Frontal Hopotomy

[BlackDuck]

A few weeks ago there was a really good conversation here about hopstands/steeping hops. I read and re-read all the great info on that thread and did some additional research on the technique also. I've decided to give it a try on my next IPA recipe. I'll do a one ounce bittering addition at 60 minutes, then a big hopstand for 30 minutes and a big dry hop for 3 days. I'm curious to see how this technique works. All of the flavor and aroma characteristics will come form the hopstand and dry hops. I just ordered the hops from MoreBeer today (my local place doesn't carry Ahtanum hops), so I won't be able to brew it this weekend, but next weekend it's on.

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Frontal Hopotomy
Brewer: Antler Brewing
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.84 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.29 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.072 SG
Estimated Color: 6.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 107.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 70.9 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 66.7 %
4 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 2 24.2 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.1 %
1.00 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 51.1 IBUs
2.50 oz Ahtanum [6.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 30.0 min Hop 5 17.3 IBUs
2.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 30.0 min Hop 6 28.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 30.0 min Hop 7 9.8 IBUs
2.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [ Yeast 8 -
2.50 oz Ahtanum [6.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
2.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days Hop 11 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 16 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 20.63 qt of water at 166.4 F 152.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.66 gal water at 170.0 F

[Inkleg]

Sounds good Chris. Ahtanum and Centennial should play well together.

[BlackDuck]

Sounds good Chris. Ahtanum and Centennial should play well together.

I read that Stone uses both of these hops

[Rebel_B]

Looks like a good one; let us know how first pour on this one goes!

[mashani]

Looks good. EDIT: even though my experience with Ahtanum was "boring" I did them as a single hop. Mixed with Centennial I bet they are tasty.

FWIW, I've done many beers now with the hopstand being the only flavor addition, with or without a dry hop afterwords.

I've gotten really good flavor and some decent aroma out of even just the hopstands with no dry hop. Of course the dry hopped versions had more aroma. Flavor so good I have been skipping a traditional flavor boil for some beers where I intend to hopstand a larger amount of hops.

I do find that putting a lid on during the hopstand keeps more aroma intact. Whether this is an option for you depends on how you cool your wort and/or if you are actively cooling during the whirlpool if your doing it as a true whirlpool addition. It makes sense because the flashpoint of the oils doesn't destroy them, it just vaporizes them. They then recondense on the lid and as it cools fall back into the wort.

[BlackDuck]

Thanks for the tip on keeping the lid on Mashani. I can do that, almost. I use an immersion chiller that I put in during the last 15 minutes of the boil to sanitize it. I'll still do that, so that means the lid will be on but will need to be slightlhy ajar to allow for the high ends of the chiller to stick out.

I won't be chilling during the hopstand. I'll let it go for 30 minutes and allow the temp to naturally come down during the 30 minute stand. I'll check the temp at the end just to note how far the temp dropped. After the 30 minutes, I'll turn on the cold water and bring the temp down.

Also...I love that you noted that the flavor was so good that you skipped the traditional flavor addition for some beers.

[Kealia]

I'll chime in too, Chris. Both the Hop Miser (ale) and Lager Miser (um, lager) were hop-stand beers and the aroma and flavor was great. I'd have to look at the recipes later to confirm details but I recall only doing a 60-minute addition + the hop-stand for both of these. And, as noted in my Recipe thread a few days ago - 3 months later the aroma a flavor on the hop-stand lager was still very prominent. In fact, I don't think it diminished at all. I don't know the exact chemistry behind it but I would venture to guess that the hop-stand process stabilizes those compounds more than either boiling or just dry hopping.

I think I've read that same thing a number of times, but I could be talking out of my ass, too.

In any case, I've become a big fan of the hop-stand process (and with a FWH I've found the hops really shine in terms of flavor without being in-yo-face-bitter).

[mashani]

@Kealia, Flavor and aroma have been pretty stable in my hop stand beers too. I think it *is* more intense when I crack the trub bottle at 2-3 weeks then at say week 5, but what I have at week 5 I still have at week 16-20 in the beers I've got here, and I find it pleasing.

@BlackDuck,

> Also...I love that you noted that the flavor was so good that you skipped the traditional flavor addition for some beers.

I figured I'd give it a shot because I commando those hops, and I know folks who do "NoChill" in HDPE, where they throw hops into the HDPE container and then rack the hot wort onto them and seal it up and let it chill, and that is their flavor addition. As in they basically follow an @60-@30, @0 in HDPE, and dry hop in fermenter process. So basically a long hop stand while the wort chills overnight. I knew it worked for them since I've had their beer. And I'm glad I did try it as it's been working quite nicely for me too using my hop stand process.

[Beer-lord]

Love the name! Mine should be carbed when I get back but I'm not expecting much.

[BlackDuck]

Mash on!!!!

[Beer-lord]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts. For now, I'm going to stay with a 60 minute and lots of late additions with dry hop. My mini tests make me feel that while I gets lots of good aroma with hopstanding, I'm not getting much flavor from the hops. Maybe it's because I"m doing heavy IPA's and I'd notice hopstanding more in pale ales but I'm not sure the extra time is worth it in my beers.
Still, I admit I've not done much testing so your info will be helpful.
Happy brewing!

[BlackDuck]

I'm not sure how this will come out either, we'll see. No matter what happens though....it will be better than a sharp stick in the eye .

[Inkleg]

I'm not sure how this will come out either, we'll see. No matter what happens though....it will be better than a sharp stick in the eye .

Or at least the alcohol will help ease the pain.

[BlackDuck]

I just can't get One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest out of my mind!!!

I came up with the name at my wife's cousins wedding. They got married on the lawn of the old Athens Lunatic Asylum in Athens, Ohio. You should google that place. It'll make you cringe!!!!

[BlackDuck]

Just started running cold water through the chiller. The temp of the wort at the end of the steep was 186F.