We learned in the last hop stand xBmt that tasters weren’t reliably able to tell apart a 20 minute hop stand performed immediately at flameout from one where the wort was chilled to 170˚F before the hops were added. Always pining for massive hop character, we compared this cool hop stand technique to the popular dry hop method. Results are in!
The Rock Bottom test from a while ago, I heard about it in 2009, said that whirlpooling enhanced flavor, and dry hopping aroma. The best results were from a long whirlpool and dry hopping.
Another informative exBEERiment. Looking forward to the discussion!
interesting. wonder if both beers received hop stand and then one received dry hop also if that changes anything in perceptions.
We have that one planned!
cool. Doing both is just my preferred method lately.
It’s what I do as well, though I’ll likely ditch pre-chilling and just let the hops steep at flameout temp.
I do both whirlpool and dry hopping. No one told me I couldn’t!
why wont you drop temps for stand…did you find/test something perceived or different?
+1. I agree with Jeff’s post on the best flavor coming from the stand and the best aroma from the dry addition. Two different pieces of the puzzle for me.
Besides personal experience, the latest hop stand xBmt was on temperature:
so the interesting thing on the hop stand might be whats your expectation. Regardless of temp [perhaps], my expectation is not as focused on aromoa as much as it is on flavor and the different bitterness vs boil additions.
For my dry hops, I’m expecting them to drive more of the aroma I’m looking for.
Put it all together and voila!..a great smelling and tasting IPA IMO.
Expectation might impact your perception when you know the variable, which is why we present our samples to blind tasters. Expectation doesn’t change reality, and if I can get away with getting great smelling and tasting IPA without the hassle of pre-chilling the wort, I’m game!
Marshall, do you have any issues with controlling your IBUs doing stands @ flameout? On IPAs I do one 60 min addition and add all of my late hop additions to the stand - for me that’s a pretty large addition. I tried it once and found I perceived the bitterness from that many hops in the flameout stand as higher than predicted by software. I switched to the cooler temp and feel I control bitterness better now. To each his own though.
I’m wondering if frequent stirring would close the delta a bit between the two methods. Maybe a hop stand vs. whirlpool xBmt in the future?
Also, I noticed that it was only a 20 minute hop stand. Again, I wonder if lengthening that would close the gap as well.
I get why people arrive at the 170* hop stand temperature. I recently tried it at 140* specifically because Myrcene boils at 145*. So instead of choosing the temperature based on SMM/DMS conversion and maintaining enough heat to kill stuff floating on dust, I chose the temperature based on flavor considerations.
I have not done a side by side comparison. That would be interesting.
Where are you getting the 145F reference for Myrcene’s boiling point? I’m seeing 331F-334F:
I don’t disagree with your testing methods as it relates to expectations and knowing the variable in advance. I was just referencing perhaps what someone may or may not expect from flavor additions as being variable person to person.
Which makes perfect sense.
I feel like an ass to keep saying it, but the results didn’t surprise me at all.