When to add aroma hops

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DuncR

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Over the last few months I have been trying to improve an IPA recipe, which has resulted in additional steps/ingredients with each brew and I think I now need to simplify to get back to basics.
Currently adding hops at four stages:
1) bittering hops at the start of the boil (tick - happy days)
2) hops ten minutes before the end of the boil
3) hops at flameout
4) hop stand for 10/20 minutes when cooled to 80 degrees
No dry hops
Question:
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the different steps 2-4 above, and if simplified these into a single addition, which one?
If the only difference is the amount of bittering extracted could this not be compensated for at state 1?
Any thoughts/help out there appreciated.
 
Over the last few months I have been trying to improve an IPA recipe, which has resulted in additional steps/ingredients with each brew and I think I now need to simplify to get back to basics.
Currently adding hops at four stages:
1) bittering hops at the start of the boil (tick - happy days)
2) hops ten minutes before the end of the boil
3) hops at flameout
4) hop stand for 10/20 minutes when cooled to 80 degrees
No dry hops
Question:
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the different steps 2-4 above, and if simplified these into a single addition, which one?
If the only difference is the amount of bittering extracted could this not be compensated for at state 1?
Any thoughts/help out there appreciated.
 
You can easily cut out steps and add most of your bittering addition at start of boil.
Making another at 80 would give you more aroma. I found this in in my Tribute clone which I'm around 7 batches in...the 80 or 76 as I recall hopstand definitely improved aroma.
 
In theory, 2 boil off most part of volatile oils. 3 could evaporated myrcene, but preserve others compounds. 4 should preserve most part of myrcene too, due to its boil temperature.

I don't know the best, but there's a thing called Dip Hopping, that's basically heat water for a hop tea and put hops inside, let temp down and throw everything in the fermenter, like a dry hopping. The objective is drive off myrcene. If some brewers do that, it's a reason to ask yourself if you like myrcene contribution or not.

Anyway, 2, 3 and 4 increases flavours and aromas. And some bitterness too.

Nowadays I am using only number 1 and 3. And works perfectly. Match a high AA hop for 1 with a aroma/flavour hop for 3. Could be the same, if you consider CTZ, Admiral, Target, etc...

Cheers!
 
There are so many different hop schedules I'm not sure you can draw up a list of specific rules that apply universally. the end result is a blend of a whole host of different things you do and the equipment you use from grain through to glass. Just listen to interviews with pro brewers and the many varied ways they utilise hops...each have landed on their own methods that achieve the results that have been successful for them. They can point to certain attributes in the final product to specific parts of the process, but that is only valid in the context of their entire grain to glass process so lifting elements from their method and inserting it into your own method may not lead to the same end result.

The best thing is to do what you are already doing...keep trying different ways until you land on a method that gives you the results you are after and just keep doing that.

But looking at your schedule above I'd question your logic about doing a hop stand after adding hops at flame out...unless you are implying you add more hops at the hop stand once you've cooled to 80 degrees. If not then not sure what you're trying to achieve with a hop stand at 80 degrees once you've added hops at the end of boil.

For simplicity I'm finding my best results in hoppy beers by achieveing my desired bitterness with early boil additions (usually a single first wort or 60 minute addition) and leave all my aroma additions to a combination of a hop stand no warmer than 75 degrees C for 15mins and a single relatively large dry hop after fermentation and off the yeast cake and strictly limiting the contact time to 3 days. Does require a good week to 10 days of conditioning after kegging and carbing to mellow a tad though.
 
Get rid of bittering hops and get your bittering from the larger amount you can use as a Whirlpool @80c or slightly lower, it will give you more aroma as you can use more hops without excess bittering.
Dry hop in smaller amounts as it can give you a bitter/perception that can be too much, use the whirlpool mainly
 
Get rid of bittering hops and get your bittering from the larger amount you can use as a Whirlpool @80c or slightly lower, it will give you more aroma as you can use more hops without excess bittering.
Dry hop in smaller amounts as it can give you a bitter/perception that can be too much, use the whirlpool mainly
Cheers
 
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