Whirlpool/hopstand vs dryhop

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

Hello all
Up early on the day off...brewing again in an attempt to salvage some Christmas beers! I'm sure it'll be fine!
Anyway...here's the question...
Today's beer is my house Apa,Pipster Pale.
It's a hoppy apa with citra,centennial and cascade and finishes with an equal 100g of each dry hop which I usually add at the end of fermentation for up to 5 days.
Now...I want to see if I can cut this down a bit and wonder if I will get a half decent result if I hopstand the dry addition instead.
I'm ordering kegs this morning..that's the plan!
Thanks.

Agentgonzo · Nov 27, 2024

If your after a half decent result, then both will give you one (and probably a decent result).

Nothing to fear, go for it if you want!

Hazelwood Brewery · Nov 27, 2024

Clint said:
Hello all
Up early on the day off...brewing again in an attempt to salvage some Christmas beers! I'm sure it'll be fine!
Anyway...here's the question...
Today's beer is my house Apa,Pipster Pale.
It's a hoppy apa with citra,centennial and cascade and finishes with an equal 100g of each dry hop which I usually add at the end of fermentation for up to 5 days.
Now...I want to see if I can cut this down a bit and wonder if I will get a half decent result if I hopstand the dry addition instead.
I'm ordering kegs this morning..that's the plan!
Thanks.

Hi Clint. In my experience dry-hopping adds flavour and aroma but is a bit of a compromise between the two.

A hopstand will give you more flavour but you don’t get as much aroma from it. Keg hopping gives you more aroma than dry-hopping in the fermenter.

If you use 80% of your dry hop addition in a hopstand and the other 20% in the keg you might get the best result?

I use leaf hops in the keg held in a hop spider suspended from the lug on the keg cap. This it to avoid hop debris blocking the poppets. Other people are happy to use pellets.

peebee · Nov 27, 2024

I certainly hope so! I haven't finished my planned "dry hopping" alternative yet, but it's much as you describe.

I got a "Hop Missile" (cheap-skate's Hop Rocket), but only because I'm using "No-Chill Cubes" and can't do a hop-steep. And also, because I can't do what you can! Drop the temperature before you put in the steep hops (hopstand, whirlpool, whatever you want to call them), to about 75-80°C (check that!) to avoid throwing all the "volatiles" into the atmosphere. I'm convinced it'll go well.

3 x 100 grams of steep hops? I don't think that'll be leaving much to chance! (I think I'll be able to smell 'em from here ... 20-30 miles away!).

Sadfield · Nov 27, 2024

I see hops like seasoning in cooking. Layering additions through the process is better than adding it all at the last minute.

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

Thanks for the replies!
It'll be my first time using gas fed kegs,they're ordered! So would like to just put beer in them to start incase I have any drama!
There is a 15 minute addition of the same hops..but not the same amounts!
Right,decided...300g hopstand it is! Got a part pkt of amarillio and a bit of chinook...they're going in too.

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

All ready!

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

Hmmm...eldest son says he can smell the hops,citrus he says...I've gone "nose blind" to it! Perhaps coz I'm standing over it and been sniffing them since the packs were opened. They were part packets,sealed with plastic tape and frozen so I hope they're OK. They didn't smell odd or anything.

Agentgonzo · Nov 27, 2024

Clint said:
Hmmm...eldest son says he can smell the hops,citrus he says...I've gone "nose blind" to it! Perhaps coz I'm standing over it and been sniffing them since the packs were opened. They were part packets,sealed with plastic tape and frozen so I hope they're OK. They didn't smell odd or anything.

Dried hops won't "smell odd or anything" as they age. Think of them like a herb. They will lose some of their nice aroma/flavour as they get old (freezing/removing oxygen drastically helps this) but they won't "go off".

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

Thanks...got more aroma as the cold break occurred and now more dropping it to the fv. Target gravity was 1.043,I've got 1.050! I did modify the recipe slightly but only with a few 100g of carapils.i will lose more to the kettle though with the hop addition.

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

Just over 21 litres to fv. Clean up,go get my c02 and few beers for later! A worthwhile day!

The Baron · Nov 27, 2024

A question to all
if I used 300g in a whirlpool/hopstand/dry hop I would get a beer that is too bitter for my taste do other of you brewers suffer from this too?.
Ps I usually do a whirlpool and if I dry hop as well it is considerably less than the whirlpool

Hazelwood Brewery · Nov 27, 2024

The Baron said:
A question to all
if I used 300g in a whirlpool/hopstand/dry hop I would get a beer that is too bitter for my taste do other of you brewers suffer from this too?.
Ps I usually do a whirlpool and if I dry hop as well it is considerably less than the whirlpool

You might if you use too many hops, hopstand at too high a temperature or for too long, or if you use high AA hops.

The trick of course is to adjust your recipe / process to suit whatever it is you’re aiming for.

Larse · Nov 27, 2024

The Baron said:
A question to all
if I used 300g in a whirlpool/hopstand/dry hop I would get a beer that is too bitter for my taste do other of you brewers suffer from this too?.
Ps I usually do a whirlpool and if I dry hop as well it is considerably less than the whirlpool

I checked those hops through Brewer's Friend at 10 minutes boil (doesn't seem to do hopstand) and it comes out at 130 IBU. Will probably be lower at 80°, but not much I would think.

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

I had considered such things. My original recipe was around 40 ibu. Sample tasted OK.

The Baron · Nov 27, 2024

Hazelwood Brewery said:
You might if you use too many hops, hopstand at too high a temperature or for too long, or if you use high AA hops.

The trick of course is to adjust your recipe / process to suit whatever it is you’re aiming for.

Hi Hazlewood I adjust my recipes for IBU's and perceived bitterness but 300g of most IPA style hops would be too bitter for me, 200g is my max in total

Brew_DD2 · Nov 27, 2024

Larse said:
I checked those hops through Brewer's Friend at 10 minutes boil (doesn't seem to do hopstand) and it comes out at 130 IBU. Will probably be lower at 80°, but not much I would think.

It would be much lower at 80c, having not being boiled for 10 minutes also.

Donegal john · Nov 27, 2024

I used this in my last beer and it certainly gave a good aroma from the kegged pints.
I gave up dry hoping and just did whirlpool additions and added this

https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/online-store/Hop-Extract-p241775576

Larse · Nov 27, 2024

Brew_DD2 said:
It would be much lower at 80c, having not being boiled for 10 minutes also.

Yeah, just checked it in Brewfather and it's coming out about half of what Brewer's Friend was saying. So abut 65 IBU total for the 300g. Still pretty strong.

Clint · Nov 27, 2024

I like it when people find my beer too bitter/hazy/strong or anything else.

Whirlpool/hopstand vs dryhop

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