is all down to some ratio of ions that I don't really understand. The higher the gravity of your wort, the less room for the alpha acid ions to isomerize into because the pH will be lower (more acidic). Maybe I'm talking out of my ass, not sure.

 

[MattHollingsworth]

I FWH often enough, but I still wait until hot break to add hops...it's easier to see what's happening then. Hot break only takes 5 minutes anyway.

Huh? You wait until hot break to add hops during First Wort Hopping? That, by definition, is not First Wort Hopping. The point of FWH is to add hops to the kettle during runoff so that they soak in the wort before it boils.

 

[elmetal]

Huh? You wait until hot break to add hops during First Wort Hopping? That, by definition, is not First Wort Hopping. The point of FWH is to add hops to the kettle during runoff so that they soak in the wort before it boils.

:rockin:
123

 

[hoppymonkey]

I love this website. I learn something new everyday. I have never done the FWH and only add at the start of the boil and later. Will this add any bitterness or only flavor/aroma?

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Huh? You wait until hot break to add hops during First Wort Hopping? That, by definition, is not First Wort Hopping. The point of FWH is to add hops to the kettle during runoff so that they soak in the wort before it boils.

I took it to mean the he FWH's but doesn't add bittering hops until after HB. But I prob took it that way because that's exactly what I do.

 

[billc68]

I have been reading the Joy of Homebrewing and making some extract recipes with unhopped malt.... What is the "Hot Break"?


Also I had a boil over the other day, and it looked like a lot of hops escaped... how bad will this be? I added my flavor hops and finishing hops a minute early hoping to pull some more out of them.

 

[bja]

I took it to mean the he FWH's but doesn't add bittering hops until after HB. But I prob took it that way because that's exactly what I do.

I thought FWH's were the bittering hops.

 

[shortyjacobs]

I took it to mean the he FWH's but doesn't add bittering hops until after HB. But I prob took it that way because that's exactly what I do.

Right. I FWH, then also have a 60 min bittering addition....this is still, by definition, first wort hopping...

I mean, in truth, "bittering" is anything you add during the first chunk of the boil....and FWH is anything added to the first runnings...

I have been reading the Joy of Homebrewing and making some extract recipes with unhopped malt.... What is the "Hot Break"?


Also I had a boil over the other day, and it looked like a lot of hops escaped... how bad will this be? I added my flavor hops and finishing hops a minute early hoping to pull some more out of them.

Hot break is when a whole bunch of proteins precipitate out of your wort. It's also when your wort stops foaming as much, (due to the change in protein character).

You don't see this as much with Extract, as it's already been "hot broken" during the boiling process required to reduce it to extract. You still see a change in foaming character though, where it foams like crazy and then settles down. Settling down is basically your hot break.

 

[MattHollingsworth]

Right. I FWH, then also have a 60 min bittering addition....this is still, by definition, first wort hopping...

Aw, okay. ................

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I add hops at the hot break for consistency in future repetitions. I have no clue what difference it makes.

 

[suprchunk]

I add hops at the hot break for consistency in future repetitions. I have no clue what difference it makes.

I think adding it at the first signs of a boil would yield the same consistency. Exact same, since you would be adding it at the same exact point each time.