I’m following a recipe that calls for first wort hops. Do I leave those hops in throughout the boil, or should I remove them before hand?
Leave 'em in.
Ditto. I usually put my FWH addition in the boil kettle even before I transfer the wort into it, then it stay throughout the boil and cooling.
+1. Leave em in.
Really makes a person wonder what the difference is eh? Only thing I can figure is some of the oils/acids get bound by hot break as it forms.
From what I’ve been able to find t, it happens even before that. The hot wort in the kettle before you even start boiling is supposedly what “fixes” the flavor compounds.
One other thing, you want long contact time in of the FWH with the 160 - 180F wort. 45 minutes to an hour, with more like an hour being better. This is a similar time to what one does for a late hop stand after he boil.
Some think the hop oil compounds will react with the sugars, survive the boil, and then the yeast will consume the sugars. Don’t know if that is true, but I have read that a few places.
Been reading a lot about this lately, can anyone describe what the difference is in flavor/aroma for a noob who hasn’t tried this FWH method yet?