So I was thinking (yeah bad start) about hops in the boil...

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by machalel, May 27, 2015.

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  1. machalel

    machalel Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2012 Australia

    So I was thinking late last night...

    If hop oil absorbtion/dilution (whatever the correct word is) in the boil is inversely proportional to the gravity of the wort, surely you can save money/hops by splitting the wort into two batches and only putting hops into one?


    Say, as a quick example:
    5 Gal Recipe
    6 Gal Boil
    14 lb 2 row
    0.75lb roast barley
    1.4 oz Chinook
    Estimate IBU 61
    Estimate OG 1.083


    Now if we split into two batches:
    Batch 1
    1 Gal Recipe
    1.5 Gal Boil
    1 lb 2 row
    0lb roast barley
    1.4 oz Chinook
    Estimate IBU 417 IBU
    Estimate OG 1.028

    Batch 2
    4 Gal Recipe
    5 Gal Boil
    13 lb 2 row
    0.75lb roast barley
    Estimate IBU 0
    Estimate OG 1.096


    Combining Recipe 1 & 2 gives:
    5 Gal
    Estimate IBU 83.2
    Estimate OG 1.083

    Saves about 0.6 oz per 5 gal

    Sure, not worth doing on a smaller homebrew scale, but commercially?
    Or am I missing something (obviously this is all theoretical)?
     
    #1 machalel, May 27, 2015
  2. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Heh. Nice try. :slight_smile:

    Isomerization IS related to the gravity of wort and the volume that you put the hops into. You're right there.

    The higher the gravity, the less IBUs you'll get.
    The less amount of liquid you put your hops in the less IBUs you'll get.

    It would be about the same as making making a really strong cup of coffee and then pouring it into 5 gallons of water and expecting to have 5 gallons of decent tasting coffee. The extraction just isn't there.

    Ideally, you could boil 20 gallons down into 5 gallons for the best use of your hops. This would give you a low preboil gravity and would really wring those babies out. Now, as for waiting a day to boil it down and going through a whole tank of propane, I'd rather spend the coin on hops.

    FYI, IBUs cap out around 100 to 110, if I recall correctly. If I'm ever making a hop bomb IIPA, I don't really measure the bittering hops.
     
    #2 inchrisin, May 27, 2015
    machalel and PapaGoose03 like this.
  3. machalel

    machalel Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2012 Australia

    Fair enough, that's kinda what I was thinking intuitively, but...

    Does it mean that this error is just an unintended consequence of most recipe calculators? Because according to more than one, it would work.
     
    #3 machalel, May 28, 2015
  4. VikeMan

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

    You can't get 417 IBUs into any wort. I bet there's a calculator out there that won't allow it.
     
    #4 VikeMan, May 28, 2015
  5. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    Know of any decent ones?

    [/BoneThrow]
     
    #5 CurtFromHershey, May 28, 2015
  6. billandsuz

    billandsuz Pooh-Bah (2,097) Sep 1, 2004 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    wait. what?

    no, this isn't alchemy. you don't get magic bittering points if you trick your hops into thinking they aren't being fully utilized.
    jeesh.
     
    #6 billandsuz, May 28, 2015
  7. utahbeerdude

    utahbeerdude Maven (1,374) May 2, 2006 Utah

    What this means is that one must be smarter than the tool they are using. Applies to an IBU calculator. Applies to a hammer. :rolling_eyes:
     
    #7 utahbeerdude, May 28, 2015
    carteravebrew likes this.
  8. HerbMeowing

    HerbMeowing Maven (1,295) Nov 10, 2010 Virginia
    Trader

    Men at Work.
     
    #8 HerbMeowing, May 28, 2015
  9. machalel

    machalel Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2012 Australia

    True. I know the physics of a hammer, I don't know the chemistry of hop utilisation rates. Hence the post.
     
    #9 machalel, May 28, 2015
    BeerBob and utahbeerdude like this.
  10. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Just for curiosity, can someone 'splain the Mikkeller 1000 IBU beer? I tried it at a tasting once. It wasn't nearly as over the top as I expected. It was actually quite a bit mellow-er than many of the IIPAs out there today.
     
    #10 AlCaponeJunior, May 29, 2015
  11. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Marketing
     
    #11 OddNotion, May 29, 2015
    AlCaponeJunior likes this.
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