Late Hopping And No Chilling Guide

[argon]

Late Hopping and No Chilling Guide - everyone likes a guide with photos

Further to the thread Late Hopping And Nochilling… It Can Be Done! I’ve decided to document the process for an AIPA.

What I want to do is utilise the no chill method for packaging my wort on brewday. This allows me the flexibility to pitch the yeast whenever my brewhouse is ready… be it fermentor space, yeast preparation or just because I had some free time one day and decided to brew. However in my experience, I don’t get as much aroma as I would like from the late hop kettle additions, especially when I want very hoppy beers.

I’ve tried different methods in the past, hop teas, French press and just adding heaps of dry hops to accommodate for this lack of hoppiness in my no chilled beers. But I’ve never been able to achieve that true late kettle hop profile of big aroma and flavour. So what to do?… sure I could just rapidly chill my wort on brewday, then immediately pitch yeast… but this doesn’t afford me the flexibility that no chill gives.

So, why not add the late hopping kettle additions after no chilling and before pitching the yeast?

The following is an outline of what I do to try and replicate that big hoppy late kettle flavour and aroma.

First I no chill my wort into a sanitised cube… for reference of how this is done, read here

Now that I have successfully cubed my wort, I have 21L American IPA.


01 Photo – full cube of wort

I put the wort in the fridge to drop the temp down to 4C. Typically overnight in the fridge is enough to get it down from ambient temps. 4C being typical fridge temps that can be achieved easily enough, even without a separate temp controller.

I now have 21L of wort at 4C… but I want to pitch a WY1056 yeast starter I have at 18C in order to have a healthy ferment at appropriate temperatures for this yeast.


02 Photo – yeast starter

What I need to do now, in order to both add my late hops and add my yeast, is firstly make a couple of quick calculations. I’ve found a couple of water temp adjustment calculators online… here’s one

According to the calculator, I need to bring 3L of wort up to boiling then add it to 17L of 4C wort to achieve an approximate temperature of 18C. It's worth noting that i drop a few degrees off the hot portion when doing the calculations...as it loses heat very swiftly after flameout... 94C is about right for the purpose of the calculator.

Before starting I clean and sanitise a fermentor and lid as usual prior to pitching wort and yeast. I then keep this in the fermentation fridge with my temp controller set to my desired fermentation temperature. I typically use clingwrap to cover my fermentors, however I still have the lids they came with. These do not have a hole drilled in them. For what I am doing it’s important to have a solid sealed lid. I want it sealed and solid as I want to keep the fermentor sealed for a short period prior to pitching and the temp swings I’m dealing with may compromise the integrity of the clingwrap. After pitching I will discard the lid and use the clingwrap to seal the fermentor.


03 Photo – fermentor

For this recipe I need to add 20g of simcoe and 20g of Cascade as my flameout additions. I use a loose weave large bag in the boil to allow the hops to move around a little, but still allow me to remove them before adding the contents of the stockpot into the fermentor.


04 Photo - Weighing out hops

 

[argon]

Now I take my wort out of the fridge and pour the contents of the cube into the clean and sanitised fermentor, ensuring plenty of splashing for maximum aeration. I cube hopped this one too. As you can see there is quite a bit of break and hop material in the cube. I typically try and keep this out of the fermentor… but a little is no problem.


05 Photo – Pouring in wort

Once filled I draw off 3L of wort ready to be boiled.


06 Photo – Drawing off 3L... as Palmer said a little wort has to be spilled to be a good brew day!

Once I’ve drawn off the wort I put the fermenter back in the fridge. Keeping it sealed and at 4C in the fridge for the minimal time it takes prior to adding to the fermentor and pitching the yeast presents a very small risk. At 4C most contaminants are mostly dormant and have very little time to infect the wort. However be as vigilant as possible to minimise exposure to anything that may be lurking around.

Now pour the wort into the stockpot and bring the 3L of wort to the boil.


07 Photo – 3L boiling

Stockpot with 3L on the Rambo does not take long to boil. Less than 5mins. Of course this could be done on the stovetop, but I would imagine would take a touch longer to come to boil.

Now I add my late hop additions… which I leave for the appropriate time I need, before flameout. In this case, my recipe calls for a 0 min addition.


08 Photo – hops in bag going into boiling wort.

 

[argon]

I typically let the wort boil for around 5mins before flameout. This tends to be enough time for any volatile oils within the pellets to solubilise into the wort.


09 Photo – hops in bag being removed at flameout.

Immediately after flameout I open the fermentor and pour in the entire contents of the stockpot topping up to approx 20L after boil losses.

(As much as I’d love to add a photo of me pouring in the boiling hot wort into the fermentor… the logistics and safety factor preventing me from doing so… I’m sure we all know what it looks like)

Lid goes on fermentor and the fermentor given a quick swirl and shake to ensure proper mixing of the two worts at differing temperatures, avoiding stratification and with the added benefit of further aeration. I continue to do this and check the temperature until I’m satisfied that I’m at the targeted temperature range of 18C. As long as I’m in the appropriate range for pitching the yeast (i.e. + or – 1 or 2C) I go ahead and pitch my decanted starter slurry.


10 Photo – Adding decanted starter slurry

Now I add my clingwrap and return to fermentation fridge at my targeted temperature and await vigourous fermentation.


11 Photo – full fermentor in fermentation fridge at 18C

18.2C… not bad

Job complete… clean up and pour myself a beer.


12 Photo - fresh poured beer

I’ve done this a few times now… and while more effort than chilling on brew day, I maintain the flexibility that no chilling gives me, while giving me a hop profile that I enjoy. All in all process took me about 45mins from prep to cleaning. Worth the effort in my opinion.

Cheers :icon_cheers:

 

[.DJ.]

Do you adjust your IBU's on you original receipe for the 5 minutes the hops are exposed to near boiling wort? I assume this could be an issue if using high AA hops such as Simcoe/Galaxy/Citra...
Or do you find the increased IBU negligible?

 

[argon]

Do you adjust your IBU's on you original receipe for the 5 minutes the hops are exposed to near boiling wort? I assume this could be an issue if using high AA hops such as Simcoe/Galaxy/Citra...
Or do you find the increased IBU negligible?

No i don't adjust the IBUs... for a couple of reasons;

1. I'm only boiling 3L of the main wort, which equates to around 15% of the total volume of the batch. So this means i'm applying heat to 15% of the hops already in the wort. Boiling this small portion for a very short time and chilling super rapidly will add the tiniest amount of bitterness. I consider it so insignificant that it's not really worth noting.

2. Also, I consider the quick 5 min boil of the late hops a flameout addition. I reckon it's even faster than what would normally be considered a kettle flameout addition. More akin to a hopback. The hop oils are really only in a range of isomerisation for about 5mins. For example, in a regular batch, i wait longer than 10mins before i whirlpool. The amount of bitterness that this would add is probably very insignificant also... maybe with the Simcoe and Cascade addition it'd be worth about 1 or 2 IBU... hardly perceptible in an IPA already estimated at 75IBU.

 

[[email protected]]

No i don't adjust the IBUs... for a couple of reasons;

1. I'm only boiling 3L of the main wort, which equates to around 15% of the total volume of the batch. So this means i'm applying heat to 15% of the hops already in the wort. Boiling this small portion for a very short time and chilling super rapidly will add the tiniest amount of bitterness. I consider it so insignificant that it's not really worth noting.

This statement is not quite correct. You will extract the same IBUs for the final mix as if you are adding the hop addition to the total volume at flame out due to the higher g/L. for example if added 20 g to 20L = 1g/L as opposed to 20g to 3L = 6.7 g/L will give higher IBUs in the 3L by the same factor as the g/L. To calculate the IBU contribution treat it the same as if you calculate the addition normally.

As Argon says this amount of IBUs is not really a problem for AIPAs etc which already have a high hop load. However, you will need to allow for it if doing a high hop aroma/ low IBU beer with high AA acid hops. e.g. Stone and Wood Pacific Ale which is only 20IBUs total but big late hop additions of Galaxy.

 

[keifer33]

I'm fairly sure the question was based on the hops already in the wort ie cube hops/bittering hops adding a tiny bit more bitterness as its being reboiled.

 

[argon]

well you're right... just did a couple of quick crude calculations with a few assumptions.
Works out like this;

Wort 1 = 17L of 75IBU @1059OG
Wort 2 = 3L of 75IBU then boiled 5 mins then 40g of hops added.
Beersmith tells me that boiling 3L of 75IBU Wort 5mins longer gives me an extra 1.64IBU = 76.4IBU @1059OG

Now, when i add the 20g Cascade and 20g Simcoe for another 5 mins the wort becomes = 118.3 IBU (assumed 5 min addition... i actually think it's much less than this in reality, but for calculation sake i'll take 5 mins)

So now i have 2 worts;

Wort 1 = 17L of 75IBU = 85% of total volume
Wort 2 = 3L of 118.3IBU = 15% of total volume

When i add the two together using this formula;

[(x proportion of total blended volume) x (IBUs) for beer 1] + [(x proportion of total blended volume) x (IBUs) for beer 2]

[85% x 75] + [15% x 118.3] = 63.75 + 17.55 = 81.495IBU

So i've picked up an extra 6.5IBU... looks like it's much more significant than i first thought.

However, If i were to consider it similar to a 1 min addition per se, then the total final IBU would be 76.395 IBU... hardly worth mentioning.

 

[[email protected]]

Agree that the flameout adds minimal IBUs. Yes it doesn't make much of difference with an AIPA but 6 ibus or so but for a low IBU beer you will need to adjust a little.

For example I do a Stone and Wood clone using this technique and when doing 10 min and flameout I end up with half the IBUs coming from the late additions in the 3L boil.

 

[Bribie G]

The thing about the IBU's is that using the Argon Method for late hopping, you can actually completely omit the 10 minute addition from the original boil, as well as the flameout addition. Just do the 10 minute boil after the no-chill using some wort from the cube, and the flamout addition can be just that, stir the pellets into the boiling wort then pitch immediately into the cold wort in the fermenter. So the final IBUs should turn out the same as doing it all in the main boil then plate / coil chilling.

Now, not wanting to steal Argon's thunder, but another method this time of year when you can get the cube down to say 18 overnight with no problems plus a bit of a nudge in the fridge if necessary, is do the short boil in the stockpot and chill that in the laundry sink quickly to 18 as well then mix n pitch.

That way you aren't using kws of electricity to drag a whole cube down to 4 degrees. and the few L in the stockpot can be chilled quite quickly.

 

[itmechanic]

I typically let the wort boil for around 5mins before flameout. This tends to be enough time for any volatile oils within the pellets to solubilise into the wort.

View attachment 46542
09 Photo hops in bag being removed at flameout.

Immediately after flameout I open the fermentor and pour in the entire contents of the stockpot topping up to approx 20L after boil losses.

(As much as Id love to add a photo of me pouring in the boiling hot wort into the fermentor the logistics and safety factor preventing me from doing so Im sure we all know what it looks like)

Lid goes on fermentor and the fermentor given a quick swirl and shake to ensure proper mixing of the two worts at differing temperatures, avoiding stratification and with the added benefit of further aeration. I continue to do this and check the temperature until Im satisfied that Im at the targeted temperature range of 18C. As long as Im in the appropriate range for pitching the yeast (i.e. + or 1 or 2C) I go ahead and pitch my decanted starter slurry.

View attachment 46543
10 Photo Adding decanted starter slurry

Now I add my clingwrap and return to fermentation fridge at my targeted temperature and await vigourous fermentation.

View attachment 46544
11 Photo full fermentor in fermentation fridge at 18C

18.2C not bad

Job complete clean up and pour myself a beer.

View attachment 46545
12 Photo - fresh poured beer

Ive done this a few times now and while more effort than chilling on brew day, I maintain the flexibility that no chilling gives me, while giving me a hop profile that I enjoy. All in all process took me about 45mins from prep to cleaning. Worth the effort in my opinion.

Cheers :icon_cheers:

Great article mate, but where did you get your tap badge holders from?
Cheers,
Paul

 

[argon]

Great article mate, but where did you get your tap badge holders from?
Cheers,
Paul

Craftbrewers Decal Tap/Font

 

[itmechanic]

Nice one, thanks mate.

 

[[email protected]]

The thing about the IBU's is that using the Argon Method for late hopping, you can actually completely omit the 10 minute addition from the original boil, as well as the flameout addition. Just do the 10 minute boil after the no-chill using some wort from the cube, and the flamout addition can be just that, stir the pellets into the boiling wort then pitch immediately into the cold wort in the fermenter. So the final IBUs should turn out the same as doing it all in the main boil then plate / coil chilling.

Thanks Bribie as that was what I was getting at. There will be IBU contributions that need to be considered if doing anything more than a flame out addition.

 

[felten]

Cheers Argon for the great idea, I've started to use this method for my late hop additions. I haven't quite nailed reaching the proper temperature after mixing, but I try to aim for the low side of my pitching temp and just let it warm up from there.

It feels a little wasteful only having the hops boiling for a few minutes and then dumping them though, I'm thinking about leaving the hops to steep for a while after flameout, maybe it would better mimic a flameout addition, what do you reckon?
Commercial breweries can take a few hours to whirlpool and chill their beers after FO, so it shouldn't do any harm right? :blink:

 

[Wolfy]

Commercial breweries can take a few hours to whirlpool and chill their beers after FO, so it shouldn't do any harm right? :blink:

But don't many also use a hop-back and then immediate-inline-chilling?

 

[felten]

IIRC on the interviews I've listened to I would say the use of a hopback is in the minority, but I know a lot do make use of whirlpool additions which would sit in the WP vessel for quite a while before going through the chiller.

I get what you're saying though, immediate chilling is supposed to lock in the fresh hop aroma. Maybe there is merit in trying both methods.

 

[argon]

I get what you're saying though, immediate chilling is supposed to lock in the fresh hop aroma. Maybe there is merit in trying both methods.

Certainly give it a go with extended or differing times. It'd be interesting to document the difference it makes with varying boiling/steeping times before chilling. In this example I only let the boil go for 5 mins and then chilled, as i was primarily after aroma with a little flavour in an effort to compensate for no chill. (which I will be following with a heap of dryhops) I would guess that more flavor and bitterness would be extracted the longer I let it boil. It'd be nice to find a good balance in there. All depends on what you want really.

 

[ekul]

I wonder if you could do all the hop additions later? (although apparently the hopped wort in the cube prevents botu... nevermind ).
If you had the equipment to large batches you could just do a light bittering addition, boil for an hour and then cube.

Then you could have the convenience of extract with the tastiness and price of all grain. Just open up you stock standard cube, steep a little crystal, add some hops. If you had a large pot (140L+) you could essentially have 4 completely different brews. I don't think i would ever go to this much effort, but its an interesting idea.

 

[jacknohe]

Thanks Argon. I've been following (lurking) your "No Chill" posts and findings for some time. I've experienced the same issue of no or very little aroma with the no chill approach. I've usually just steered away from particular styles that had Flameout additions. A good dry hopping usually provided some decent aromas.

Now, not wanting to steal Argon's thunder, but another method this time of year when you can get the cube down to say 18 overnight with no problems plus a bit of a nudge in the fridge if necessary, is do the short boil in the stockpot and chill that in the laundry sink quickly to 18 as well then mix n pitch.

I've been thinking of doing something similar to this for awhile. I'm thinking of using a "Mini-Cube" of 2-3L in size. Drawing off hot wort at flameout into the mini-cube, adding my flameout hops and put the cap on, and crash chilling it in an ice bath. I'm not sure how long it will take to cool down. However, I wouldn't add the wort in the mini-cube to the fermenter with the remainder of the wort until the next day. Can anyone see any issues with this? Anyone tried it?