Post Boil Hops - All the hops!

[SergeMarx]

So, here's my query. Could you create, boil and no chill your wort without adding any hop additions. Let's say the wort is a high grav than you need. Then, could you boil your hops in plain water for the correct time, bottle that and sterilize the bottle, then add it when you need it (ie at the fermentation start)? Could you in theory stockpile no chilled wort (with no over isomerization issues) and various strengths of hop liquid - some boiled to bitter, some to flavour and some to aroma - and bang them all together with the yeast.

I have a feeling that the pH of wort contributes to efficient hop utilization but I'm not sure. Any ideas?

 

[Yob]

Why not just cube hop?

 

[verysupple]

Interesting idea. Yes, the sugar content, pH etc. change the hop character and bitterness. Maybe you could use a really pale, lightly flavoured wort for the hop boils instead of water. The hard bit I think would be keeping everything sanitary during storage because we never eliminate all the bacteria and nasties, we only out number them with yeast.

The other challenge would be getting enough bittering into a small volume of wort. You wouldn't want to dilute the main batch too much, so you'd need to add small amounts of intensly bitter solution. The problem is that you can only get so much isomerised alpha acid into solution, that's why utilisatiion diminishes with very large amounts of hops.

 

[SergeMarx]

Thinking of splitting the wort and trying different hops for each component mainly.

 

[SergeMarx]

The problem is that you can only get so much isomerised alpha acid into solution, that's why utilisatiion diminishes with very large amounts of hops.

Yes I was wondering about this too - will have to do some reading to find the limits I guess. If utilization is unknown due to liquid volume it would be too much like working in the dark in term of calculating final IBUs I guess.

 

[manticle]

Boiling hops in water rather than wort can lead to harsh bitterness/flavours as far as I understand.

If you're wanting to do this, you might be better off with iso extract for bittering and hop extracts for flavouring which you can purchase.

 

[stakka82]

^^^^
Hop utilization will also be significantly reduced

 

[manticle]

Actually increased.

 

[Florian]

I have done something similar all the time.

Brew up a heap of unhopped* wort and cube it.

Then when I'm ready to ferment I take 3-5 Litres off that cube and bring it to boil in a stock pot, add hop additions as usual.
I usually chill the cube in a fridge before I do this, then when I finished the boil just add the hot wort back into the cube or better all of it together into a fermenter.

Advantages:
- you can brew without having a specific recipe ready, as long as you roughly know what style you're brewing.
- you preserve most of your hop aroma as your wort is chilled straight away after boiling.
- you can brew a large batch of wort and can get plenty of different beers out of it, or fine tune that dream IPA to perfection with every new cube.

This is adapted from Argon's methode de l'argonoise which you can find somewhere here ('hop flavour and no chill - it can be done' or similar)

*important is that you hop your base wort to at least 10IBU. According to Thirsty Boy this will avoid the risk of the dreaded and feared by every brewer on the planet - wait for it - botulism!

 

[lukiferj]

I no chill but kept 2 litres of wort in a coke bottle last time which I boiled with all my 0 minute additions. Result was the best IPA I have made so far. Heaps more aroma and flavour than just straight no chilling. Will definitely be doing this for all my IPAs from now on.