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Author Topic: Hop Back Impact  (Read 2979 times)

Offline flbrewer

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Hop Back Impact
« on: July 18, 2015, 12:05:33 pm »
For those of you who use a Hop Back or similar device, I'm curious what the impact (or lack of) would be on the below recipe. I don't currently have one and probably won't while I replicate this recipe. Keep in mind, this is for a 14 gallon recipe, I'd be scaling back for a 5 gallon.

First Wort - Chinook (28g pellets)
60 min - Warrior (amount varies pellets)
30 min - Columbus (56g pellets)
10 min - Amarillo & Simcoe (56g pellets ea.) Whirlpool - Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial (56g pellets ea.)
Hop Back - Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe (28g whole flowers ea.)
Dry Hops - Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial (56g pellets ea.)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2015, 12:09:15 pm »
I don't have a hop back either. Adding the hop back hops to your whirlpool/hop stand would be the best bet IMO, provided you steep at 180 or less like I do. I like 170-175F best.
Jon H.

Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2015, 12:14:49 pm »
You need the hop back and counter flow/plate chiller in series. Aroma compounds don't flash out of the beer, are chilled quickly.

The low temp stand is the work around, tough you will lose some aroma.
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Offline homoeccentricus

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2015, 06:24:44 am »
Haha, I'm going to brew with exact the same recipe and was wondering about the same thing. Was also going to add the hops to the whirlpool. BTW, there is an article by Mike Tonsmeire where he writes about things he bought or used that he finds underwhelming. The hopback is one of these things. Not sure whether the estimated colleagues on this forum agree.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2015, 06:31:40 am by homoeccentricus »
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Online hopfenundmalz

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2015, 06:29:41 am »
Haha, I'm going to brew with exact the same recipe and was wondering about the same thing. Was also going to add the hops to the whirlpool. BTW, there is an article by Mike Tonsmeire where he writes about things he bought our used that he finds underwhelming. The hopback is one of these things. Not sure whether the estimated colleagues on this forum agree.
I have not used mine as a hop back, as I don't use it with a counter flow chiller. Use it as a Randal, and as a "Torpedo" for dry hopping.
Jeff Rankert
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Offline denny

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2015, 10:08:30 am »
I had a hopback and gave it away because it just didn't seem effective compared to a whirlpool addition or dry hopping.
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S. cerevisiae

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2015, 10:35:00 am »
A hopback produces a different late hop effect than dry hopping or whirlpool hopping.  In my humble opinion (and it's just that), a hop back is critical to reproducing many of the top-tier British beers.   The Peter Austin designed/Alan Pugsley installed breweries used a hop back as a way to add late hop essence and filter pellet and break material that made it past the whirlpool.  A hopback excels at that task. 

I have been toying with the idea of adding a hopback to my brewery, so that I can switch to using pellets in the boil without having to use a hop spider, hop bags, or any other isoalpha reducing device.  I already own a counterflow chiller.  I currently brew with a false bottom and whole cones.

narvin

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2015, 02:16:56 pm »
Edit: noticed this is 1 oz each, for a total of 3oz.  I'd still suggest moving half to whirlpool, half dry hopping.  If you use a counterflow / plate chiller, you can also stagger your whirlpool additions to wait until the wort is more than half drained from the kettle to have less contact time with the hot wort.  For American IPAs I think a hopback is a waste of hops. 5 to 10 minutes of contact time is not a lot.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2015, 04:18:14 pm by narvin »

S. cerevisiae

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2015, 06:43:16 pm »
For American IPAs I think a hopback is a waste of hops. 5 to 10 minutes of contact time is not a lot.

I agree with this statement.  A hopback is not part of the American Pale or IPA hop profile.

Offline brewday

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2015, 06:54:41 pm »
For American IPAs I think a hopback is a waste of hops. 5 to 10 minutes of contact time is not a lot.

I agree with this statement.  A hopback is not part of the American Pale or IPA hop profile.

If that's the case, then I waste an exorbitant amount of hops.

Offline flbrewer

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2015, 12:37:04 pm »
Bumping this to see if anyone else has thoughts on the hopback part. I don't have one and intended to just leave it out of the recipe.

Offline TexasHumuluslupulushead

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2015, 06:39:28 pm »
I don't have a hop back either. Adding the hop back hops to your whirlpool/hop stand would be the best bet IMO, provided you steep at 180 or less like I do. I like 170-175F best.

Have to agree with Hoosier +1
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Offline coolman26

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2015, 09:59:48 am »
I found the hopback to be nothing more than a filter.  I didn't feel it added anything other than filtration IMO.
Jeff B

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Re: Hop Back Impact
« Reply #13 on: December 24, 2015, 11:35:25 am »
If that's the case, then I waste an exorbitant amount of hops.

I am not saying that hopback does not have a place in American brewing.  What I am saying is that it does not produce the same effect as dry-hopping, which is a huge part of the American IPA hop profile.