I've just acquired the necessary equipment to go No-Chill and will be attempting my first brew in the next week or so - a very simple hoppy pale ale that I have brewed on my previous setup 4 or 5 times. Was previously 100% Maris Otter, will now be UK Lager Malt + Crystal but I'm looking to keep the hop schedule similar. Previously this has been a very simple 60 minute, 5 minute and 80C hop steep. I generally chill my stock pot in a bath of water to 80C, add my hop steep for an hour then return to a water bath. Scaling this for No-Chill I have a few questions.
1. Given that I will be draining my boiler immediately at flameout and the 60 minute & 5 minute additions will not be making their way into the cube, do I need to adjust the hop utilisation for these additions? I had thought that since the wort is no longer in contact with these hops that no further bitterness would be extracted once the wort has been transferred to the cube.
2. Is there any point in my 5 minute addition? Will the aroma/flavour from this addition be driven off by the extended boiling time contact?
3. If I replace my hop steep addition with a similar amount of cube hopping will I get the same amount of aroma/flavour or will this be driven off by the elevated temperature of the wort as it cools in the cube? How much bitterness should I calculate for the cube hop?
Post #2 made 11 years ago
1. Yes. The contact is ceased, but the alpha acids released from the hops are still able to be isomerized.
2. 5m addition, I'd save it for the hop steep. I have done 88-100C hop steeps, and then dry hopping ... with aroma that could reach across rooms.
3. People generally have a better aroma experience in the 49-65C hop steep range, and I am currently trying this to see the differences from my method stated above. I have been doing double hop steeps, 88-100C range, and then another added <65C (which remains in the batch until pitching).
I calculate 30 minute hop steeps in the isomerization range as a 12 minute addition, accounting for the supposed 10% utilization. From personal experience, I think it might be slightly less than 10%, but it's close enough for me to continue using the same calculation.
https://byo.com/component/k2/item/2808-hop-stands" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
2. 5m addition, I'd save it for the hop steep. I have done 88-100C hop steeps, and then dry hopping ... with aroma that could reach across rooms.
3. People generally have a better aroma experience in the 49-65C hop steep range, and I am currently trying this to see the differences from my method stated above. I have been doing double hop steeps, 88-100C range, and then another added <65C (which remains in the batch until pitching).
I calculate 30 minute hop steeps in the isomerization range as a 12 minute addition, accounting for the supposed 10% utilization. From personal experience, I think it might be slightly less than 10%, but it's close enough for me to continue using the same calculation.
https://byo.com/component/k2/item/2808-hop-stands" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing Company says, "The fact that there is some isomerization (about 15% in whirlpool versus 35% in the kettle) of alpha acid means that not only hop aroma and hop flavor can be achieved, but also some bittering."
For Pelican Pub & Brewery's Kiwanda Cream Ale, brewmaster Darron Welch adds the beer's only hop addition at flameout. Welch gets about 25 IBUs from adding roughly 0.75 lbs./bbl (0.34 kg/bbl) of Mt. Hood hops at flameout then allowing a 30 minute whirlpool stage. This means that Darron is getting roughly 16% utilization on his 15 bbl system for a 1.049 specific gravity wort. As mentioned, in a homebrewers hop stand, the 5-gallon (19-L) kettle is going to cool much faster and therefore create lower utilization rates. Brad Smith, creator of the BeerSmith brewing calculator, gives this advice to homebrewers, "Something in the 10% range is not a bad estimate if hops are added near boiling and left in during the cool-down period."
From my own experience with extended hop stands in 11-gallon (42-L) batches, a 10% utilization rate for whirlpool hops seems reasonable.
Last edited by Rick on 17 Dec 2014, 22:31, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #4 made 11 years ago
I generally chill in the kettle these days, but sure .. I'd have no issue opening a cube if I needed to.
I just tilt the lid up a bit, and clip a hop sock to the side of the kettle. I only use cubes for long term storage now, it's a pointless transfer if pitching within a day or so.
I just tilt the lid up a bit, and clip a hop sock to the side of the kettle. I only use cubes for long term storage now, it's a pointless transfer if pitching within a day or so.
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Post #5 made 11 years ago
I should add, it's not pointless if you're actually using said cube as your primary fermenter! 
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