I want to nail down my hop steeping process. I use this primarily for AIPA’s and APA’s.
What I currently do is this: At flameout, dump the hops in the wort and immediately begin cooling the wort to ~170* (in my case using a plate chiller which gets it there in very little time). Then let it sit for 10 minutes and run the batch through the chiller to the fermentation vessel.
I am uncertain if this is normative or in the category of ‘best practices.’ What do you do/recommend?
I cool to 170-175F first, then add the hops and steep. 20 -30 minutes for AIPA, 45-60 mins for AIPA. I do it this way because I want very little to no additional noticeable bitterness. But also, more of the volatile aroma compounds get driven off adding them at true flameout and I prefer to keep most of that stuff intact.
Thanks for the input. Yeah I just read yesterday that myrcene boils at 147*! makes me wonder if 170* is too hot.
Yeah, I’m working my way slowly down the temp scale. Haven’t got that far yet ! I’m sure there’s a point where you get less hop character, just don’t know where it is (yet).
I have gotten a lot of flavor by waiting until 170-180F. The aroma isn’t quite as strong as dry hopping, but still plenty for less-hoppy styles. For my last brew, I killed the heat and immediately started chilling. Once the beer hit 175F I added the hops and left them in for 30 minutes with the chiller running the whole time. The wort was ~120F when I pulled the hops out.
Very similar. I add the hops at flameout and try to get it down to 160-170 as quick as possible. Then I typically let the beer cool down to 130-140 on its own and then chill down to pitching temperatures. I dump the hops when I pour the wort into the fermentor by passing it through a strainer.
I add the aroma steep hops at flameout and chill to 140-160 which takes about 5 minutes. Stir a whirlpool for maybe a minute or not at all. Put the lid on and let it steep for 45-60 minutes.
Sometimes I remove the boil hops before the steep is complete. Most of the time all the boil hops are there for the entire steep. The steep hops are usually in a hop bag. I give the bag a few pokes midway through the steep which releases a nice puff of green.
Judging by the replies, best practice is whatever works for you. Yay, nobody is doing it wrong.
Yep, applies to a lot of aspects of brewing.
For my IPA’s with no boil additions, I kill the heat, then add the hops as soon as all boiling activity stops. I put the lid on and give it a good stir every 5-10 minutes. I’ve steeped as long as 90 minutes, but I usually do 45 minutes to an hour.
For APA’s and other hoppy brews where I want a controlled IBU level, I kill the heat and wait until my wort gets down to 185ish before adding my steep hops. I only brew 3 gallons, so I don’t really have to use a chiller. 5 minutes of stirring with the lid off usually gets the temp down in the range I want.