Aroma hopping - steeping vs dry hopping

[Sandimas]

Can someone please explain the difference between steeping hops immediately after the boil, and dry hopping (adding hops 2-3 days into fermentation).

I'm going to try a Hobgoblin clone but the recipes I've seen have conflicting advice: one says to steep the aroma hops for an hour after the wort has cooled to 80C, the other says to dry hop 2-3 days into fermentation. Which one is "right", or do they both produce similar results?

 

[NickW]

Would also be interested in some opinions on this as I have dry hopped a fair bit, but would like some opinion on steeping as I will be doing this for the first time on my next brew :)

 

[clibit]

From my fairly limited experience, I have done both a few times, I think dry hopping is what gives you that big aroma hit when you put a glass of beer to your lips, sometimes. Dry hopping is done at fermentation temperature, prior to bottling/kegging, so aroma is extracted, but not lost. The beers you occasionally get that hit you in the face with aroma have been heavily dry hopped.

Steeping, on the other hand, does provide aroma, but much less, because it is done at a much higher temperature, usually around 80C, or higher, prior to fermentation, so a lot of aroma is lost. However, it is a good way of extracting hop flavour, and you will get some bitterness too, especially if you steep at flameout, as the wort is almost boiling. A lot of commercial UK breweries do this, because it is efficient in terms of adding hop flavour with a degree of aroma, and I guess it avoids having to filter hops out a second time, all the hops are filtered when the beer is transferred from the kettle.

 

[Duffmastergfunk]

I recently compared two brews with the same recipe , one with steeped and te other dry hopped. I can't vouch for the science but my research found that steeping while the wort is agitated at flame out will add similar IBU as a 20 min hop addition. I ended up with 2 very different beers. Not sure I've helped but if you steep, expect more IBU and less aroma than your dry hop option.

 

[Algernon]

You could always pop the hops into a cafetiere and make a hop tea infusion, then just pour that into the fermented brew. Adds a great fragrance but not too much bitterness...
Just another option to think about :-)

 

[NickW]

I read conflicting opinions on steeping.

Some say it will impart negligible bitterness and not to worry about it. Others say it will present the same amount of IBUs as 5 minute addition, others 20.

I really want to nail this down as I'm doing an IPA shortly with tonnes of late additions, and I don't want to ruin a brew by all these late additions throwing my IBUs out it control.

 

[brewtim]

You could always pop the hops into a cafetiere and make a hop tea infusion, then just pour that into the fermented brew. Adds a great fragrance but not too much bitterness...
Just another option to think about :-)

Interesting

How long do you steep for?
How do you sterilise/sanitise before it goes into the fermentor?
At what stage do you add it to the brew?

:

 

[clibit]

I read conflicting opinions on steeping.

Some say it will impart negligible bitterness and not to worry about it. Others say it will present the same amount of IBUs as 5 minute addition, others 20.

I really want to nail this down as I'm doing an IPA shortly with tonnes of late additions, and I don't want to ruin a brew by all these late additions throwing my IBUs out it control.

The IBUs added by steeping will depend on the temperature and duration of the steep. There is no accurate way of pre-calculating. One good idea is to allow the wort to cool to 80*C and then add steeping hops, as this will minimise bitterness added as hops will not isomerise (release alpha acids) at this temperature. There are no rules, try steeping at different temperatures and for different lengths of time and learn by experience. Falvour hops go in the boil from about 20 mins onwards, and add some bitterness, some craft brewers now add no hops at the start of the boil, or just a very small amount, and then add loads in the last 20 minutes to produce a beer with loads of hop flavour but a bitterness level of maybe 30 IBUs. They then often dry hop too add a load of aroma. The Micro I visited just did first wort hopping and steeping from flameout. This provided a pretty standard effect for a UK beer, average but smooth bitterness, flavour and aroma.

 

[NickW]

I read conflicting opinions on steeping.

Some say it will impart negligible bitterness and not to worry about it. Others say it will present the same amount of IBUs as 5 minute addition, others 20.

I really want to nail this down as I'm doing an IPA shortly with tonnes of late additions, and I don't want to ruin a brew by all these late additions throwing my IBUs out it control.

The IBUs added by steeping will depend on the temperature and duration of the steep. There is no accurate way of pre-calculating. One good idea is to allow the wort to cool to 80*C and then add steeping hops, as this will minimise bitterness added as hops will not isomerise (release alpha acids) at this temperature. There are no rules, try steeping at different temperatures and for different lengths of time and learn by experience. Falvour hops go in the boil from about 20 mins onwards, and add some bitterness, some craft brewers now add no hops at the start of the boil, or just a very small amount, and then add loads in the last 20 minutes to produce a beer with loads of hop flavour but a bitterness level of maybe 30 IBUs. They then often dry hop too add a load of aroma. The Micro I visited just did first wort hopping and steeping from flameout. This provided a pretty standard effect for a UK beer, average but smooth bitterness, flavour and aroma.

Good answer, cheers mate. :) so in theory it *shouldn't* add any extra Unusual.

I'll only be adding 20 minute and later hops. Then a 20min steep at around 75c. OG of 1.060 and IBU of 49.

 

[Festival Man]

Remember that when you steep you steep within the general mash temp range.
Remember that the amount of grains per amount of water that will drop the temp' same as in a proper mash. So start high say 180F, add the grains and the temp' will fall to somewhere within the mash temp'. ( If too low, for the length of time that you have chosen to steep for, then bring temp back up to 170F, , Steep this for 15/20 mins. for flavour. strain and add to FV.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Remember that when you steep you steep within the general mash temp range.
Remember that the amount of grains per amount of water that will drop the temp' same as in a proper mash. So start high say 180F, add the grains and the temp' will fall to somewhere within the mash temp'. ( If too low, for the length of time that you have chosen to steep for, then bring temp back up to 170F, , Steep this for 15/20 mins. for flavour. strain and add to FV.

Ha ha, resurrected a ten year old thread but did you read it first ?

( I also cool to 80c for hopstand )