Steeping Hops - Is this a better way of doing it?

[NickW]

Hi all, thought I'd start a new thread rather then keep hijacking the other one :whistle:

I've been worrying about steeping hops after flameout, planning on doing it for 20-30 mins.

I didn't want my IBUs sky rocketing, which I've read they may or may not do, by leaving the wort at 80c for this period of time.

But.... can I just tap off a portion of the wort (3 or 4 litres ) and keep them in a pan on the hob at this temperature rather than having the rest of the hops that were added earlier on in the boil?

Does that even make sense? I'm typing this on my phone and I've had 1or 2 beers :?

 

[Good Ed]

Nick, you shouldn't worry about adding hops, if in doubt just add more hops

steeping hops at flameout will give you aroma without extracting bitterness, you have to boil hops to extract bitterness (a bit more complicated but...), so forget about the pan on the hob business, your hops will be just fine sitting there in the copper

and if you don't know whether you have had 1 or 2 beers, you shouldn't be posting

 

[RobWalker]

0 min addition will add next to no bitterness so don't worry!

 

[Aleman]

I've been worrying about steeping hops after flameout, planning on doing it for 20-30 mins.

I didn't want my IBUs sky rocketing, which I've read they may or may not do, by leaving the wort at 80c for this period of time.

Sorry Ed and Rob, but you do get bitterness from steeping 'flame out' hops

A brewing colleague of mine, did the home brewing course at Brewlab (way back when) and as part of the course did an investigation into the effects of late hopping and steeping hops at different temperatures.

What he found was that below about 80C there was no significant additional bitterness obtained from hops steeped for 30 minutes (~5IBU which is on the borderline of the taste threshold of bitterness for the vast majority of people) . . . Above 80C then isomerisation had much more of an effect . . .and provided more of a bittering effect. . . .

The lesson to draw from this is that if you steep your hops at 70-75C for 30 minutes you won't significantly increase the bittering of the beer, but will improve the aroma.

 

[Good Ed]

of course you a quite right, I always drop the temperature to 80C and keep it there for 20-30mins

 

[NickW]

Thanks for the replies guys.

And aleman thanks for the science behind it which I was looking for.

I'll get the wort to 75c (or as close as possible), add hops and steep for 20/30mins, then continue the chiller as per usual. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[nobyipa]

i have found after seeping 5 brews now
that is flame out cool to 80C add hops hold that temp for 20 30 mins
have noticed absolutely no IBU increase
in reality there maybe an increase of bitterness but totally unnoticeable in taste its that little IMHO

i have seeped 75 grams plus with no noticeable increase in bitterness in 27 litre brews

but by eck
the hop flavour is multiplied multiple times
well worth it

:thumb: :drink:

 

[Dr Mike]

I did Bombay IPA last year which had 120g of steep hops in 5 gallons.

Bitterness certainly wasn't OTT.

 

[RobWalker]

I did say next to none, not none

 

[clibit]

Adding hops at flameout does add some bitterness but not a crazy, "oh my god, what have I done?!" amount. And if you chill to 80 and then add, you will get very little added bitterness, if any. So quit worrying, and make some beer. :hat:

 

[NickW]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I like to be fully clued up before I try something new