Hop Water Recipe

Hop Water

Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (21 L)

Ingredients
4–8 oz. (113–227 g) of your favorite hops*
2–4 g calcium chloride (optional)
5–6 mL 88% lactic acid or 3–5 g citric acid
Brewer’s yeast (1 packet of dry or liquid yeast)

* Note on hops: The key is to keep your calculated IBUs in that 8-12 range as to not make the final hop water too bitter and out of balance.

Step by step
1. Collect 5.5 gallons (21 L) water and acidify to 3.2–3.6 pH range. (Optional: Adjust water profile chloride level to be 2:1 chloride-to-sulfate). 

2. (If dip hopping): Start heating water. Once temperature reaches 170 °F (77 °C) pull 16 oz. into a small kettle and add half (2-4 oz./57–113 g) of your hops. Cover and set aside. This is the dip hop step we will add back later.

3. Bring water to a boil and to boil for 10 minutes.

4. Turn off heat source and add half (2-4 oz./57–113 g) of hops. (Target 8–12 IBU depending on your hops’ alpha acids.)

5. Whirlpool hops for 10 minutes and then chill hop water to yeast-pitching temperature.

6. Move hop water into a fermenter and pitch yeast along with the second half of your hops or the dip hop slurry.

7. Ferment for about four days, allowing yeast to biotransform hops. Some diacetyl may be produced during this phase but after 3–4 days that should be cleaned up.

8. Cold crash at 38–40 °F (3–4 °C) for 2–3 days and rack into a clean and sanitized keg.

9. Force carbonate to 3-4 volumes of CO₂.