Anyone have any experience doing a mash hop addition. I read that you get more soluble oils in the wort which is what I am looking for. Anyone have any recommendations on quantities. I was thinking of doing 1 oz each of Citra and Chinook. More for the flavor component than bittering. I will still do a 60 min bittering or FWH.
I had a friends ipa that I believe used an oz or so of Columbus in the mash. The beer was a hop bomb so I'm not really sure that it added anything that the multiple late additions and dry hop didn't cover. I also don't think that fw hopping adds much in terms of flavor carry over as the science says it will, but I do fwh just cuz I'm lazy and forgetful. I suggest you do two beers. One with mash hops and Fwh, the other with neither. Then let us know. I think mash hopping and sparge water hopping are great ways to clean out your freezer tho.
From the BS site..... Mash Hopping Mash hopping is simply the addition of hops directly to the mash tun itself. The hops is often placed on top of the grain bed and left to sit as the mash is sparged. Mash hopping is reported to provide a better overall balance and character to the beer, though it adds almost no bitterness. Mash hopping is seldom used today because it requires a fairly large amount of hops and adds very little in direct flavor. Since the hops are never boiled, no bitterness is released and most of the flavorful oils from the hop flower are lost in the boil that follows. Brewers today theorize that most of the reported benefits from mash hopping are a byproduct of lower pH from mash hopping and not the hops itself. Given the high cost of hops, as well as many cheaper methods exist for controlling the pH of your wort, I’m not sure why a homebrewer would choose to mash hop. I would use your hops in the whirlpool starting at around 180 degrees, I've pretty good results doing this for around 20 min just before chilling the wort.
It's worth a shot, but a hopstand after flameout will achieve some of what you're looking for more reliably I think. Never thought of trying a mash hopping myself, though.
I agree with you, very little flavor contributed by FWH. The science doesn't say it adds flavor, its actually homebrewers that seem to perpetuate this myth.
I've done several mash hopped beers (4-8 oz in mash/5 gallons), and one thing I've noticed right off the bat is the big increase in bitterness. If using whole hops, you won't pick up much bitterness, as they primarily work as an aid in lautering (no shearing/bursting of sacks of lupulin). On the other hand, if you use pellets you might pick up a good deal of bitterness, as the pellets disintegrate and can be carried through lautering and into the kettle, where during the boil they will contribute bitterness. OP the best IPAs I've ever made used 8 oz of warrior in the mash, and had this great resiny citrus flavor that I've never been able to replicate. Whether this is a direct result of Mash hopping or just the hops I used in the kettle, I haven't been able to tell. However, all other batches I've mash hopped, even with 8 oz of warrior, haven't really had any extra oomph compared to their non-mash hopped versions. Save your hops for later in the boil, whirlpooling or dry hopping.
barfdiggs, I wonder if your original success with mash hopping was do to your mash ph at the time? Since this is at a point when the ph is prob at it's highest, I wonder if that maybe played a role in it in your later batches that weren't as hoppy.
I love it! Y'know, I have several pounds of belma hops (pellet) that I got for 5 bucks a pound, and a pound of magnum (leaf) that were also quite cheep... I could afford to blow half a pound in the mash and try to replicate this near mythical status IPA. Perhaps with a similar hops schedule as the one you suggested for my PtE-ish clone, only with even MOAR hops... *** I haven't personally noticed any detectable additions of flavor verses decreased bitterness from FWH or mash hopping (I've mash hopped before, an ounce or so, just not half a pound at a time). However, I haven't done any controlled experiments, particularly not ones that were designed well and would have a good chance of saying that X is better than Y. Still, I generally just FWH everything these days anyway, mainly because it's easier. ***I'm a glutton for experimentation, even crazy experiments that have a lower than average probability of producing the next beer sensation. Besides, I haven't made anything with near death defying levels of bitterness lately***** *****I probably won't tho
I've always been tempted to use whole cone hops in lieu of rice hulls in the mash...btw, was that 8 0z warrior whole cone or pellet?
Not to threadjack but afrokaze your Akuma/Pliny avatar is amazing, this is coming from me after binge watching the Evo SF4:AE top 8 from this year and last year.
Thanks I was super into SF/MvC in high school and someone made the avatar for me a few years back, I'll prob never change it!
