FWH Experiment.

[GuingesRock]

I used to make a SMaSH beer that I called Batch #16. I made it a lot and it was a favorite back then. It was a double batch with 1lb Styrian Goldings, all as an FWH addition, and Marris Otter. It was a very smooth beer and full of flavour, not overly bitter despite BS estimation that it would be 136.9 IBUs. I wasn’t skimming the FWH hops pre-boil back then.

I haven’t made it in a long time and I still have 4lbs of Styrian Goldings pellets that I bought from OBK at $9.99 per pound, and I was wondering what to do with them.

My plan is to throw the whole 4lbs as an FWH addition into a Marris Otter + Munich brew, maybe 6 - 7% ABV, double batch, not skim pre-boil just to avoid a complicated variable and see how it comes out.

According to BS it will be 547.8 IBUs but I don’t believe a word of it. I think BS is an apt name for that program when it comes to any kind of interesting hop addition. Also there’s a basic brewing podcast that says from a single 60 min boil you can’t get more than 50 IBUs. I’ve never actually done a 60 min boil addition as I’ve been more interested in getting flavours from hops and the bitterness has been a secondary issue, but there’s no way my 1lb FWH hop brew was 136.9 IBUs.

I think it will have nice bitterness and be full of flavour.

I’m not doing this for a while as I have too many other exciting brews planned with the help I’ve had on here with chemistry and PH and whirlpool and dry hopping, so there’s time for suggestions regarding the experiment. I’m quite happy when I’m done to bottle it up if anyone wants to know the effects of a FWH addition. Taking things to the extreme sometimes helps to clarify an issue.

One thing I’m absolutely sure about …it isn’t going to be 547.8 IBUs. That BS program annoys me more and more when it comes to hops.

[denislemieux]

Interesting timing for this post, I am literally at this moment reading up on FWH and planning an APA for my first time using the method. Mine is going to be more around the 35 IBU's although will likely go higher to compensate for possible skewed information from the software. 547 IBUs does sound interesting though...

[GuingesRock]

You probably read these already but just in case:

http://brewery.org/library/1stwort.html

http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/03/17/th ... echniques/

http://www.bacchus-barleycorn.com/catal ... cles_id=22

I think there are some threads on here also.

[denislemieux]

Thanks, 2 of those links have been visited so far. Will take a look at the rest tonight. Planning on a Blonde tomorrow and then the APA next week.

[GuingesRock]

You're welcome.

I just remembered something about Batch #16. Sandy tried it when he came around one day last summer and he asked me if it was a "fruit beer".

[GAM]

That beer had such a fresn hop flavor I thought I was tasting fruit not hops. Marks beers that I have tried were all wonderful, fresh, hoppy and just different enough that shows his methods work.

Sandy

[GuingesRock]

Thanks Sandy, they aren't all good though. Sometimes I try something and it doesn't work well.

I'm not sure this one is going to be any good either, but I won't know until I try it.

[RubberToe]

Mad science!!

[GuingesRock]

I'm going to have a go at this tomorrow, if we have power. 4lbs Styrian Goldings all FWH. If it's 634.3 IBUs I'll eat my hat. I'm estimating a pleasant bitterness, under 50 IBUs.

[mr x]

Hmmmmmmmmm, this will be interesting...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

[redoubt]

Awesome. I'm with X, this will be interesting!


Keely.

[GuingesRock]

Awesome. I'm with X, this will be interesting!


Keely.

Keely, You and Kirsten can drop by if you want in the morning and watch the brew (and any one else for that matter) ...that's if the roads are passable, if we have power, if you are not having your usual long Sunday lie in ...oh, nearly forgot, and, if there's lots of flying pigs around.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

Yeah I am interested as well, for sure. There'll be a lot of sludge with 4lb of hops, but you ferment in the kettle right? So hopefully it might settle into a pretty dense layer.

[GuingesRock]

Thanks for the interest. If this is drinkable, I'll bottle some up for people to try. I'm heating up the mash water as we speak.

Would some of the judges be able to do a BJCP score sheet on this for me in a few weeks please, and with your permission I'd post the sheets here, maybe put your Brewnoser name and no email on the sheet. I'd mail the bottles to you. That would be the best way to analyse this stuff when it's done.

I changed the malt profile last night, but I always keep a low malt profile with my beers, so the hops contribution will be easy to comment on.

There's some good information on theories of FWH in the brewing elements "For The Love of Hops" book. No body knows what goes on, so it's nice in that way. It's the art of brewing. Science is out of the window here, especially with IBU calculations. With the malt change, the calculated IBUs are now 628.1.

There will be a lot of hop sludge in there, but it will settle by the time I move it to the keg in 5 - 7 days time.

[RubberToe]

Also try to take into account wort absorption.

[GuingesRock]

It will be a smaller volume into the kegs for sure. I'll check OG and FG. I think that's as far as I'm taking it, unless you want me to do anything else on that.

[RubberToe]

It will be a smaller volume into the kegs for sure. I'll check OG and FG. I think that's as far as I'm taking it, unless you want me to do anything else on that.

I think that's a sound plan, It's best not to change too many variables at once, especially this late in the game.

[GuingesRock]

It’s like thick pea soup. I extended the kegging ball valve inside fittings upwards, in the hopes of being above the hops, or close to the top when they have all settled and it’s kegging time. I had to take the coil out so I could stir, as there was initially a dense sludge glued to the bottom of the pot, and that would have burned like a stew if I hadn’t stirred it. I can put the coil back in now any time. It’s half way up to the boil and the hops are all floating now. Boil over time should be interesting. I think that the dense mass of hops near the top will stop it foaming over ...we’ll see. If I remember right, swearing is allowed on here.

[RubberToe]

I bet that smells amazing!

[jeffsmith]

I bet that smells amazing!

Agreed. Your house must smell fantastic right now.

[Jimmy]

Looks like broccoli soup!

[GuingesRock]

I bet that smells amazing!

Yep, love it! It’s also kegging day for me, and it’s traditional to have a glass or two of the fresh un-carbonated beer. I’m in my element.

Boil over not a problem, as predicted. There’s a 5” thick, impacted hop sludge on the surface. I keep trying to stir it in. I so much want to skim it off, like I usually do, but I won’t as I promised not to.

[mr x]

Very nice. I think we need to hook you up with a proper rotating racking arm though.

[GuingesRock]

^

Whirlpooling broccoli soup isn't the easiest thing, but at least there is some movement, and the pump isn't blocking (yet).

[GuingesRock]

OG 1.064, anticipated 1.061. I tasted the OG sample and I think this is going to be a go.

I’d like to get some out there for feedback when it's ready (I was thinking feedback either on this thread, or by PM). Denislemieux, Sandy, RubberToe, X, redoubt, CorneliusAlphonse, jeffsmith, Jimmy, seem like they may be interested, and I’d like to get some to them if they want to try it. If anyone else would like to try some let me know. I can mail out half a dozen or so, and maybe if Nash would agree, I can get some to the RB, or maybe there’s some other suitable distribution point.

If I don’t like it, I’ll call it all off though. I have a reputation to keep up …or at least I think I do