I would like to brew an APA without dry hopping. Why? Because I can. See where it gets me. Maximum of flavor without dry-hopping. Just Warrior for the IBUs and everything else in the whirlpool. So how much hops per liter, at what temperature, and steep for how long? Has anyone tried the really lower temperatures, sub 80C? BTW, I was thinking of 50% Cascade, 25% El Dorado and 25% Lemondrop. Why? Because that’s what I have in the freezer. Apart from some Buzz Bullets, some Mosaic, and some Equinox. It’s a tough world. All suggestions are welcome!
I like your plan, getting IBUs in the boil (what I do on whirlpool beers) and also the hop blend/ratio. Hard to go wrong with a little Equinox or Mosaic in the mix too, though. Good either way. I like to whirlpool 5 oz/5 gallons for APA. But I dry hop APA. 5 oz/5 gal will leave you some nice aroma as is, or you could bump the whirlpool blend up an oz. As for temp, I’ve gone as low as 160F but not lower. I say pick a temp between 175F and 120F and go for it. It’ll be good regardless.
Edit - As I said, I haven’t rested below 160F, but judging by Marshall’s results with the 120F stand I’d feel confident doing that (and plan to do it on my next APA).
Let’s cut the crap here: there is an American hop shortage here in Europe, and I simply do not have the hops for 10 ounces per 5 gallons -or maybe I believe in the saying “in der Beschraenkung zeigt sich der Meister”.
For an APA, I think 1 oz/gallon (something like 7.5 g/liter, I think) of whirlpool hops will be just fine. If you don’t want to dry hop, try whirlpooling in the 120F range. I’ve been doing this for my last 4 or 5 batches, and I do think it leaves a bit more aroma than a warmer whirlpool (although this is just anecdotal - I haven’t done a side-by-side yet). Aside from that, a single 60-minute addition of something clean like Magnum is all you need. I like about 40 IBU.
Ok, 7-8 grams per liter @50C in the whirlpool. Hold that temperature for half an hour. Only problem is that I won’t have enough lemondrop/el dorado, so will have to add something extra.
Good point! I think you can get plenty of hop punch in an APA without dry hopping. IPAs and IIPAs are going to need dry hops though IMO to bring out the full character of the hops.
I do around 6 g/L (1.5 lb/bbl) total late hopping, although that’s split between 15 min and whirlpool additions. 30 min whirlpool starting at 91°C and dropping to ~85°C.
If you’re looking to maximize hop flavor, I’d consider bumping the whirlpool to 60 minutes. That may not be needed if you are continuously recirculating with a pump, but if you’re doing a hop stand and just intermittently stirring by hand I find I get more hop flavor from a longer whirlpool.
If you’re planning on adding an additional variety to boost the hop quantity, I think I’d lean towards Equinox of the varieties you originally mentioned.
Thanks. Seem to have missed that. Hm, casually reading this does not make me overly enthusiastic. Maybe it’s sufficient to cool the wort enough (say 80C) so that the Braumeister does not block the working of the pump.
Yes, thanks, in the meanwhile I got the reference. What I read is “Tasters seemed to fall fairly evenly on either side of the divide.” So maybe I should just toss a coin to choose between 120F and 170F
