Get Hoppy with Hop Stands July 14 2014, 0 Comments

Want to get better hop flavor and aroma in your beer? Try whirlpool hopping, also known as hop stand hopping. After turning off your burner, either slightly cool your wort using your normal method (to 180-190F) and add the hops you'd like to use, or immediately toss them in. Using a sanitized spoon, give your wort a good stir to create a "whirlpool" effect. No need to continuously stir; just get the whirlpool going every once in awhile. You can steep these hops for anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes. If your wort reaches ~170F, it's a good idea to stop the process and to finish cooling your wort down to yeast pitching temperature.

Whirlpool hopping will add a little bit of extra bitterness to your beer, so it's a good idea to account for that when you are making your recipe. However, you'll gain big on hop flavor and aroma! Once you've perfected the technique and brewed the perfect hoppy beer, be sure to enter it into our Hoptoberfest IPA contest that we hold every fall.