flavouring hops

[Monkeyguts]

G'day,
I put my wort into cubes to allow it to cool before fermenting it. I just can't get that floral flavour from my last addition hops. The beer just comes out too bitter. I was wondering if I didn't put the last addition hops in the boil, but put them in the fermenter instead. Would anyone be able to comment on the effect this may have? Cheers in advance for any help.
Monkeyguts

 

[Schikitar]

The beer just comes out too bitter.

Probably need to know a little more about your process but if you are cubing then you need to move all your additions 20 minutes in the other direction, otherwsie you'll be extracting a lot more bitterness than your recipe intends.

Have you tried cube hopping? When I cubed I'd add all my late additions to the cube and transfer the wort at around 85-90 degrees, works a treat!

if I didn't put the last addition hops in the boil, but put them in the fermenter instead.

What you are describing is dry hopping, do you not dry hop already!?? If making ales, particularly IPAs I would hope you are dry hopping.. perhaps post a recipe so we can see what's going on..

 

[sponge]

As a fellow 'cuber', if I'm looking at late hop flavour and aroma, I'll throw them all in the cube and treat them as a 20min additional. There's a bit of a discussion around the bitterness they add, but I find a 20min addition is good to use for IBUs.

Others use 10-15min. Works a treat!

 

[Danscraftbeer]

On the note of hops into the fermenter as well. Actually, the debate. I prefer not to cube hop because of the vegetable matter of the hops can give a kind of bitter flavor when left in solution for too long. If your fermenting soon then its ok but I would go to the effort of straining the wort into fermenter so the hop matter doesnt go in.
Dry hopping in the fermenter for the last 3-5 days of the ferment. Then transfer off.

 

[fdsaasdf]

As a fellow 'cuber', if I'm looking at late hop flavour and aroma, I'll throw them all in the cube and treat them as a 20min additional. There's a bit of a discussion around the bitterness they add, but I find a 20min addition is good to use for IBUs.

Others use 10-15min. Works a treat!

This can work well, but be careful using hops with high AA & cohumulone content straight into the cube as I've seen this lead to unexpectedly high bitterness.

 

[sponge]

Not a problem using high AA% hops in cubes, you just need to calculate the minutes accordingly for IBU calculations.

Cubing at different heats will contribute different bitterness profiles and will vary between brewers and processes.

I use 20min calculations, but know others use 10min with their cubing process, as I can get pretty lazy with a short, high burst whirlpool so may be cubing at higher temperatures to others.

 

[Schikitar]

be careful using hops with high AA & cohumulone content straight into the cube as I've seen this lead to unexpectedly high bitterness.

Sensible advice but if you transfer at around 80 degrees you should be fine, I also try and make sure I pitch the next day as you shouldn't leave that hop matter in there for days/weeks if you can avoid it.

 

[sponge]

Days/weeks? Cubes will easily last in to the months without any (noticable) degradation in quality.

Edit: Inclusive of cubes with hops.