Perceived Bitterness

[rodwha]

This is another opportunity for a exbeeriment

Brew 3 batches with say 50-100 grams of later hop additions (depending on batch obv)

1) all late hops are in the boil
2) all late hops are post boil
3) 50/50 of the above

Then measure the out comes every few weeks side by side.. I would guess 2 will have a bigger younger fresh burst but will diminish with aging, 1 will perhaps be more consistent throughout the process with a less than hop assult stage, and 3 somewhere in the middle?

I think we all know dry hop diminishes after a month or 2 (depends on its storage).. I remember doing youngs AAA kit which had a lovely grapefruit dry hop which really lifted the kit into a nice fresh hop burst, but after about 3 months the hop started to fade and when nearly 4 months it was like someone flicked a switch and what was left was not great

I've looked for other brewers nearby to do such testing with as my fermentation chamber is a smaller chest freezer (7 cubic feet) that houses my grains, whiskey, and cigars so I only have room for one fermentor at a time. Plus with the one temperature probe I couldn't gaurantee they'd all be the same temp.

I have been quite interested in some form of experiment with that and utilizing hot peppers (roasted vs raw, and boiled vs extract).

 

[rodwha]

Maybe I should go back to tubs of water and frozen water bottles or find a Belgian yeast I'd like.

The question then would be how to accurately enough increase the bittering charge in the one lacking late boil hops.

 

[geetee]

Thanks geetee. I did once make a beer that I threw lots of high alpha flameout hops into, and it was extremely bitter, much more so than the bittering hop addition would account for. I don't have a wort chiller but cooled it in the sink, it was a half sized batch.

Hops also contain beta acid, as hops age the alphas are converted to beta acids. Beta acids themselves do not isomerise but have an inherent bitterness as they oxidise to give an altogether a more harsher bitterness due to their insolubility. The beta acids are brought into play during dry hopping and as you say during steep at less than boiling temperatures.
The problem with this is two fold;
They offer a harsher bitterness
They cannot be properly quantified and their bitterness predicted in the same way that you can with alpha acid additions which are controlled by the boil.

Beta acids are also responsible for a harsher bitterness in the beer as it ages, you lose the flavour but the oxidised harsher bitterness then can predominate as the beer gets older. I have definitely noticed this as my beers get older

Maybe another good reason for hop tea additions to prevent harsher bitterness from heavy dry hopping for long periods?

 

[clibit]

Hops also contain beta acid, as hops age the alphas are converted to beta acids. Beta acids themselves do not isomerise but have an inherent bitterness as they oxidise to give an altogether a more harsher bitterness due to their insolubility. The beta acids are brought into play during dry hopping and as you say during steep at less than boiling temperatures.
The problem with this is two fold;
They offer a harsher bitterness
They cannot be properly quantified and their bitterness predicted in the same way that you can with alpha acid additions which are controlled by the boil.

Beta acids are also responsible for a harsher bitterness in the beer as it ages, you lose the flavour but the oxidised harsher bitterness then can predominate as the beer gets older. I have definitely noticed this as my beers get older

Maybe another good reason for hop tea additions to prevent harsher bitterness from heavy dry hopping for long periods?

That's really interesting thanks. Stuff to chew over.