I’ve never employed mash hopping. I’ve been told by some that the overall effect is minimal. However, I see it used by some reputable homebrewers. Is it comparable to a flavor addition…10-15 minute? How many IBUs does it contribute? What can I expect from it? Thanks.
You might get some flavor, some say you can get a little more IBUs. But at mash temp the isomorization reaction will be slow, and you might get 1 IBU? It might help with the run off. I have done it as in the old Pliny the Elder recipe that had mash hops, and I did it without the mash hops. With all of the other hops in there, no difference was noticed in the beers.
I think it is a way to use more hops, so one can say my beer was even mashed hopped to get all that hoppy goodness in to the beer. Makes one feel superior. Until you hear about adding hops to the sparge water. Then you feel inadequate.
I hop my Star San. Top that! 
I think it’s a big waste of hops for what you get out of it.
You’re better of with a first-wort hop than a mash-hop. I don’t bother with these techniques anymore as their effect is minimal at best. Straight into the boil they go in my brewery- save those other hops for dry hopping.
[quote]I hop my Star San. Top that!
[/quote]
The best I can do is sparge water hop and mash hop :-\ Unless, I put hops in the water filter and use it like a Randal when I filter my water for brewing. ???
I’ve never tried mash hopping, and probably won’t, but I do FWH quite a bit. I think that has more than a minimal impact to the flavor.
I recently heard John Palmer and Gordon Strong speak on this topic. Both of them said it was basically a waste of hops. You get almost zero isomerization. The only benefit was filtration and “rice hulls are cheaper.” They then went on to say that First Wort Hopping was the better option. Hope this helps. Cheers!
Well, it’s unanimous then. Just don’t tell Tasty McDole or Nathan Smith! ;D
Can I assume you’ve all seen Randall Jr? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhP7NVrVEfA&list=UU5vJOJIr5FJHR491mLKRFoQ&index=1&feature=plcp
I agree. Maybe back when hops were cheap as dirt it was worth it on some level but not now.
Hey, I’d be happy to tell them! Despite what they say, I have my own experience and that wins every single time.
I was watching a recent Brewing TV episode with Nathan Smith and his comment on the hops in the sparge water was something like 'Hey it’s not a double IPA if you don’t waste hops right?"
I’d say it’s a West coast mindset on hops, but he (Smith) is from Minnesota, so I guess it is just a hophead’s mindset…
Waste not, want not. I am just remembering back to the hop shortage year…
There’s been a hop shortage ever since that year. Not as bad, but still a shortage.
There’s been a hop shortage ever since that year. Not as bad, but still a shortage.
Worth saying twice. 
I tried mashing with some Northern Brewer on a Janet’s Brown clone and scored a 41 at a recent competition. The only thing is that I really wouldn’t know the effect of the mash hops without a control batch. Sure did produce a damn fine beer though. 
When I started back up in 2007 hops were $0.75 per oz. Then 6 months later they were $4 per oz of pellets! :-[
I once brewed a pils where the only hop addition was FWH, 4 oz. of Saaz for a 5 gallon batch of 1.048 beer. It came out pretty darn good. Low bitterness and lots of hop flavor.
Its even better, though, when you do that plus use an ounce of Clusters at the 60 minute boil mark…