You may have been cruising through some online recipes lately or heard chatter amongst your fellow brewers regarding whirlpool hop additions to help boost your overall hop profile. The process is simple and requires no fancy equipment…
That’s correct!
Fancy equipment is not a necessity.
Yes, specialised equipment dedicated to whirlpooling will help yield improved results, but if your brew system doesn’t allow for this it’s OK.
You can easily follow the simple steps below to help maximise the hop profile of your hop forward beers.
WHIRLPOOL HOP ADDITIONS
Step 1
At the conclusion of your boil, drop the temperature of the wort to between 75 °C – 80°C.
*For brewers with no direct cooling capabilities, it will be OK to just turn off the heat to your boil kettle at the conclusion of the boil.
Step 2
Stir the wort in your boil kettle using a mash paddle or appropriate spoon to create a whirlpooling motion. At this point pitch your whirlpool hop addition into the boil kettle.
Step 3
Put a lid on your kettle (this helps to retain the essential hop oils in the wort) and leave to steep for 20 minutes.
*At the 10 minute mark opening the lid and giving the wort another quick stir can help improve results.
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU OPEN THE LID! STEAM IS HOT!!!
AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE 20 MINUTE STEEP, PROCEED WITH YOUR CHILLING AND TRANSFER AS NORMAL
