Miltons Hop Varieties In Bags

[keef12345]

Hi forum.
I have a question relating to the hop bag varities in the miltons range of hops.
I have downloaded a fact sheet from www.countrybrewer.com.au concerning different hop varieties and what they bring to the beer (Taste, aroma and bittering)

Is there any hard an fast rules with the hop bags. My questions guys include:

1. should you heat the bag in boiling water or warm water or not at all?
2.Does leaving the hop bag in the beer batch contribute to a more bitter taste if the hop is prone to bittering
3.Should the bag be placed in the batch for a set number of days?
4. I know Hopping is a personal choice Im not sure what to use, Im not a fan of bitter beer but aroma is a big liking for me, what would be a good all round aroma hop to use in an ale and a lager....

Best wishes guys thanks so much for the help I have found on this forum.
:chug:

 

[Tyred]

From memory, with hops
40 minutes + = bittering
30 minutes - 10 minutes = flavour
10 -0 = aroma

So
1. should you heat the bag in boiling water or warm water or not at all?
Boiling water preferable should give aroma to brew

2.Does leaving the hop bag in the beer batch contribute to a more bitter taste if the hop is prone to bittering
I don't really know. I would assume no extra bittering as no boiling takes place to release bittering compounds.

3.Should the bag be placed in the batch for a set number of days?
This is probably akin to dry hopping (then again maybe not). I've stepped hops for 10 minutes and left in the fermenter while is fermented. I couldn't tell any difference, but then that was my second brew. I haven't done it since.

4. I know Hopping is a personal choice Im not sure what to use, Im not a fan of bitter beer but aroma is a big liking for me, what would be a good all round aroma hop to use in an ale and a lager....
You've opened a can worms here. I'm not going to answer as there are a large number of hops that I still haven't tried. Different styles of beers have different hops that are recommended for them that work with the yeast and malts that are used.

 

[Wasabi]

2.Does leaving the hop bag in the beer batch contribute to a more bitter taste if the hop is prone to bittering

Alpha acids (the bittering compound in hops) are not very soluble in water. When you add them to hot water they rearrange their chemical structure which makes them soluble in water. For that rearrangement to take place heat + time are required.

Fortunately there are lots of other compounds in hops that add aroma and flavour. So while leaving the bag in the wort won't contribute significantly to bittering, it can add aroma and some flavour.

Even with a bittering hops in hot water you're unlikely to get more than 30% of the alpha acids to contribute to your beer, in cooled wort...it's negligible.