Question about first wort hopping.

[denny]

And I’ve tried FWH, 60, and a combination, and really can’t say there was a significant difference.  Real case of "YMMV " here.  I vote whatever’s easiest in any case.

I completely agree.  This is a hobby…whatever you like is the right way to do it.

[denny]

IMHO, based on many trials, first wort hopping is bunk. There’s no harm in it, nor is there any benefit. It’s simple chemistry. It takes energy (.e. heat) to isomerize alpha acids. When you FWH, you’re providing a slightly longer ramp-up to the heating (energy level) required for isomerization. This ramp-up might extract (again, IMHO), at most, ~5% more bitterness from the hops, but that’s all it is–MORE bitterness, not a “smoother, mellower” bitterness. Totally agree, though, that you should decide for yourself. But make it a blind decision.

Which I have done.

[JT]

FWSH
First Wort Sugar and Hops in today’s Trappist Single

I’ve used FWH exclusively for over a year, not because I’ve tested the bitterness level or done side by side sampling, but because it suppresses boil over, something I’m not too keen on.

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”