Got an APA coming up soon. Planning to get all of my IBUs from bittering addition and will be using 5-6 oz split between flame out (no hop stand) and dry hop. My question is should I just use all as dry hops or split between dry hop and flame out? Preferences?
Assuming you use 6 oz to split between stand and dry, I’d add 4 oz to the stand and dry hop 2 oz. I love hoppy APAs ! I normally stand 5 oz and dry hop 2.5 - 3 oz (5.5 gallon batch) for hoppy APA, but you’ll make a good beer.
So if I am just doing a standard flameout addition with no stand would you still recommend the same? I edited my original post to remove the ‘hoppy’ designation because it probably isn’t enough to deserve that name
Guess I misread, Chris - so you’re wanting to skip the hop stand? Great flavor and little to no bitterness from a 170F hop stand. It’ll be good regardless.
Well I am kind of back to experimenting and hoping to save a bit of time. My current APA is 2 oz at 20 min, 2 oz at 5 min and 1.5 oz dry hop. Some versions have turned out well depending on hop selection. Before I go back to hop stands I want to try keeping it simple and quick. I am keeping the amount of hops the same except trying a traditional bittering charge with magnum or bravo for 50 IBU.
I brew an APA with about 4oz of hops and consider it hoppy. It’s too bad that the extreme has become the standard when it comes to hoppyness. I like IPAs with 12-16oz per 5 gallons just fine, but IPAs with 6-7oz still have their place.
That’s kind of where I am at and trying to find my happy place between an APA and IPA. This one usually ends up right around 5.9% and 50 IBU so I am trying to walk the line.
I don’t disagree, Steve. When I brew a more tradtional APA I use more along the lines of what you’re talking about. But lately I’m liking the niche a hoppy APA (I know it’s subjective) fills - not as strong as an IPA, not as thin as a 1.045 ‘session IPA’, hoppier than a more traditional APA. Just me.
I get it, it’s just “not enough hops” is as predictable as “did you measure twice three days apart.” Not that you were pushing more hops, I was commenting on the OP removing hoppy from his post.
Can I ask you all a question. What is a “hop stand”? I understand what flame-out is (though for me boiling on an electric coil the term is different) and I know what dry-hopping is but what the heck is a hop-stand?
Thanks.
Ready and drinking: California Common, Kolsch
Fermenting: Pale Ale
Hop stand = letting the wort sit after flameout. The temp varies based on intention and preference. I have used 170 and like the results. I chill to 170° and add the hops. I pump the entire time, others stir.
I think I did something similar when I brewed the Sierra Nevada clone that I have. But you tell me is this is similar.
Once I had turned off the heat and prepared my ice bath to cool the wort, I placed the last ounce of Cascade hop pellets into a muslin bag and placed that in the kettle once I ad immersed it into the ice bath. I did cover it but I did a stir with a sanitized spoon whenever I went to check temp.
Is that kind of the same thing?
That sounds more like a standard flameout addition. Hop stand with an ice bath would be tough, but not impossible.
Thanks, Stevie, but I will admit I am confused. Do I add the hops to the kettle while still on the stove for a hop stand? And what do you mean by “pump”.
Appreciate the advice.
You chill your wort to a certain temp, can vary from 120-190. Once the wort is at temp the hops are added and left to sit for a certain amount of time.
By pump I mean that I pump the wort from the kettle and back into it keeping the wort stirring for the entire stand. I like 170° for 20 minutes.
So it sounds like you want a nice big punch of hop aroma with a classic 60 min. bittering addition correct?
If so, bitter at 60, then split 3 oz at 0 min, and 3 oz for dry hop. I think that would make a nice APA. You will probably even get some flavor from those 0 min hops as well unless you can chill super fast.
A “hop stand” just means holding your hops in the hot wort after the boil for a period of time while not actively chilling. It started out as a way to try to duplicate the results from pro brewers who add hops to their whirlpool prior to knocking out to their fermentors. By circulating the hops in the hot (but not boiling) wort, you extract a lot of the flavor and aroma components without boiling them off to a great extent. I find that a hop stand is the only way to get the hop flavor I’m looking for in my hoppy beers.
As homebrewers, we have the ability to perform this at a specific temperature to get the specific results we are shooting for. At temperatures above 170F, you will still isomerize alpha acids and increase IBU’s to some extent. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to calculate how much bitterness will be added for your own brewing system. For this reason, many homebrewers like to chill their wort to 160-170F before beginning their hop stand. This minimizes the amount of bitterness added from this addition, so you can have better control of your bitterness (from an addition at the beginning of the boil) and your hop flavor/aroma (from your hop stand).
I know myself and others have starting experimenting with even cooler hop stands around 120F. The idea is that the cooler temps will volatilize less oils and preserve more aroma compounds. I do think that the aroma is different from a lower temp hop stand. I don’t know if I’ve decided whether the lower temp hop stands are necessarily better, or just different. I do like what I get from it, and it will certainly be another tool in my toolbox in the future.
Regarding a pump, having the hops in circulation definitely increases the extraction of hop oils. If you aren’t able to keep the wort circulating, you can just stir the wort every few minutes to keep it moving. You may find that you want to hold you hop stand a bit longer as well if you’re really looking to max out extraction.
I think I will just do equal amounts at flame out and at dry hop. Going to do an ounce of Cascade, Comet, and Ahtanum at flameout then again at dry hop. Probably bittering with Bravo which is a hop I have not used in years. Going simple with everything else. 100% Golden Promise and US05
Wow this beer is super pungent and has a strangely savory character to it. The aroma is great so I hope it comes together in a couple of weeks.
12-16 oz of hops in a 5 gallon batch!
I don’t think I ever saw a recipe like that.