Insane whirlpooling project with leaf hops

[Zucker Bee]

We have a huge amount of whole leaf Simcoe. Too much I would use in year since I can't use more than a pound or two at a time, otherwise it blocks the heat exchanger. So, I was thinking about using my lauter tun as a hopback to soak and strain the hops

Theorically this shouldn't give any extra BUs but since the amount is considerable (9.5kg/5bbl) should I expect some bitterness out of this?

The main question is:

Should I first whirlpool the wort normally and then bring it up to soak the hops?

or,

Should I transfer the boiling wort on top of the hops (for a certain time) and perform whirlpool?

Of course I will try to minimise the oxygen through out the process. I can even purge easily my LT if I really want to.

Cheers!

Ben

[Moonlight]

Would you have enough volume in the mash tun to accommodate the entire wort? I am thinking of running the entire kettle into it, and recirculate a bit even to allow all the trub to entangle with the hop cones. Do you have a pump that would easily pump whole hops in the wort without getting jammed?

[troybinso]

I think I would whirlpool first, start transfer to lauter tun, and then basically run a lauter. Let some of the wort run through the whole hops while you are adding more wort to keep it topped up.

Should make for some interesting clean-up.

[Zucker Bee]

Do you have a pump that would easily pump whole hops in the wort without getting jammed?

I have a mash pump but it can only swing back and forth frem mashtun/kettle to LT

[Zucker Bee]

Clean up shouldn't be too bad, but the cows might get some hallucinations if I mix it along with the spent grains!

I get your idea of "lautering" the hops. That would have been great but I can't do that. I'll have to transfer all at once, then start cooling through HE.

[drewseslu]

I have a 1.5bbl brewhouse and have used a modified 1/2bbl keg as a hop back, it can hold about 3 kilos of whole (dried) hops per knock out, something like this might be more workable for you.

[kai]

We have a huge amount of whole leaf Simcoe. Too much I would use in year since I can't use more than a pound or two at a time, otherwise it blocks the heat exchanger. So, I was thinking about using my lauter tun as a hopback to soak and strain the hops

Theorically this shouldn't give any extra BUs but since the amount is considerable (9.5kg/5bbl) should I expect some bitterness out of this?

Yes, I would definitely expect some bitterness out of this. How much would depend on how you actually do it (contact time, runoff speed, vigour / agitation in the 'hopback', etc.) but I'd expect anywhere from 10 - 30% utilisation. Potentially a pretty big difference for your final BU's I'd reckon.

[pubbrewer]

Mash tun Hop back

During San Diego Beer Week 2009 Scott Jennings from the Sierra Nevada R&D brewery aka Beer Camp came down to brew our first Colaboration Belgian IPA using local whole hops. Scott's hop back @ SNB is about a 7-10 Bbl mash tun and he says if using pellets in the kettle to whirlpool first in order to avoid the hops and trub from plugging the screens. Seemed like a good choice! We used 12 lbs of whole leaf added after cleaning out mash tun. Mean while we whirl/rest 20 minutes then transfered using cip portable pump to mash then immediately started K.O. with kettle pump as usual. Worked like a charm!! Great Beer!!

[Jephro]

I have done this previously too. We boiled, WP'd as we normally would. We then filled the clean pre-heated MT with our whole leaf hops on top of the screens. We then pumped the wort slowly into the MT from the bottom. Then we just KO'd from the MT. The contact time from filling the MT to finishing the KO was plenty to give the desired aroma.

We never worried too much about hot-side-areation but i guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a blanket of Co2 in the Tun prior to pumping in the wort. Especially if you plan to recirc/WP it- personally i think the recirc/WP in the Tun is overkill and not necessary, just the act of filling and draining should do enough "mixing" for you.

We never calculated any additional BU's for this as your temp will be well below boiling so little if any isomerization should take place, temp in the MT for us was in the 190's. But pre-heat, you don't want to drop below that magical 180 and risk contamination.

[bone yard]

I've done the 'lauter tun as hop back' thing at two breweries; one post whirlpool and one without any wirlpooling (brewery was too old). Definitely whirlpool first as the combination of trub, spent kettle hops and whole hop flowers will block the plate and you'll be 'cutting' the mess away for the duration of the transfer. My understanding is that Deschutes have what is essentially a modified lauter that is used exclusively as a hop back, and their hoppy beers are none too shabby.

Also, if using high alpha flowers, you will get significant BU pickup despite what programs such as ProMash will have you believe. Pull your kettle hops back a bit and you should be fine. The difference in aroma and flavour will astound you.

[shackbrew]

I brewed a replic cereal common called Hop-O with 36lbs of old leaf hops, multiple varieties. I used a 1/3rd as mash hops, and the others in the mash tun as a giant hop back post whirlpool(no kettle hops). I had way more hop bitterness than I expected, but it has tamed down at a rapid rate due to the age of the hops. Brewhouse is 4BBL, and I only brewed 3BBL of Hop-O. Silly numbers, I know.