Whirlpool Additions

[GFHomebrew]

I find it takes mere minutes to chill wort to 80c whirlpool temp then i throw in whirlpool addition. Ill do a few more whirlpool batches to be sure but im guestemating 80cwhirlpool/hopstand addition imparts little bitterness into final beer.

 

[Johnwk]

I find it takes mere minutes to chill wort to 80c whirlpool temp then i throw in whirlpool addition. Ill do a few more whirlpool batches to be sure but im guestemating 80cwhirlpool/hopstand addition imparts little bitterness into final beer.

Sometimes it takes a few minutes to connect the water, turn it on, etc. As mentioned above, once you reach 80 C, there's little or no isomerization taking place. Thus, if you cool very quickly after flameout, and don't whirlpool until it drops past 80 C, the extra IBU's is neglibible.

 

[Ward Chillington]

Thus, if you cool very quickly after flameout, and don't whirlpool until it drops past 80 C, the extra IBU's is neglibible.

So in doing a little documentation and checking my SG on the batch of brown ale from last week, I pulled this old string out to ask if there was an update to the IBU tool since this string was let. Was there something addressing flameout and whirlpooling?

If you add hops in the Whirlpool, or flame out for that matter, what boil time are you slugging into the tool? Zero gives you zero and yes the IBU is negligible but you are adding something......right?​

 

[BOB357]

How are brewers these days calculating whirlpool additions? I typically add mine around 150-160f. The ibu's calculated seem high to me in Brewers Friend. I'm just kind of curious because I've always considered flame out hops at 0 minutes of the boil. No ibu's are calculated for that addition. I guess I'm confused as to why an even later addition at or below 180f would calculate higher? Have I been figuring wrong for the past several years using BF?

Also, just noticed that .5 oz of cascade added at 5 minutes left on boil calculates less ibu than a .5 oz whirlpool addition at 150f.

Now that just doesn't make any sense. Late kettle additions are within the isomerization temperature range for longer than the whirlpool hops, so are contributing more bitterness. Timewise, there is a point where diminishing returns come into play, but a 5 minute or flameout addition won't even come close to that point.

IMO, there's no right or wrong except for your taste. If your beers hit the mark for you, they're fine. If they don't, it's time to make some adjustments.

We all know that none of the popular hop utilization models are accurate, but any one of them will give us a good point of reference. I adjust utilization % for altitude and then make an additional adjustment so, to my taste, the bitterness in my beers come very close to similar craft brews where the bitterness level is a known value. Since I'm using a different setup lately, I'm going through the same process again. Unless they've changed it within the last year or so, you can adjust the default value for utilization in BF.

 

[Mark Farrall]

...
We all know that none of the popular hop utilization models are accurate, but any one of them will give us a good point of reference. I adjust utilization % for altitude and then make an additional adjustment so, to my taste, the bitterness in my beers come very close to similar craft brews where the bitterness level is a known value. Since I'm using a different setup lately, I'm going through the same process again. Unless they've changed it within the last year or so, you can adjust the default value for utilization in BF.

And while there's some work starting on getting the IBU formulae updated for modern hopping practices there's not a lot on perceived bitterness. That's the one that really matters, but I imagine that one will be a nightmare to crack.

 

[BOB357]

And while there's some work starting on getting the IBU formulae updated for modern hopping practices there's not a lot on perceived bitterness. That's the one that really matters, but I imagine that one will be a nightmare to crack.

Agreed, especially since it's so subjective. Since I switched to boiling in the Digiboil I find that my utilization has changed quite a bit. I know most of the change because of the smaller boil off, which is due to about half the surface area of my old brew kettle. I'm sure there are other variables that factor in as well. I doubt there will ever be a truly accurate model for utilization. We can only hope.

 

[Craigerrr]

Or do we hope...
We don't all perceive bitterness in the same way. We all have different tastes. We all have different processes, start with different water, and have different equipment. Vive la difference!

 

[Ward Chillington]

Or do we hope...
We don't all perceive bitterness in the same way. We all have different tastes. We all have different processes, start with different water, and have different equipment. Vive la difference!

Yeah...lol...wifey kept saying she could taste cinnamon in the brown ale I was checking yesterday! But I guess that's what "the numbers" do for us...they take the "perception" and "tastes like" out of the equation.