Lid on or off?

[dlowe1992]

Been considering how to get the best out of hopstand additions lately.
I brew on a Klarstein Mundschenk and tend to add HS additions with the lid off as the immersion chiller is sat in the wort.

However, seems now I think about it that I could be losing a fair amount of hop aroma, and it would be a far better idea to have the lid on at this point. Sticking your nose above the kettle just after the hopstand addition and a lot of good aroma is drifting off into the ether!
Same goes for the boil really. I understand we want to drive off DMS but is the lid being completely off necessary?

Just wondered what approach others took. Is there anything I'm missing in sticking the lid on?

 

[MashBag]

My vote is on.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I don't see any scientific need to have the lid completely off. All commercial breweries I have ever seen have a lid on their boil kettle/copper with a chimney in it (which is equivalent to us homebrewers having it partially covered or a hole in the lid).

 

[dlowe1992]

I don't see any scientific need to have the lid completely off. All commercial breweries I have ever seen have a lid on their boil kettle/copper with a chimney in it (which is equivalent to us homebrewers having it partially covered or a hole in the lid).

This was my thinking. Lid with either a chimney or some form of condenser.

Cheers

 

[Twostage]

Is a hopstand a quarter of a burpee ?

Just about to go outside and do one (hopstand not burpee).

 

[hoppyscotty]

The lid isn't going to stop you losing hop aroma, though good to have the lid on as it reduces temperature loss and prevents airborne stuff from dropping into your wort. Once the aroma has escaped from the wort rather than being dissolved within it then it's gone. The lid doesn't stop that.

I favour lowering the hop stand temp. Not sure what your chosen hop stand temperature is but for many they see 80 degrees as the target, but that is just because that is the temperature below which the alpha acids are not isormerised and produce bitterness. There is nothing stopping you from doing your hop stand at a temperature lower than 80 degrees. I tend to do my hop stands at 70 - 65 degrees (hard to be super precise) and that way you still have some temperature for extracting the hop oils but not quite so warm to drive the volatiles off. Seems to work OK. I have a few beers that I brew regularly that have heavy hop stand additions and no dry hopping and still get a decent level of hop aroma and flavour in the resulting beer.

 

[allotment_fox]

Most of the time when doing my hop stand I have the chiller in with irish moss dont like to take the chiller out as it upsets the cauliflower looking (proteins) I think the lid will not fit on very well with it in

 

[Sadfield]

Do commercial kettles have a chimney or a Condensate Stack?

If DMS is volatile and can condense back into wort, then surely other volatiles like those from hops can, too?

Lid on or off is probably the wrong question. Perhaps, what do I want from the hop stand, and how do I best achieve it?

https://www.wildabouthops.nz/steeping-hops.html

 

[MashBag]

Is a hopstand a quarter of a burpee ?

Just about to go outside and do one (hopstand not burpee).

Nope. Two squats

 

[foxy]

Been considering how to get the best out of hopstand additions lately.
I brew on a Klarstein Mundschenk and tend to add HS additions with the lid off as the immersion chiller is sat in the wort.

However, seems now I think about it that I could be losing a fair amount of hop aroma, and it would be a far better idea to have the lid on at this point. Sticking your nose above the kettle just after the hopstand addition and a lot of good aroma is drifting off into the ether!
Same goes for the boil really. I understand we want to drive off DMS but is the lid being completely off necessary?

Just wondered what approach others took. Is there anything I'm missing in sticking the lid on?

If you are boiling the wort as long as you have a minimum of 12.5 % opening (rule of thumb for steam stack diameter) and the lid of the kettle over the outside of the rim of your kettle letting the condensation fall outside of the kettle not back into the kettle you are fine.

 

[dlowe1992]

The lid isn't going to stop you losing hop aroma, though good to have the lid on as it reduces temperature loss and prevents airborne stuff from dropping into your wort. Once the aroma has escaped from the wort rather than being dissolved within it then it's gone. The lid doesn't stop that.

I favour lowering the hop stand temp. Not sure what your chosen hop stand temperature is but for many they see 80 degrees as the target, but that is just because that is the temperature below which the alpha acids are not isormerised and produce bitterness. There is nothing stopping you from doing your hop stand at a temperature lower than 80 degrees. I tend to do my hop stands at 70 - 65 degrees (hard to be super precise) and that way you still have some temperature for extracting the hop oils but not quite so warm to drive the volatiles off. Seems to work OK. I have a few beers that I brew regularly that have heavy hop stand additions and no dry hopping and still get a decent level of hop aroma and flavour in the resulting beer.

Do commercial kettles have a chimney or a Condensate Stack?

If DMS is volatile and can condense back into wort, then surely other volatiles like those from hops can, too?

Lid on or off is probably the wrong question. Perhaps, what do I want from the hop stand, and how do I best achieve it?

https://www.wildabouthops.nz/steeping-hops.html

@Sadfield, that makes for an interesting read, thanks. Looks like for the sort of flavour I'm after, a lower hopstand temp between 70 and 75 might be the way to go. Like many, I've always gone for the 80deg mark Funny because I had a bit of a nightmare with hopstand temp on an early brew and steeped lower than intended. Seem to recall the beer turned out great..

Well looks like if nothing else I'll be saving on energy costs for my next brewday

 

[MashBag]

@Sadfield, that an interesting read, thank you. Looks like I might adjust my next one, for a cooler hopstand.