Hopstand vs Whirlpool

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by HelloMyNameIsHuman, Sep 4, 2020.

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  1. HelloMyNameIsHuman

    HelloMyNameIsHuman Aspirant (257) Mar 6, 2017 New Hampshire

    Mostly all of my hop additions are post boil. I want to add a whirlpool set up to my brew kettle and my question is .... is there any added aroma or flavor Benefits with Whirlpooling or is it basically a way to get all the trub in one spot at the bottom of the kettle. My last brew was overall very good but lacked in some flavor/aroma. If I’m going to get the same results as just doing a Hopstand and letting them steep I dont know if a whirlpool setup would be worth it ... thanks.
     
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Moving the hops through the wort (or vice versa) expedites extraction of hop flavor/aroma compounds. If you found your hopstand results were disappointing, maybe try increasing the length of the hopstand or the amount of hops, or both. I would probably do that before investing in whirlpool equipment. Note that you can also whirlpool (stir) manually.
     
    MrOH likes this.
  3. HelloMyNameIsHuman

    HelloMyNameIsHuman Aspirant (257) Mar 6, 2017 New Hampshire

    My latest brew I did 3 Hopstands at 3 different temperatures, but I’m definitely going to add more hops on my next brew . I did a total time of 40 mins
     
  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Do you also dry hop as well? If so, what is your procedure as regards dry hopping?

    Cheers!
     
  5. HelloMyNameIsHuman

    HelloMyNameIsHuman Aspirant (257) Mar 6, 2017 New Hampshire

    Yes I do 2 dry hops , first one 3 days into fermentation, and the next one at day 7. I dry hop in hop bags and the second bad stays in until I bottle the beer
     
  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    And yet you still report: "lacked in some flavor/aroma."?

    The optimum process to increase the hop aroma in beer is via dry hopping. Assuming that your first addition at 3 days the fermentation is still ongoing some of the aromatics of the dry hop addition will be 'scubbed out' via CO2 outgassing. I am assuming that outgassing has stopped by day 7 for your second addition. How long are you letting these hops 'sit' in your primary (i.e., how long is your contact time)? Are you taking steps to ensure that the hops within the bag are not tightly contained (e.g., using a good sized hop bag to ensure a lot of 'expansion room')?

    Cheers!
     
  7. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    I would put considerable effort in making sure the hops are fresh. And by fresh I don't mean when you bought them but how/where they have been stored since packaged.

    FWIW, I'm a whirlpool'er, do it conventionally. Overall satisfied with flavor and simple DH'ing gives me just about all the aroma expected. Oh yeah, I rarely see all the trub settled in a nice cone after the WP...let's throw some cold water on that myth.
     
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  8. HelloMyNameIsHuman

    HelloMyNameIsHuman Aspirant (257) Mar 6, 2017 New Hampshire

    Yea I’ve bought bags specifically for dry hopping , they are a good size for the amount of pellets , I weigh them down with some glass marbles so the bag sits in about the middle of the fermenter, my first dry hop at day 3 sits there for 4 days , my second addition sits around 5-7 days all depending when I get around to bottle. As far as how the hops are kept this is the first time I got them from a local supply store and they sat in my freezer for a couple days until I got around to brewing. I’m not sure how the my were stored before I bought them
     
  9. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Well, were they at least in the freezer at your "local supply store".?

    Hopefully they were stored in a freezer at the vendor that sold the hops to your store but yeah, no way of knowing for sure.

    Cheers!
     
    HelloMyNameIsHuman likes this.
  10. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    I never really saw that either, until a few months ago, when I brewed a batch at a local nano. The pro, who knows his stuff, told me that whirlpooling would indeed collect the trub in the center. I only about half believed him, but I've known him for a few years and he's not prone to BS. Anyway, it acted just like he said it would. OTOH, I've seen a few other breweries where this didn't happen. My take is that everything probably has to be tuned/balanced just right for it to be effective.
     
  11. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    Absolutely. If you stir a cup of tea the leaves will settle in the middle. But my Señor Brewkettle has a pick-up elbow, bazooka screen, adjustable whirlpool/racking port...and I even WP counter-clockwise . . .

    https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/buying-2018-hops.631562/#post-6765865
     
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  12. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Did you move to Australia?
     
  13. wasatchback

    wasatchback Pooh-Bah (1,574) Jan 12, 2014 Tajikistan
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Don’t bother with the different WP temps, waste of time. Get it under 200, give them a good stir and let it spin and then settle and you’re good to go. Long WP times are not necessary at all.

    Dry hopping during very active fermentation is (in my mind) also a waste of hops.

    Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it’s very very hard to make really explosive aromatic/flavorful hoppy beer if you’re bottling. Even the most minute amount of O2 pickup will have a negative effect on hop aroma and flavor.

    200+ hoppy brews under my belt... and counting
     
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  14. Supergenious

    Supergenious Maven (1,273) May 9, 2011 Michigan

    I agree with @wasatchback . A long whirlpool/ hop stand is not necessary. 15-20 minutes is more than enough. The most important thing for hop aroma/ flavor is keeping oxygen exposure to a minimum. Also, fresh hops.
     
  15. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,635) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    Think about which way hurricanes rotate in the Northern Hemisphere.
     
    riptorn likes this.
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