Ok, so given the statements that have been made so far (her and other posts around), I have a question for the group.
Why would it be that whirlpool/hop stand hops will add big aroma and flavor but adding hops to the ferment all get blown off and are a waste of hops? Both are going through the fermentation CO2 and yeast scrubbing process , so why wouldn’t the results be similar? I guess the late hops have the most volatile elements blown off in the kettle, so the yeast don’t see those but the rest of it should still be there (assuming there isn’t some chemical transformation of the hop oils due to the heat of the stand, is there?).
No doubt, there is a lot of hop aroma that is being blown off (my basement smells like cascade hops now).
Just trying to explore the subject, not be confrontational.
Some of that whirlpool character does get absorbed by yeast. But truthfully, using more hops is easy enough to get the amount of flavor/aroma you want into the final product. As for dry hopping, I just prefer the flavor better and feel that the aroma lasts longer by dry hopping clear beer in keg. Lots of ways to do it, no wrong answers.
I would think it still goes back to temperatures. Even at 170F there has got to be more dissolving of the hop oils and compounds than at fermentation temperatures allowing them to become more a part of the “long-term” profile of the beer. At fermentation temps (60-70F) different oils must be getting dissolved (perhaps more volatile) and if added during active fermentation could more easily be pushed out by nucleation sites from the produced carbon dioxide.
I added the dry hops last night. There was still a thick krausen on top, so I think I’m definitely going to find out if active fermentation affects dry hopping. I can’t see that there is going to be too much more activity though. The gravity was 1.014 the other day, which was about midway in the quoted average attenuation for the yeast (73% 71-75%), and even it goes to 80%, it’s only going down to 1.010.
Can’t wait to hear how it comes out. I recently tried an NEIPA style beer from Fieldwork that I thought was amazing. So I decided I’m going to try my hand at brewing something similar this weekend.
Columbus FWH ~45 IBUs
Galaxy 2oz Hop Stand @170F for 30 min
Simcoe 2oz Hop Stand @170F for 30 min
Galaxy 1.5oz Dry Hop @ 3 days after start of fermentation
Simcoe 1.5oz Dry Hop @ 3 days after start of fermentation
Galaxy 1.5oz Dry Hop in Keg
Simcoe 1.5oz Dry Hop in Keg
Mash@152 with ph @5.3-5.4
Conan Yeast - 67 for 3 days ramp up to 72 over next 36 hours, then 72 until keg
Water Profile - Chloride ~150ppm, Sulfate ~75ppm, Calcium ~120ppm
I’ve heard a lot about these NEIPA’s and seen enough hullaballoo about them, that I decided it’s time to try making one myself so I can make up my mind. I can say the only commercial version I had was amazing, but nearly everything that brewery puts out fits into that category IMHO.
I cracked open a bottle of this earlier, with it having been bottled last weekend. Carbonation is a little lacking, no doubt as it’s only been in the bottle less than a week. Taste and aroma wise, I really like it, it’s a bit more bitter than I was aiming for, so I’d probably reduce the whirlpool time down to 20mins, but it’s still a nice refreshing pint. Looks wise, it’s hazy, not exceptionally so, and less than it was when I took gravity samples. Overall, I’m pleased with this beer, though I might split the dry hop addition into 2 additions next time, one towards the end of fermentation, and one a week later. Will try and remember to take a pic to post next time I try one.
A couple of weeks in, and having drunk a few more, I’m reassessing this. The bitterness, whilst higher than I’d planned for, balances the beer really well. The carbonation is now excellent, creating a rock solid marshmallowy head that stays in place to the bottom of the glass. I might still mess about with the dry hop schedule, but I’m coming to the conclusion that this is the tastiest beer I’ve made (perhaps says something about my previous efforts), and I’ll definitely be making this one regularly.